Dear ACRL-OR Members,
We are writing to alert you to a critical proposed change in the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) accreditation standards that would significantly weaken requirements for academic library staffing across our region.
What's Changing
NWCCU is currently revising their 2020 Accreditation Standards for implementation in 2027. They are proposing to remove the requirement that institutions "employ qualified personnel" from the library resources standard.
Current 2020 Standard (2.H.1): "Consistent with its mission, the institution employs qualified personnel and provides access to library and information resources with a level of currency, depth, and breadth sufficient to support and sustain the institution's mission, programs, and services."
Proposed 2027 Standard (2.F.1): "Consistent with its mission, the institution provides access to library and information resources with a level of currency, depth, and breadth sufficient to support and sustain the institution's mission, programs, and services."
Why This Matters
This change eliminates accountability for employing credentialed library professionals at accredited institutions. Academic librarianship requires specialized graduate education, typically a Master's degree from an ALA-accredited program, in information organization, research methodologies, instructional design, and collection management. Removing this requirement:
- Creates permission for institutions to eliminate or leave vacant librarian positions
- Disproportionately harms students at under-resourced institutions who rely most on professional library support
- Undermines libraries' essential role in information literacy, research consultation, and student success
- Weakens institutional capacity to manage complex information resources and vendor relationships
Feedback Opportunity
NWCCU is hosting feedback sessions next week and accepting public comments NEXT WEEK. Details are available here: https://nwccu.org/standards/standards-revision/
Recommended Actions
- Submit individual feedback to NWCCU expressing opposition to removing "employs qualified personnel" and advocating for strengthened language that explicitly recognizes librarian expertise
- Share this information with your institution's administration, faculty senate, and accreditation liaison officer
- Attend a feedback session if possible (schedule available at link above)
- Contact your institutional leadership to ensure they understand how this change could impact your library and request they submit institutional feedback to NWCCU
- Use the sample language below in your communications
Sample Feedback Language
We have prepared key points you can adapt for your own submission:
- Diminished accountability - Removes measurable standards for professional library staffing, making it difficult to evaluate institutional compliance with quality expectations
- Inequitable outcomes - Under-resourced institutions may use this change as justification to eliminate or leave vacant librarian positions, disproportionately harming students at community colleges and smaller institutions who most need professional support
- Compromised student success - Loss of professional research consultation and information literacy instruction directly impacts students' ability to complete coursework, develop critical thinking skills, and meet program learning outcomes
- Institutional mission negligence - Without specialized librarian expertise in collection development, licensing negotiations, archives, and emerging and cutting-edge technologies, institutions waste resources and cannot adequately support faculty scholarship or curricular needs
This is a critical moment for academic libraries in the Northwest. Your voice matters. Please take action and encourage your colleagues to do the same. If you have questions or need assistance preparing feedback, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Thank you for your support!
ACRL-Oregon Board
