Change is Coming: MT Library Certification Program Update
Darlene Staffeldt, Sue Jackson, Tracy Cook, Anne Kish, Liz Babbitt, Honore Bray, and Jean Nielsen
AGENDA
Purpose and goals Process for recommendations Recommendations from Focus Group MSL’s role in helping librarians and staff Input from MT librarians, library support
staff, and trustees Brainstorming
Focus Group Members
Liz Babbitt – MSU Libraries Honore Bray – Missoula Public Library Mary Anne George – UM – Helena COT Holly Harper – Jefferson County
Libraries Cherie Heser – Rosebud County Library Anne Kish – UM - Western
Focus Group Members (cont.)
Alice Meister – Bozeman Public Library Kathy Mora – Great Falls Public Library Jean Nielsen – Miles City Public Library Sami Pierson – Lincoln County Public
Library Anita Scheetz – Ft. Peck Community
College
Goals for the Update
Promote continuing education and its impact for quality library services
Bring the Montana Library Certification Program into line with more recent competencies and certification programs such as Western Council and ALA
Goals for the Update (cont).
Improve recognition for librarians who participate and libraries that encourage staff to continue learning. Do this by improving how we recognize certified
librarians – make it a bigger deal than it is differentiating between minimum and
extraordinary number of credits making the MLCP certificate a real tool for
library leaders for hiring and promoting
Goals for the Update (cont.)
Develop a track for Library Directors that requires continuing education for all library
directors (MLIS, too) is more meaningful for what they need to
know Develop a voluntary track for trustees
and/or library boards Clarify ambiguous sections of the
program.
Definitions
CE or Continuing Education – the classes you take. Everyone in this audience is taking part in CE
Certification – taking a series of courses (CE) in order to obtain a certificate
Categories & Competencies
Certification is based on competencies that Western Council and ALA recommended for librarians
The training categories for certification attempt to address these competencies.
Process for Forming Recommendations Formation of volunteer focus group Study of other states, regional, and national
certification programs Worked through a list of questions and engaged
in a day long discussion about certification Formed recommendations for update Developed survey and considered other ways
to get input from Montana library personnel
Recommendations from Focus Group
3 Tracks Library Administrators Track (required for
all public library directors) Voluntary Library Staff Track Voluntary Library Trustee Track
No longer have levels based on education
First Time Enrollees
Library Administrators Track (required for all public library directors)
60 credits in 3 years 25 credits in Library Administration, 10 credits
in Library Services to the Public, Collection Management & Technical Services, and Technology; balance of credits can be in any category
First Time Enrollees
Library Staff Track 60 credits in 3 years
10 credits in Library Administration, Library Services to the Public, Collection Management and Technical Services, and Technology; balance can be earned in any of the 4 categories
Renewals
Library Administrator Track (required for all public library directors) 45 credits in 3 years
20 credits in Library Administration; 5 credits in other 3 categories; balance of credits in any category
Renewals
Library Staff Track 45 credits in 3 years
10 credits in each of the 4 categories; balance of credits can be earned in any category
College Degrees and Classes
Degrees in Library Science (includes MLS, MLIS, etc.) awarded within 3 years equals certificate
Older degrees equals taking required number of courses.
College classes can be used towards certification.
Specializations
No levels based on education Instead
For initial certificate a specialization requires 25 credits in a particular category
For renewal a specialization requires 20 credits in a particular category
Library Trustee Track
Voluntary Proposal is 15 CE credits earned in 3
years
How will this work? -Enrollment Enrolled in 2006 you will meet the
requirements of the current program and receive a certificate from the current program
2007-2009 Apply by 12/31/09, meet current
requirements, receive current certificate Don’t apply by 12/31/09, meet update
requirements, receive certificate from updated program
How will this work? -Renewal
The deadline for renewals of current certificates is 5 years after issuance. If your current certificate was: issued in 2005, the renewal deadline is
December 31, 2010 issued in 2006, the renewal deadline is
December 31, 2011 issued in 2007, the renewal deadline is
December 31, 2012
How will this work? -Renewals
If your certificate was: issued in 2008, the renewal deadline is
December 31, 2013 issued in 2009, the renewal deadline is
December 31, 2014 All credits for the renewal must be
earned within a 5-year period prior to the deadline date.
What happens next?
Continue collecting input and answering questions
Analyze and use survey to prepare final recommendations
Present input and recommendations to the State Library Commission for review and discussion
Commission takes final action on recommendations
Updated program begins January 2010
Survey & FAQs
Please fill out the survey. It is linked from the MSL “For Librarians” page.http://msl.mt.gov/For_Librarians/default.asp
Please check out the FAQs at http://msl.mt.gov/For_Librarians/default.asp
Let’s Keep Talking
What forum is best for continuing the discussion? Wired-MT? FAQs? Blog? Wiki? Other?
How will MSL help?
Promote CE and certification Encourage management to support and
provide incentives Raises, Bonus, Gift, Promotion, Other?
Provide/approve quality CE F2F and online
Offer CE often and statewide
How will MSL help? (cont)
Recommending no certification fee Developing online enrollment and
application forms Online Manual
Recognition – Celebrate Successes
Notification will be sent to Library Management Library Boards Local government officials Press Release
Time for us to listen
What questions/comments do you have?
Brainstorming
How would you like to be recognized for earning a certificate?
How can MSL make the paperwork and/or process of being certified easier?
What can MSL do to help?
Final Thoughts and Questions?
THANKS FOR YOUR TIME TODAY