20 AAC 17.235. Learning resource program

(a) Except as provided in (b) of this section, an institution that offers a degree program must have a library, supplementary program, and academic support services at its facility that are conveniently accessible to students and faculty, and that include sufficient facilities, materials, and equipment to support and enhance the educational philosophy, mission, and objectives of the institution. The Standards for Libraries in Higher Education, 2004, of the Association of College and Research Libraries/American Library Association, is adopted by reference, and provides guidance to meet standards relating to library staffing, budget, collection size, annual accessions, space requirements, and equipment for distribution and production.

(b) Under conditions that the commission considers beneficial to students, institutions, and to the communities involved, the commission will, in its discretion, permit an institution to obtain learning resource services through cooperative agreements with conveniently accessible existing college or public libraries.

(c) A college or graduate institution headquartered outside of this state must meet the requirements of this section for a branch campus of that college or institution to offer programs in this state. The commission will, in the commission's discretion, allow that college or institution to meet those standards through cooperative agreements with existing local college or public libraries in this state. The cooperative agreements under this subsection must:

(1) be developed by the participating institutions with any fees based upon guidelines developed after consideration of appropriate national, regional and state library standards, including:

(A) projected student population using the service,

(B) the services to be provided,

(C) the projected expenditures per full-time equivalent (FTE) student or the percent of operating budget allocated by the main campus to the central library of each participating institution, and

(D) the expenditure per FTE student or the percent of operating budget by the providing institution for its library in this state;

(2) consider the unique learning resource needs of the institution or program purchasing library services in this state and any library services that the purchasing institution chooses to provide directly to its students: an agreement may also consider ancillary or indirect library resource services that the institutions negotiate.

(d) The commission recommends that any cooperative agreements, under (c) of this section, be negotiated with the existing local college or university library. If an agreement between the institution and the local college or university library cannot be made, those parties may request advisement from the commission. Alternatively, the institution, with approval of the commission, may develop a cooperative agreement with another local library. Alternate local libraries must document appropriate capacity, collections, and levels of services to meet the research, service, and collection needs that can not be provided directly to the students by the institution that is purchasing library services.

(e) Documentation must be provided to the commission that clearly shows that the library and the learning resource program, through direct provision or cooperative agreement, are sufficient to support and enhance the educational philosophy, mission, and objectives of the institution.

History: Eff. 4/19/90, Register 114; am 11/5/92, Register 124; am 8/26/98, Register 147; am 1/30/2003, Register 165; am 12/31/2005, Register 176

Authority: AS 14.48.050

AS 14.48.060

AS 14.48.070

Editor's note: The Standards for Libraries in Higher Education , adopted by reference in 20 AAC 17.235 can be obtained from the Internet at http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/ standardslibraries.htm or from the Association of College and Research Libraries, a Division of the American Library Association, 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611. The association's telephone number is (800) 545-2433.

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