Clearinghouse of Professional Information

Accreditation Resources

This section includes links to a number of resources on aspects of library management that will be useful to libraries working towards achieving or maintaining accreditation.  Other resources of interest, such as planning, policies and management may be found on other pages such as Board Development Resources (which has a general Policy writing section), Human Resources, Library Administration Resources, Sample Mission Statements, Sample Policies (By Topic), and  Planning Resources pages.

OLS-North and SOLS staff use the Ontario Public Library Guidelines publication as assessment tool when working with libraries to help to plan for improvements. Using a guidelines checklist for assessment, the OLS staff develop a work plan with librarians in planning. OLS - North is the administrative body for the Ontario Guidelines, Monitoring and Accreditation Council. For more information about accreditation, you can contact either SOLS staff or OLS-North staff who also serve as auditors on Accreditation audit teams.

Topics include:

Accreditation - Ontario Public Library Guidelines | Guidelines and Standards | Policy writing | Sample Policies (By Topics)

indicates an item written by SOLS staff

indicates an item written by OLS-North staff

Accreditation - Ontario Public Library Guidelines

• Information for Libraries and Audit Teams - January 2008 (.pdf) (Ontario Public Library Guidelines. 4^th Edition)
• List of Accredited Libraries (Ontario Public Library Guidelines Council)
• List of Mandatory Guidelines - First Nations (.pdf) (Ontario Public Library Guidelines. 4^th edition)
• List of Mandatory Guidelines - Municipal and County Libraries (.pdf) (Ontario Public Library Guidelines. 4^th edition)
• Ontario Provincial Benchmarks from 2004 Ontario Public Library Statistics. Revised (.pdf)  Appendix B Aids to Measurement
• Process for Accreditation (Ontario Public Library Guidelines Council) (.pdf) A description of the 8 steps in the accreditation process.
   
• SOLS Clinics for Libraries about OPLG 
  • The Guidelines as a Tool for Trustees and Staff   (.pdf) This chart provides an overview of the ways in which the guidelines help both CEOs and Trustees fulfill their responsibilities.
  • Updating the Ontario Public Library Guidelines - 4th Edition: Updating your Assessment. Feb. 2008 (.pdf)
  • Score Sheet including single branch, multi branch and First Nation (.doc) Download a copy to your desktop to fill in.

Guidelines and Standards

• Building Better Library Services: Learning from audit, inspection and research (.pdf) U.K. Audit Commission

• Building on success: a public library quality improvement matrix for Scotland (.pdf) Scottish Executive & Scottish Library and Information Council. (2007) . SLIC. The "quality indicators" are: Access to information; Community and personal participation; Meeting readers’ needs; Learners’ experiences; Ethos and values; Organisation and use of resources and space; Leadership. Helping people develop information literacy is mentioned under "access".

• Canadian Guidelines on Library and Information Services for People with Disabilities (CLA)
• Combined School & Public Libraries: Guidelines for Decision Makers  (Wisconsin)
• Common Measurement Tool   (Institute for Citizen-Centred Service) Using the CMT, public-sector managers are able to understand client expectations, assess levels of satisfaction, and identify priorities for improvement. By using the questions set out in the CMT, jurisdictions can also compare their results against peer organizations, identifying best practices and sharing lessons learned.
• Customer Service at the Cobourg Public Library (.pdf) - The Cobourg Library has developed a document that provides a guideline for staff to follow in all of their library work with the public. Starting on page 4 of this document you will find a section entitled "Patron Care Standards".
• Guidelines for Rural/Urban Public Library Systems 2005. (.pdf) (Administrators of Rural and Urban Public Libraries of Ontario) "These guidelines are not stand-alone guidelines but build on and are supplementary to the Ontario Public Library Guidelines (Third Edition). ... It is strongly recommended that the Ontario Public Library Guidelines be fully considered before referring to these guidelines." (Excerpted from Introduction to the publication)
• Library Service Best Value Plan (BVP) West Sussex County Council Library Service (UK)
• National Quality Institute Assists Canadian organizations improve performance by providing a principle-driven, criteria-based way to implement quality and healthy workplace environments. Browse the articles in its Excellence Magazine and download its Canadian Quality Criteria for Public Sector Excellence.
• The Public Library Service: the IFLA/UNESCO Guidelines for Development (2001)
• The RFP Writer's Guide to Standards for Library Systems (National Information Standards Organization) by Cynthia Hodgson, 2002  (.pdf) To help you incorporate standards into your systems planning
• Reference and User Services Guideline Links by Topic Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) (ALA).
• Standards for Florida Public Libraries (Florida Library Association) Updated to May 2007. Excellent resource
• Standards for Kansas Public Libraries, 2000 revision "Measurements of Quality: Public Library Standards for Kansas" is a tool for measuring the adequacy of library service...It contains not only quantitative but also qualitative goals toward which libraries should strive. The standards speak to the contributions library services make to the lives or our citizens and the vitality of our communities." 
• Standards, guidelines and benchmarks for public library services in Australia and overseas: a guide to resources (Australian Library and Information Association. ALIA Public Libraries Reference Group). This Guide to resources enables public libraries in Australia to be aware of what resources are available, both in Australia and overseas (UK, New Zealand and the US), in relation to standards/guidelines for public libraries. The Guide covers both general/comprehensive statements of standards/guidelines and those on specialized topics.
• Wisconsin Public Library Standards (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction) See also  the OWLS edition of the Wisconsin Public Library Standards which includes both checklists and quantitative measures. This website contains more information about using the Standards. In addition, OWLS has developed an Excel workbook that any library can download and use to calculate quantitative service targets.