Standards & Guidelines
ACRL is the source that the higher education community looks to for standards and guidelines on academic libraries. ACRL promulgates standards and guidelines to help libraries, academic institutions, and accrediting agencies understand the components of an excellent library. These standards, guidelines, and model statements are reviewed and updated by the membership on a regular basis. The ACRL Guide to Policies and Procedures contains complete information on the creation and review of ACRL standards and guidelines.
An alphabetical listing of ACRL standards and guidelines is below. A listing by topic area is also available. Archival and research copies of all past versions of ACRL standards and guidelines are available in the print edition of C&RL News.
ACRL standards and guidelines are issued under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States license.
Non-English translations of ACRL standards and guidelines are contributed by individual volunteers from the library community and are not vetted by ACRL. Neither ACRL nor American Library Association is responsible for translation errors.
For other ACRL documents that are not Standards & Guidelines (for example, white papers, position statements, and reports from ACRL and ALA units), go to White Papers & Reports.
Academic Status for College and University Librarians, Guidelines for (January 2007)
Access to Research Materials in Archives and Special Collections Libraries, ALA-SAA Joint Statement on (July 2009)Appointment, Promotion and Tenure of Academic Librarians, A Guideline for (June 2010)
Borrowing and Lending Special Collections Materials for Exhibition, Guidelines for (January 2005)
Certification & Licensing of Academic Librarians, Statement on the (June 2007)
Characteristics of Programs of Information Literacy that Illustrate Best Practices: A Guideline (June 2003)Collective Bargaining, Guideline on (June 2008)
Competencies for Special Collections Professionals (July 2008)
Curriculum Materials Centers, Guidelines for (January 2009)Distance Learning Library Services, Standards for (July 2008)
Faculty Status of College and University Librarians, Joint Statement on (June 2007)
Faculty Status for College and University Librarians, Standards for (June 2007)
Information Literacy Instruction, Objectives for: A Model Statement for Academic Librarians (Jan. 2001)
Greek translation (PDF)
Spanish translation (PDF)
Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education (Jan. 2000)
Chinese Translation (PDF)
Farsi Translation (PDF)
French Translation (PDF)
Greek Translation (PDF)
Italian Translation
Japanese Translation (PDF)
Slovenian Translation (PDF)
Spanish Translation
Information Literacy Standards for Anthropology and Sociology Students (January 2008)
Farsi Translation (PDF)Instruction Programs in Academic Libraries, Guidelines for (June 2003)
Japanese Translation (PDF)
Farsi Translation (PDF)Interlibrary Loan of Rare and Unique Materials, Guidelines for the (June 2004)
Libraries in Higher Education, Standards for (June 2004)
Greek Translation (PDF)
Japanese Translation (PDF)
Spanish Translation (PDF)
Media Resources in Academic Libraries, Guidelines for (January 2006)Political Science Research Competency Guidelines (PDF) (July 2008)
Farsi Translation (PDF)Preparation of Policies on Library Access, Guidelines for the (Dec. 1992)
Originally prepared by the ACRL Access Policy Guidelines Task Force December, 1992, these Guidelines were rescinded on October 27, 2006 at the Executive Committee meeting in Chicago. They have been superseded by the 2005 ALA Guidelines, available here.Proficiencies for Instruction Librarians and Coordinators, Standards for (June 2007)
Spanish Translation (PDF)Psychology Information Literacy Standards (June 2010)
Research Competency Guidelines for Literatures in English (June 2007)
Farsi Translation (PDF)Science and Technology, Information Literacy Standards for (June 2006)
Farsi Translation (PDF)Screening and Appointment of Academic Librarians, A Guideline for the (July 2009)
Security and Theft in Special Collections, Guidelines Regarding (September 2009)
Spanish Translation (PDF)Selection and Transfer of Materials from General Collections to Special Collections, Guidelines on the, (July 2008)
Standards for Proficiencies for Instruction Librarians and Coodinators: A Practical Guide (2009)
Terminal Professional Degree for Academic Librarians, Statement on the (June 2007)
University Library Services to Undergraduate Students, Guidelines for (June 2005)
