CHAPTER SIX
CERTIFICATION FOR LIBRARY BOARDS AND
PUBLIC LIBRARIANS
Board Certification
| What is the Library Board Certification Program, and why should boards be involved?
Just as it is important for library staff to participate in continuing education activities,
board members should also be involved in professional development. The Board Certification
Program helps encourage board members to develop, maintain and improve their skills and
recognizes them for their efforts. A public library board of trustees must be certified
before the library may apply for accreditation. Within the library’s budget, the library
board should designate some funding to support participation of any board member
in continuing education activities.
|
Board Certification Requirements
| Each public library board as a group needs to participate in a minimum of 20 contact hours of
continuing education during each three-year certification period in order to meet certification requirements.
Since the requirement for board certification must be met before a library may apply for accreditation,
a board needs to consistently maintain its certified status.
|
Activities Involved
| Continuing education credit is earned for participation in planned learning
experiences designed to bring about changes in knowledge, skills,
or attitudes which contribute directly to delivery of quality library services.
Many types of activities are available for board members to participate in and earn CE
credits. See: Continuing Education Opportunities for Trustees
|
Earning Continuing Education Credit Hours
| Individual board members earn continuing education credit hours that are
applied to the whole board's certification requirement.
Any C.E. credit hours earned by a person who is a member of
the board during the certification period are applied to the board’s C.E. record.
|
Certification Periods
| After a library board earns an initial certification, it has three years to accumulate
enough continuing education hours to meet the requirement for a renewal of certification.
CE hours over the required minimum of 20 hours are not carried over to the next certification period.
Each certification period begins with a clean slate.
|
Certificate Renewal
| A new certificate will be mailed to the library with the new date of certification
based on three years from the date of renewal. As long as the library board has
accumulated at least 20 C.E. credit hours by the certification period renewal date,
the Library Commission will automatically renew the certification.
No additional paperwork is needed. There is no cost for the renewal.
|
Tracking Credit Hours
The Library Commission maintains a database of boards participating in the program.
Board members need to notify the Continuing Education Coordinator’s
office at the Nebraska Library Commission when they have participated in a C.E.
activity as soon as possible, but no later than 90 days after the activity.
Board members, or the library director, should use the continuing education
reporting form for trustees available at:
http://nlc.nebraska.gov/trustees/CEsubmit.asp.
How do we know what credit hours we’ve earned?
Libraries may check the record that the Nebraska library
Commission is maintaining any time online at
http://nlc.nebraska.gov/trustees/PLBrdCertApp.asp.
|
Board Member Changes
Public Librarian Certification
Why is there certification for library staff members?
The Public Librarian Certification program
- Improves library service throughout the state.
- Motivates librarians to acquire, maintain, and develop skills through basic and continuing education.
- Provides guidelines for public library boards to use in selecting and retaining personnel.
- Recognizes public librarians who update their knowledge and skills on a continuing basis to provide better library service for the community.
How does a person get into the program?
To participate in the Public Librarian Certification program, you must
enroll in the program.
|
What is Involved
Every program participant must fulfill the Basic Skills requirement,
and must earn 45 continuing education credits each three-year certification period.
Upon enrollment, if you have a Master’s degree in Library Science,
you will be issued a certificate, good for three years.
During the three-year period that the certificate is valid,
it is expected that you will earn at least 45 continuing education credits.
If you do not have a Master’s degree in Library Science, upon enrollment,
you will be issued a Provisional Certificate, good for three years. During
the three year period, it is expected that you will fulfill the Basic Skills
requirement by successfully completing the Basic Skills courses or through
equivalent formal training, and earn a total of 45 continuing education credits
(of which some may be earned by successfully completing Basic Skills courses).
Once you have fulfilled the Basic Skills requirement and have earned 45
continuing education credits, you may apply for full certification, even
if the three-year provisional certification period has not yet come to an
end, and a certificate, at the appropriate Level, good for three years,
will be issued. At the end of the provisional certification period, you
must have met the requirements for full certification. Provisional Certification cannot be renewed.
|
Renewing Certification
| Certification may be renewed every three years indefinitely, as long as a
participant earns 45 C.E. credits during the certification period.
Renewals for participants who have met the requirements are automatic.
Continuing Education credits may not be carried over from one certification
period into a subsequent one.
|
Levels of Public Librarian Certification
There are eight levels of certification:
- Level V - Graduate degree in library or information science from an institution of higher education accredited by the American Library Association
- Level IV-L - Graduate degree from an accredited college or university; and Bachelor's degree, A.A. degree, or Professional Certificate in Library Science.
- Level IV - Graduate degree from an accredited college or university and fulfillment of the Basic Skills Requirement.
- Level III-L - Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, and that degree in Library Science;
or another Bachelor's degree, A.A. degree, or Professional Certificate in Library Science.
- Level III - Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, and fulfillment of the Basic Skills Requirement.
- Level II-L - At least 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours of college credit; with A.A. degree or Professional Certificate in Library Science.
- Level II - High school diploma or GED certificate and
60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours of college credit, and fulfillment of the Basic Skills Requirement.
- Level I - High school diploma or General Education Development (GED) certificate, and
fulfillment of the Basic Skills Requirement.
|
Certification Records
|
The Nebraska Library Commission maintains a database of participants in the
certification program. Participation in continuing education activities
sponsored by the Library Commission and/or any of the Nebraska Regional
Library Systems is automatically reported and recorded. Attendance at
continuing education activities sponsored or provided by institutions
other than the Library Commission or one of the Regional Library Systems
may also be counted and recorded, but individuals must report such attendance
to the Continuing Education Coordinator within 90 days of the event.
The CE Activity Report may be used to report continuing education activities.
|
Qualified Activities
Continuing education credit is earned for participation in planned learning
experiences designed to bring about changes in knowledge, skills, or attitudes
which contribute directly to delivery of quality library services and competent practice of librarianship.
- Continuing education activities must be about libraries and
librarianship, or must be about a subject that directly relates to the
participant's job function within a library.
- They must be offered by, or under the aegis of,
a reputable organization or educational institution.
- They must be presented in an organized way, and
- They must be designed for adult learners.
For further information on how to earn CE credits, see
Earning Continuing Education Credits for Nebraska Public Librarian Recertification.
If you have any question whether you would earn CE credit by participating in a
particular continuing education event, check with the Continuing Education
Coordinator before the event. The Nebraska Library Commission reserves
the right to determine whether participation in an event qualifies for
continuing education credit, and for how much credit.
For more information, please see
Public Librarian
Certification.
For further information contact the Continuing Education Coordinator. |
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created 2006; rev. 7/2015
For more information, contact
Holli Duggan
