Professional groups sometimes give a “seal of approval” to an academic program when it meets high standards established by the professional field. In Library and Information Science, the gold standard is being accredited by the American Library Association (ALA), an organization with 62,000 members that promotes libraries, intellectual freedom, and library education. Since the 1920’s Rutgers has had an ALA accredited program to prepare professional librarians for the important work that they do. Today work of librarians is more critical than ever –they need to analyze the community and make sure there are materials available for constituents’ needs; they must understand about digital preservation; they must understand complex contracts for databases, e-books and other new types of materials; they teach others about information, and they need to organize educational programs for those who patronize their library’s services. Often all of this is accomplished with limited resources. Librarians must also be excellent communicators who help with internet access, assessing the quality of information, assisting with research needs, and curating literature and information products in their care.

Rutgers’ Master’s degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS) has been ranked in the top 10 of accredited LIS programs in North America for over a decade, with the School Library/Media specialization ranked # 1 for 11 years. Housed in the School of Communication and Information, many of the finest librarians in the country can be proud of having Rutgers as an alma mater. Every seven years the LIS faculty conduct a year-long self study to examine how the program meets the needs of students who wish to become career librarians. The program is submitted to a review panel that makes recommendations for accreditation to the ALA’s Committee on Accreditation.

The External Review Panel representing ALA will visit the Rutgers New Brunswick campus September 25-27, 2011. The panel will talk with faculty, students, staff, and administrators about the MLIS program, and they will work with all of us so that they can understand our curriculum and other factors that make for a great educational experience and professional preparation. We are proud of our ALA accreditation and look forward to welcoming the External Review Panel in September.