From November 4th to 5th, 2024, UBC School of Information hosted five members of the American Library Association (ALA) External Review Panel, as part of the iSchool’s accreditation review process. Over the two days, the External Review Panel conducted interviews with different iSchool stakeholders, and participated in multiple events to understand the iSchool and our MLIS program.
The External Review Panel consisted of:
- Chair: Lynne C. Howarth (Dean and Professor Emerita, Faculty of Information, University of Toronto, ON).
- Melissa Fraser-Arnott (Senior Manager, Current Awareness, Information Management and Description Information and Collection (IC), Library of Parliament, Canada)
- Kristen Rebmann (Associate Professor, School of Information, San Jose State University, CA)
- Hong Cheng (Librarian, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Library, CA)
- Clément Arsenault (Associate Vice-Rector, Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies, Université de Montréal, QC)
Reception




On the evening of November 4th, we hosted a welcome reception for the External Review Panel at Steamworks Brewpub. Over drinks and small bites, the Panel chatted with faculty, staff, alumni, Accreditation Oversight Committee, and local community stakeholders about the MLIS program. With many generations of the iSchool and information professionals gathered under one roof, the event was a cheerful affair full of connection.
Rachael’s Perspective
Second-year MLIS student Rachael Huegerich (they/she) is a student representative on the Working Group on Accreditation. They participated in many facets of the accreditation process and External Review Panel visit. Here, they reflect on this experience:
I had the chance to collaborate with faculty members to prepare a chapter of the iSchool’s Self-Study report, participate in a discussion between students and members of the external review panel, and attend a reception welcoming the panel to Vancouver alongside fellow students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
It was both an honor and a learning opportunity to participate in the accreditation process. As an MLIS student, I spend only two years studying at UBC. The accreditation process revealed where my cohort is embedded in the much longer-term story of the iSchool. While collaborating with faculty members to prepare the self-study report, I reviewed previous years’ reports, and observed how the program has shifted its shape over time, incorporating students’ ideas and needs while responding to waves and trends in the library world. Connecting with the accreditation panel was quite empowering: in addition to strengthening our sense of connection with other programs and libraries across North America, we were able to reflect on UBC’s program collaboratively, knowing that our thoughts and feedback would inform the iSchool’s future.
Thank you to the External Review Panel for visiting the UBC School of Information with curiosity, thoroughness, and thoughtfulness; to the Working Group on Accreditation and Accreditation Oversight Committee for all their work throughout the process; and to iSchool students, staff, faculty, and community partners for participating in the process in a myriad of ways.