By Alan Van Ormer
Tribune editor

Changes in the accreditation standards shouldn’t impact fundraising efforts for the Dell Rapids Carnegie Library.
The State Library Board is proposing a three-tiered accreditation system with set standards required by state and federal guidelines. The three levels include essential, enhanced and exemplary.
According to Daria Bossman, who is one of two assistant state librarians in charge of development services, by being accredited, it says that Dell Rapids is on the cutting edge. “They are in the 21st Century,” she said in a recent phone interview. “They are talking about a building that is going to house services. It is far more than a building.”
Dell Rapids Carnegie Library recently received its Public Library Accreditation, while its librarian, Debbie Huska, received her public library certification. Libraries are accredited every three years in South Dakota.
Bossman said we have standards in our industry and a library that meets those standards is looking to grow and achieve the highest quality of resources and services for their local citizens. “Citizens in a community where “best practice” standards have been achieved can be assured that they are receiving the highest quality of services for their tax dollars spent,” she said in e-mail.
Huska said the purpose of the proposed criteria is to encourage the ongoing development of library services. “It involves continuing education classes for library employees,” she said, adding the Carnegie Library does not need to be accredited for another three years in the voluntary program.
According to Bossman, the three-year accreditation process will continue even if the new standards go into effect. The State Library Board has not approved the new standards. The standards could be approved in 2010 and implemented later in the year.
By being accredited, Bossman said it provides libraries a way to set goals and to be able to be on the same page on set practices. “We hope it is an educational and goal setting tool,” she said.
A big reason for developing the standards is that the State Library Board wanted to make clear what the federal and state guidelines were. In addition, there were libraries that couldn’t meet standards. For example, some libraries across the state are not large enough to have weekend and evening hours, which is currently one of the standards to be accredited.
“We wanted to get away from the assumption that we know what is best for libraries,” Bossman said.
Huska feels the new standards are a good way to do it. “For smaller libraries, it gives you something to work for,” she said. “At the exemplary level, it requires ongoing training for the library employees and the board of trustees. I feel that is good because it allows everyone associated with the library to expand their knowledge base and be able to use that knowledge base to provide better services.”
The essential level outlines basic guidelines and then each year, libraries could work toward the two higher levels of accreditation. The standards focus on governance, administration, access, collections and resources, funding, staffing, technology and public relations.