CHED Draft Requirements for Academic Libraries Common to All Programs

Draft : REQUIREMENTS FOR ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

COMMON TO ALL PROGRAMS
This entry was posted on May 14, 2013, in Uncategorized and tagged CHED Memorandum Order, Requirements
for Academic Libraries Common to All Programs.

REQUIREMENTS FOR ACADEMIC LIBRARIES COMMON TO ALL PROGRAMS

In accordance with the pertinent provisions of Republic Act (RA) No. 7722, otherwise
known as the “Higher Education Act of 1994,” and Republic Act No. 9246 otherwise
known as the “The Philippine Librarianship Act of 2003”, and by virtue of the
Commission en banc No. ___________ dated _________________ for the purpose
of harmonizing and strengthening the libraries in higher education institutions in the
country and in keeping pace with the innovative technology and new information,
this set of requirements for the academic libraries is hereby adopted and
promulgated by this Commission:

Section 1. Mission, Goals and Objectives

A. The academic library shall develop an explicit statement of its mission in

conformity with the mandate of the parent institution.

1. The development of library mission and goals shall be the responsibility of the
library head and staff in consultation with the officials of the parent institution.

2. The statement of library objectives shall be reviewed periodically and revised

as necessary.

3. The Mission, Vision and Goals shall be visibly posted in the library.

Section 2. Administration
1. The supervision and control of the academic library shall be clearly defined
within the organizational structure of the parent institution.

2. The academic library shall be administered and supervised by a full time

licensed librarian. For universities as well as HEIs with at least 3,000 students
the librarian must have at least Masters Degree in Library and Information
Science, MA/MAED in Library Science, or related fields (i.e. Computer
Science, Information Systems, Educational Technology).

3. The academic library shall have an advisory library committee composed of

representatives of the faculty and students.

4. The academic library shall formulate a development plan which shall include
a program for a continued development and improvement of library
resources, services and personnel.

5. A written manual of policies and procedures covering its internal

administration and operational activities shall be maintained by the library.

Section 3. Human Resources

The academic library shall have a sufficient number and variety of staff to develop,
organize and maintain the collection and provide information and reference service
to meet the needs of its clientele.

1. Size
1.1 The size and qualifications of staff shall be determined by several factors,
including size and scope of collection, number of hours, rate of acquisition, rate of
circulation, nature of processing and nature of service demand.

1.2 Ratio of licensed librarians and other staff vary depending upon the range
of operations and services provided by the library and upon its total workload
requirements.

For the first 1,000 students One (1) full time librarian and one (1) full
or a fraction thereof : time clerical staff

For every additional 2,000 One (1) additional full time librarian and
or a fraction thereof : one (1) full time clerical or support staff

2. Qualifications

Professional Staff

The Professional Staff includes the Head Librarian and staff doing professional
work. He/she must be a holder of valid professional license for librarians.

1.1 Head Librarian for College Library

Must be a holder of Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science or
MA/MAED in Library Science or related fields (as specified in Sec. 2B) with at least 2
years library experience.

1.2 Head Librarian for University Library

Must be a holder of Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS) or
MA/MAED in Library Science, and preferably pursuing a doctorate in Library and
Information Science or any related fields (as specified in Sec. 2B) and at least 3
years library supervisory experience.

Support Staff

The support staff includes the paraprofessionals and clerks who are Bachelor’s
degree holders, preferably in Library and Information Science.

3. Status

Librarians shall be given faculty/academic or equivalent status with corresponding

compensation, privileges and benefits comparable or equivalent to those of the
faculty members in accordance with institutional policies.

A continuing faculty/staff development shall be provided with the corresponding

financial assistance from the institution.

Section 4. Collection Management

The academic library shall have library resources relevant to its mission, adequate in
quality and quantity, helpful in serving the needs of scholarship and research, as
well as progressively developing and growing in accordance with institutional
development and expansion plans.

A. Collection Development

1. Collection development is a joint responsibility of the librarians and the

faculty.

2. The academic library shall have a written collection development policies and
program indicating the strengths and weaknesses of the collection and a plan
of improving them. This should be prepared by the librarians in consultation
with the members of the Advisory Library Committee and approved by the
administration.

3. The academic library shall conduct periodic review of its existing collection
using various approaches/tools in collection evaluation.
B. Holdings

1. Size
1.1 A core book collection of 3,000 well-selected titles for college libraries
and 8,000 titles for university libraries (80% in print format and 20% in electronic
format) is necessary to effectively support its educational programs.

1.2 For every major field of specific undergraduate program, the library should
provide 5 titles per course (3 print and 2 electronic format) and additional 5 titles for
each specific course in the graduate program (3 print and 2 electronic format), of
which 20% must be published within the last five (5) years. Book holdings should
include more of professional and reference books, Copies of textbooks may also be
made available.

1.3 For initial program offering, the minimum volume of books covering 1st to
3rd year courses are required to be found in the library. For program recognition, an
HEI should have the required numbers in all year levels.

1.4 In addition to the book collection, a core periodical collection of current and
relevant titles (local and foreign), in print or electronic format shall be subscribed,
with the proviso that print format shall be at least 50% of the minimum requirements
stated below. The minimum number of periodicals based on enrollment are as
follows :

Total Enrollment Number of Periodical Titles

Less than 1,000 students 50 titles
1001 – 3000 students 75 titles
Over 3000 students 100 titles

1.5 Every major field of specialization shall be covered by at least 3 foreign

journals and 2 local journal titles for undergraduate program, and 6 foreign and 4
local titles, 2 of which are refereed, for the graduate program.

