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Welcome to the Library Support Staff website! Here you'll find information for and about library paraprofessionals. If you have suggestions about resources that you would like to see included, contact Beatrice Calvin at bcalvin@ala.org.
Resources for Library Support Staff
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Events
- Mark your calendar so you will be sure to attend the Empowerment Conference 2008 for Library Support Staff. The conference within a conference will be held as part of the ALA 2008 Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA, Saturday and Sunday, June 28 & 29.
- American Libraries Online Datebook
Lists conferences and other library-related activities
- Overview
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Support Staff Work Environments
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Career Outlook and Employment
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Education and Training (Certification)
Some states in the U.S. offer certification at different levels, or grades, for public and school librarians. Some of these levels may not require the MLS; some require varying numbers of graduate level Library Science coursework.
- LTA Survey Highlights (2005)
A project of the Library Technical Assistant (LTA) Education Committee of the Community and Junior College Section (CJCLS) of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) - a division of the American Library Association (ALA)
- LTA Survey Purpose Letter
- LTA Programs Map (PDF File)
- Directory of Library Technician Programs by State
Institutions Offering Certificate, Associate, and Bachelor Degrees Compiled by Council On Library/Media Technicians (COLT)
- Criteria for Programs to Prepare Library Technical Assistants from the ALA Committee on Education, Task Force for Review of the Criteria for Programs to Prepare Library Technical Assistants, 1998.
- Indiana: Public Librarian Certification and School Library/Media and Information Technology Certification. Both of these links are to Indiana University School of Library and Information Science, Bloomington.
- Iowa: State Library of Iowa Certification from In Service to Iowa: Public Library Measures of Quality, 1997.
- Massachusetts: Certification of Librarians, Regulation 605 CMR 3.00 of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. Page updated 2/13/98.
- Michigan: Michigan Public Library Personnel Certification Handbook. Revised May 1998.
- Minnesota: Minnesota Voluntary Certification for Public Library Employees, 1 3-year pilot program designed for non-MLS staff.
- New Mexico: General information on librarian certification in New Mexico
- New York State Library Assistants' Association (NYSLAA) Certificate of Achievement Program
- Oklahoma: Oklahoma Certification Manual for Public Librarians. The appendix includes Requirements for Support Staff. Approved by the Oklahoma Library Association Executive Board, November 1995, and by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries Board, February 1996.
- Southeastern Library Network (SOLINET)
SOLINET has partnered with Lexington Community College (Kentucky) to bring its distance education paraprofessional certification program to libraries across the Southeast. Designed for individuals currently in paraprofessional positions or preparing for paraprofessional positions in libraries, the program grants an Academic Certificate in Library Information Technology.
- Texas: Requirement for Certification as a County Librarian, as provided in the Texas Library Systems Act and Rules for Administering the Library Systems Act, 1993.
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Financial Assistance
- American Library Association offers a number of scholarships for library support staff.
- California Library Association
The California Library Association provides the DEMCO Professional Award for Library Paraprofessionals is a cash award to a library paraprofessional who is making a significant contribution in a California Library and whose efforts further CLA's mission. CLA membership is not required.
- Colorado Association of Libraries Paralibrarian Division
The Paralibrarian Division will grant scholarship(s) to division members to attend a(n) CAL, ALA, MPLA conference or a CAL Paralibrarian Division Spring Workshop. The scholarships will be used to help defray the cost of registration, travel, accommodations, per diem.
- Florida Library Association will offer two $500 scholarships to students attending the Library Technical Assistant Programs at Hillsborough Community College and Indian River Community College. One scholarship will be offered for each college. Contact: Chair of the Scholarship Committee of the Florida Library Association. Contact info. available at http://www.flalib.org/committees/schocomm.html.
- Nevada Library Association
Two types of scholarship awards are available. The first grants up to $5000 in support of graduate course work in an American Library Association accredited library science program. The second grants up to $1000 in support of graduate course work leading to certification as a school librarian, or undergraduate or graduate course work, as appropriate, for an individual seeking rural public librarian certification in the state of Nevada. In both cases, course work may be taken via on-site or distance education programs. Contact person: Jennifer Fabbi
- Oregon Library Association Support Staff Division (OLA-SSD)
Contact person: Sonja Patzer,Applications for scholarships must be received at least 3 months prior to either OLA's annual conference or SSD's annual Gateways conference. Other continuing education opportunities will require a special vote of the Executive Committee.
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St. John’s Division of Library & Information Science announced in July '07 the funding of 40 full scholarships for MLS students through an IMLS Laura Bush Grant. St. John’s will recruit and educate forty very committed students through this degree program, which will emphasize engaging underserved children and their families and preparing students for employment in public libraries, school library media centers, and museums in the New York City metropolitan area. Designed with the working student in mind, this two-year, part-time scholarship program will offer evening, weekend, and online classes. For more information or an application, visit http://www.stjohns.edu/academics/graduate/liberalarts/departments/library/IMLS.sju. You can also send email to Dr. Stacy Creel at creels@stjohns.edu.
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Competencies
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Advancement/Career Ladders
- ALA Library and Information Studies and Human Resource Utilization, Jan. 2002. (pdf)
- Final Report from the ALA SSIRT Task Force on Career Ladders, June 1999. (pdf)
- Auburn University Libraries' Career Ladder Program
- Library Career Ladders - Developed by Washington-Centerville Public Library, Centerville, Ohio
- Turning Jobs into Careers: A Preliminary Report on Career Paths for Support Staff, from the Career Paths Task Force, Perkins Library, Duke University, August 1999.
- Advancement for Support Staff - Issue Paper #6 from the World Book-ALA Goal Award Project on Library Support Staff, 1991.
- Responsibility Without Authority - Issue Paper #7 from the World Book-ALA Goal Award Project on Library Support Staff, 1991.
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Issues/Issue Papers
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Associations
Other Resources
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