Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to analyze the policies and procedures needed for the accreditation of academic institutions by various agencies. In the case of India, a number of accreditation bodies visit academic institutions to accredit the programs and to analyze various facets to assure that standard policies and procedures are in place. The policies and procedures adopted by various accreditation bodies such as AICTE, UGC, NAAC, ABET, etc. recognize the courses offered by the institutions, whereas agencies like Times Higher Education, QS Ranking, NIRF (India) are playing a key role in the ranking of the institutions. Libraries are always one of the important criteria for accreditation as well as ranking. The purpose is to identify the key expectations from these bodies for library science education and libraries in terms of collection, services, and other important aspects which help to achieve an institution's success.
TopNational And International Accreditation System
The purpose of the accreditation system is to meet a certain level of minimum standard by the program run by an institution. Various definitions have been proposed by different authors to describe the process accreditations. The accreditation process involves many facets in which the accreditation agencies evaluate the college, university, or program to meet certain predetermined qualifications or standards (Selden, 1960). Furthermore, the accreditation process intends to strengthen the quality of higher education. There are many international bodies involve in the process of accreditation and rate colleges, universities and programs.
Key Terms in this Chapter
AACRL: Association of College and Research Libraries.
NAAC: National Assessment and Accreditation Council.
AICTE: All India Council of Technical Education.
ALA: American Library Association.
AACSB: The American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business.
UGC: University Grants Commission.
ABET: Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.
NBA: National Board of Accreditation.