BRASS Business Guides: AACSB Standards Toolkit for Business Librarians: Libraries and the AACSB Standards

References to Libraries in the Standards

Standards Version	Section	Quote
2020	Physical, Virtual, and Financial Resources	"The school manages its (2.1) physical, (2.2) virtual, and (2.3) financial resources to sustain the school on an ongoing basis and to promote a high-quality environment that fosters success of all participants in support of the school’s mission, strategies, and expected outcomes. Physical resources include buildings, furniture and fixtures, technology labs, collaboration space, libraries (including virtual), and any other physical infrastructure directly used by the school" (24)
2020	Faculty and Professional Staff Resources	"Describe the professional staff structure with respect to advising, career placement, IT support, faculty instructional support, library support, and faculty research support. Identify which resources are centralized and supported at the university level and which are maintained and supported within the school." (33)
2013	N/A	N/A
2003	Financial Strategies	“A school with only campus-based undergraduate programs would normally be expected to provide sufficient classroom and computing facilities for students, student advising, faculty development including instructional enhancement, library and other information access, technology assistance, and support for faculty intellectual contributions. With the addition of master's level programs would come expectations for applied research support. Doctoral education programs would require information and support sufficient for basic research activity.” (29)
1991, 1994 rev	Instructional Resources	“Students should have access to and be required to make use of the library and computing facilities. Schools with heavy emphasis on graduate programs or applied and basic scholarship must augment library resources, databases, and information technology appropriately to support those mission elements. When on-campus resources cannot be duplicated reasonably for off-campus programs, comparable access should be provided through inter-library loans, electronic delivery systems, agreements with other libraries, or by other means.” (np)

Definition of Physical and Virtual Resources from the 2020 Interpretive Guidance (2021 Update)

Physical Resources Here the peer review team is concerned with the quality of the school’s facilities, including buildings, furniture, and fixtures. Is the space in good condition, or is it in disrepair? Are there any safety issues with respect to the space? Additionally, the physical space in which the business school conducts classes is expected to be reflective of current pedagogies. Sufficient space for team activities and other collaborative activities should be available to learners. That space may be located in other places besides the business school (e.g., the library).

Virtual Resources Technology is expected to be infused through the curriculum and is vital to the production of scholarship and thought leadership. Here the peer review team will seek to determine whether the school has current computing technology—both hardware and software—for faculty and staff that is sufficient to achieve the school’s mission and strategic plan. For example, do faculty have access to the databases or other sources of data needed to conduct research? Is the technology infrastructure current to support the desired teaching quality and modality? (p.8)