1.6 Non-print materials and electronic/digital resources shall be made available

through adequate facilities and equipment.

1.7 The academic library shall provide Filipiniana materials equivalent to 10%
of the total collection.

1.8 Special collections and other multimedia resources, not violative of the
Intellectual Property Code, may be included to meet the requirements of the various
programs and courses offered by each institution.

C. Organization

1. Library collection shall be organized to ensure efficient identification and retrieval.

It shall be cataloged, classified and or indexed according to accepted standards of
bibliographic description and system of classification.

2 Online Public Access Catalogues (OPAC) should be made available for easy
access of collection.

3. For purposes of identification, the various library collections shall be stamped with
the name of college/university together with the campus owning the collection.

D. Preservation and Weeding

1. The academic library shall have a program for the regular preservation and de-
selection of its collection to keep it relevant and up-to-date.

2. Regular weeding-out program shall be under taken to keep the collections

relevant and up-to-date.

E. Security and Control

The academic library shall have policies on security and control as safeguards from
damage, loss, mutilation and theft.

The academic library shall provide emergency exits, fire extinguishers, and built-in
emergency lights and other measures deemed necessary.
Section 5. Services and Utilization

The academic library shall provide services to its readers in support of its objectives
and those of the parent institution. The productive use of library resources and
facilities by its clientele is an ultimate test of its effectiveness.

The services shall include, but not be limited to, Reference and User Services,
Circulation, Information Literacy and User Education, Audiovisual and Electronic
Services, as well as Photocopying Services among others.

The academic library shall have equitable lending policies for its users.

The academic library shall make its collection and services known and
accessible to all users through guides, handbooks, pathfinders, social
networks, and other promotional tools and strategies.

1. Section 6. Physical Facilities

2. The academic library shall have an adequate space and appropriate facilities
which are accessible to the students, faculty and other users. Whether
occupying a building of its own or occupying only a part of the building, it shall
be right within the traffic area of the students and faculty members and easily
accessible to any point of activity in the campus. If possible, it shall be
designed to allow for future rearrangement and expansion.

3. The following are the minimum requirements for library facilities:

4. There should be adequate reading space for the student population, with
proper lighting and ventilation.

5. The reading room shall accommodate at one seating 5% of the student

population at 1.2 square meters per student.

6. For a college with an enrollment of less than 500, the minimum size of the
library should be at least 252 sq. meters.

7. In addition, the library shall have adequate space to house the growing
collections, the proper work area for staff, storage room, head librarian’s
office as well as areas for special services such as the electronic and
audiovisual programs.

The facilities of the academic library shall be furnished with functional furniture and
equipment to encourage its maximum use as well as the convenience of the users.

The following are the minimum requirements for library furniture and equipment:
– Book/magazine shelves
– Reading tables
– Standard chairs
– Card catalog cabinet/OPAC stand
– Shelf-list cabinets
– Display racks/stands
– Filing cabinets for Information Files
– Study carrels
– Dictionary stands
– Bulletin/display boards
– Office tables and chairs for personnel
– Typewriters/computers for the staff
– Computer workstations/terminals for the users

*Facilities for persons with disabilities (PWD) shall be provided.

Section 7. Information Technology Resources and Services

The academic library shall have facilities for information and communication
technology and services in adequate quantities and good working condition for the
efficient and convenient retrieval or dissemination of local and remote information
resources by the library staff and its users. This includes computers with Internet
connectivity, printers, scanners, fax machines and other electronic communication
equipment.

The higher education institution library shall establish and provide an electronic
library. A dedicated library website shall be created to advertise/promote and access
library resources.

Electronic resources shall be made accessible 24/7 on site or from remote storage
location, in the main campus and/or at off campus location.

1. Policies and procedures in selecting and evaluating the content and use of e-
resources shall be set. Qualified staff with the requisite skills shall manage
the e–library.

2. The library shall provide continuous access to electronic resources, such as

online databases (i.e. Philippine e-Lib), e-books, e-journals and other e-
learning resources to allow faculty members and students to undertake
research and other academic activities.

Section 8. Financial Resources

1. The academic library head shall prepare an annual budget covering the
needs and priorities of the library in accordance with the existing policies of
the parent institution.

2. The library fee shall be set at a realistic level, reviewed periodically, and used
solely for library development.

3. The academic library shall explore other ways of augmenting the library’s
financial resources when the institutional funds are inadequate.

Section 9. Linkages and Networking

1. The academic library shall engage in internal and external linkages.

2. The academic library shall participate in inter-institutional activities and

cooperative programs whereby a sharing of resources is encouraged.
Section 10. Transitory Provisions

All HEIs, public or private, are required to fully comply with all the requirements in
this CMO within a non-extendable period of three (3) years after the date of its
effectivity. State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and Local Universities and
Colleges (LUCs) shall also comply with the requirements herein set forth.

Section 11. Sanctions

For violations of this Order, the Commission may impose such administrative
sanction as it may deem appropriate pursuant to the pertinent provisions of Republic
Act No. 7722, in relation to Section 69 of BP 232 otherwise known as the Higher
Education Act of 1982, and Sections 24 and 101 of the Manual of Regulations for
Private Schools (MRPS), and other related laws.

For immediate dissemination and implementation.

Quezon City, Philippines

PATRICIA B. LICUANAN, Ph.D.

Chairperson
Draft as of January 22, 2013