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National Architectural Accrediting Board Conditions of Accreditation | |||
| Condition 8: |
Information Resources The architecture librarian and, if appropriate, the professional in charge of visual resource or other non-book collections must provide a self-assessment demonstrating the adequacy of the architecture library. collections and services. Recognizing the unique character of each architecture school, this report must specifically evaluate the degree to which information resources support the school’s mission, strategic plan, curriculum, and research specialties. The library collection must contain a wide variety of print, visual, and electronic media, and be adequate in size, scope, content, currentness, retrospectiveness, and availability for a professional degree program in architecture. In addition to a core collection of Library of Congress NA or Dewey 720-729 call number titles along with technical and support volumes to provide a balanced architecture collection, the library should include an appropriate mix of other call number titles to support the specific mission and strategic plan of the program. Normally the collection should include a minimum of 5,000 different catalogued titles. Adequate visual resources must also be included. Visual resources and other non-book materials are considered an integral part of an architecture education, and students must have ready access to these materials. Access to other local or regional architectural collections may supplement but not substitute for adequate information resources at the home institution. In addition to developing and managing increasingly complex collections, architecture librarians and visual resource professionals should provide information services that promote the research skills and critical thinking necessary for professional practice and lifelong learning. Budgetary support enabling continuous and appropriate collection growth must be demonstrated. Any significant problems which impact the operations or services of the library or visual resource collections should be clearly stated, with recommendations for improvements. The librarian’s report must cover the following areas:
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