Art Department Accreditation Cycle

  • Date of last site visit/accreditation: 2013
  • Date for next site visit: 2022-2023

NASAD Accreditation Requirements

Library and Learning Resources

Overall Requirements

  • Standards

    • The art/design unit shall have library, learning, and information resources necessary to fulfill its purposes and appropriate for the size and scope of its operations.

    • The institution shall place importance on the development and maintenance of library, learning, and information resources to support its curricula in art and design.
    • The institution shall have policies concerned with, but not limited to, the following aspects of library operation:

      • Governance and Administration

      • Collections

      • Personnel Services

      • Access Services

      • Facilities

      • Finances

  • Recommendations

    • The art/design collection should be considered an integral part of the art and design program of the institution.

    • The policies referred to should support both the number and scope of curricular objectives and should be developed in a manner that demonstrates coordination between the library staff and the art/design faculty.

Governance and Administration

  • Standard
    • The functional position of the art/design collection within the total library structure shall be clearly identified, and the responsibilities and authority of the individual in charge of this collection shall be defined.
  • Recommendation
    • There should be a close administrative relationship among all libraries within the institution so that art/design students and faculty may make the best use of library resources.

Collections

  • Standards
    • The institution must maintain library holdings and/or electronic access to holdings in art/design of sufficient size and scope to complement the nature and levels of the total instructional program in art/design, to provide incentive for individual learning, and to support research appropriate for its faculty.
    • There shall be evidence that a systematic acquisitions, preservation, and replacement program compatible with appropriate needs has been planned, and that some form of faculty consultation and review is a continuing aspect of this program.
    • Materials in all formats required for the study of art and design—books, images, digital images, periodicals, microforms, audio and video recordings, and electronic access to other databases—shall be the basis of the acquisitions, preservation, and replacement program.
  • Recommendation and Comment
    • Whenever possible, cooperative arrangements should be established with information sources outside the institution to augment holdings for student and faculty use.
    • The books, images, digital images, periodicals, microforms, and audio and video recordings held by the libraries of municipalities, museums, historical societies, and other schools, and access to electronic databases, can often provide a breadth of coverage far beyond that of the institution.

Personnel Services

  • Standard
    • The library shall be staffed by professionally qualified personnel sufficient to meet the various needs of the art and design unit.
  • Recommendation
    • Institutions are encouraged to engage specialized personnel whenever feasible to organize and maintain the art and design holdings.

 Services

  • Standards
    • The institution shall maintain appropriate hours of operation for the library.
    • There must be convenient access to the library holdings in art and design through complete and effective catalogs, indexes, and other appropriate bibliographical tools.
    • There must be access to the holdings of other institutions through union catalogs, cooperative network facilities, photoduplication, and interlibrary loan.
    • Instruction in the use of the art/design collection shall be provided.

Facilities

  • Standards
    • The institution shall provide an environment conducive to study.
    • The institution shall provide and maintain equipment that allows access to the resources of the library including, but not limited to, audio and video equipment, microfilm units, and computer terminals.
  • Guideline
    • Normally, facilities are as centralized as possible to provide access to all library holdings devoted to the study of art and design. For example, books, images, and audio and video equipment are located in close proximity for effective use in conjunction with one another.

Finances

  • Standard
    • Budgetary support shall be adequate to provide appropriate services, carry out necessary operations, and satisfy stated requirements of the programs offered.
  • Recommendations
    • Although fiscal policies may vary among institutions, it is desirable that the allocation for the art/design collection be an explicit element in the institution's library budget. The management of this allocation should be the responsibility of a designated staff person.
    • An organized system of involvement by art/design faculty and students should exist to advise the librarian in planning short- and long-range fiscal needs most effectively.

Library Supporting Resources

The following resources are available in CSU Libraries to support the accreditation requirements:

Online Databases