Accreditation and Standards, Old

FY 2006

Accreditation is based on the 4th edition of  In Service to Iowa: Public Library Measures of Quality.  Public libraries that are not accredited or that have not filed a report in the past 3 years will be required to submit a new "Application and Report Form for Accreditation and Standards," due January 31, 2006. The information provided in these reports will allow the State Library and the LSAs to more accurately track the progress of libraries in meeting each of the 75 measures in In Service to Iowa.

Documents Related to Accreditation and Standards

The Application and Report Form for Accreditation and Standards, FY06 may be downloaded as an Adobe Acrobat document (pdf) or as a Word document, Application Form-Word.

Accreditation and Standards Introduction to Application and Report Form FY 2006. (pdf)

Request for Supporting Documentation 06 form lists the items that must be included with the application. (pdf)

Accreditation Status for Public Libraries 

Libraries that must submit the "Application and Report Form for Accreditation and Standards" by January 31, 2006,  need to file an accreditation report by January 31, 2006::  Need to file an Accreditation Report  (152 public libraries)

Libraries That Need to Renew accreditation in 2006 (list of 124 public libraries)

Tier Status and Measures not met, by LSA and library 2005 as of 9/14/05

List of Accredited Libraries: Accredited Libraries  2003-2005 (N=291)

Other Information Related to Accreditation and Standards

Enrich Iowa:  Explanation of standards required to meet Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 of Enrich Iowa, on the Library Service Area website.

County Funding Requirements Not Met.  Any public library in these counties does not meet measure 19.

FY 2005

The 4th edition of  In Service to Iowa: Public Library Measures of Quality has been substantially revised.  Therefore, with the exception of those libraries that are accredited through June of 2006 and June of 2007, all public libraries will be required to submit a new "Application and Report Form for Accreditation and Standards," due January 31, 2005. The information provided in these reports will allow the State Library and the LSAs to more accurately track the progress of libraries in meeting each of the 75 measures in In Service to Iowa.

413 public libraries needed to submit the "Application and Report Form for Accreditation and Standards" by January 31, 2005,   Reports Due in 2005.

News Releases 2005 Revised

About  Accreditation and Standards

There are currently 291 accredited public libraries.

To recognize this achievement, the library receives a certificate and a higher rate of compensation through Enrich Iowa. News releases are also sent to local media outlets.

The accreditation process is extensive and requires a strong, ongoing local commitment to excellence in library services. To be accredited, a library must meet 40 required measures and an additional 16 locally selected standards in the areas of library governance, administration & funding, staffing, collections, services, public relations, and access & facilities. To remain accredited, a library must reaffirm eligibility every three years.

Iowa’s public library accreditation program has been in place 20 years. The library community has revised the PUBLIC LIBRARY MEASURES OF QUALITY three times to keep pace with the changes in the delivery of services. Iowa’s measures of quality have been used as the basis of similar programs developed by other states.

There has always been grassroots support of the Public Library Accreditation Program. However, because of Enrich Iowa and its purpose to improve library services, the number of Iowa libraries striving and meeting accreditation requirements is growing rapidly.

3rd. edition of  In Service to Iowa

In Service to Iowa, 3rd ed. :: The previous manual of standards for public libraries. It addressed various aspects of library services, including administration, collections, staff, services and facilities.

Statistics about libraries meeting the standards set forth in In Service to Iowa - Impact of In Service to Iowa, 2003 :: current as of 11/6/03