456 Pages of Purpose

The Accreditation Journey

UMSI submits its 2026 ALA Biennial Narrative, reaffirming our library foundations in an AI-shaped era.

Last month, we submitted UMSI’s 2026 Biennial Narrative to the American Library Association’s Committee on Accreditation. The submission represents a significant amount of coordinated work across the school, and I want to begin by recognizing those who led and supported it.

Thank you to Tawanna Dillahunt, Laura Elgas, Josh Lee, Abby McFee, Dale Parry, Nikki Sunstrum, Heidi Williams, Stephanie Brenton, Chris Teplovs, members of the MSI Committee, and the many staff and colleagues who contributed data, documentation, analysis, and thoughtful review. Fittingly for a school with deep library roots, the final submission ran 456 pages. 

In a moment when headlines are dominated by rapid advances in artificial intelligence and evolving information technologies, it is worth remembering that UMSI’s roots are in librarianship. Our history as a library school is not a relic of the past. It is a foundation and a current mission. For more than a century, we have prepared professionals to steward knowledge, support equitable access, preserve cultural memory, and strengthen democratic institutions. Now, we use the genetic basis of Libraries, Archives, and Knowledge Environments in Society across all of our programs and in turn look to building new futures for the field of librarianship.

The ALA accreditation process asks us to reflect on how well we continue that work. The report documents strengthened governance practices, clearer program-level learning outcomes, alignment with the ALA Core Competencies and Core Values, and sustained attention to assessment and student support. It also affirms the continued strength of our MSI program and the LAKES pathway.

Accreditation is not simply about compliance. It is an opportunity to examine whether our structures are coherent, whether our curriculum reflects our values, and whether we are preparing students to meet both enduring professional responsibilities and emerging challenges. In reading and preparing the materials for this, I became excited about where we are at. Our faculty and curriculum committee have a great plan for our LAKES students, and our ability to produce some of the most technically proficient graduates in this area is a core strength of our school.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this submission and to the ongoing work of teaching, advising, and curriculum development that it represents.