NEW ARTICLE BY CPLA PROVIDER, NORTH SUBURBAN LIBRARY SYSTEM - Picture Yourself as a Leader
Certified Public Library Administrator Program Committee (CPLA CRC)
Certification Program Committee (CPC)
This committee is charged to (1) encourage and promote development of certification programs, (2) monitor and evaluate the progress of such programs, (3) encourage individuals to seek certification through such programs of the ALA-APA, and (4) make recommendations to the ALA-APA Board of Directors for general improvements to ALA-APA certification, based on evaluations and trends in certification practice. The committee shall consist of 5 individuals, including the chair.
Karen Jessee (FL), Chair
Gladys Smiley Bell (VA)
Nancy Bolt (CO)
Robbin Glasser (AL)
Gayle Grantham (TN)
Certified Public Library Administrator Certification Review Committee (CPLA CRC)
7/10/06 - New CPLA Courses and Candidates!
At the 2006 American Library Association Annual Conference in New Orleans, the Certified Public Library Administrator Program Certification Review Committee (CRC) approved two more courses for the CPLA program. Both new online courses will be offered by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The approved courses are core - Budget and Finance and Organization and Personnel Management - and will be taught by Dr. Robert Burger.
Eleven candidates were also approved, who work in libraries in Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, Illinois, Rhode Island, Nevada, Utah and North Carolina.
The next deadline for provider and candidate reviews is August 10, 2006.
The Certified Public Library Administrator Program (CPLA) now has sixteen candidates for certification. The CPLA Certification Review Committee approved them on National Library Workers Day, April 4. Candidates have an average of 12 years of management experience and have supervised an average of 24 employees, and all are eager to begin the program. Members of this first class reside in three regions of the United States and in Nassau, Bahamas. Denise Zielinski, a member of the CPLA CRC, said, " The level of commitment by, and the quality of, this first group of participants was amazing! They truly understand the value of this program as a stepping stone in their professional careers!" More
ALA-APA Council Approves Certification Guidelines
At the 2005 Annual Conference, the ALA-APA Council approved the guidelines that will govern all certifications offered.
- APACD #10 - Certification Memo to Council - last bullet in Action Item #1 not approved
- APACD #10A - Certification Program Guidelines
- APACD #10B - Certification Path
- APACD #10C - Certification Program Development Process
- APACD #10D - Appeal Process for Providers and Applicants
- APACD #10E - Re-Certification
Certification Committees Met at 2005 Midwinter Meeting in Boston, MA
Many of you have heard about and even worked on the development of the Certified Public Library Administrator (CPLA) program, to be launched by the ALA-APA. This is an update on the progress of certification activities. ALA-APA is honored to have distinguished colleagues serving on the inaugural committees.
The Certified Public Library Administrator Program Certification Review Committee (CPLA-CRC) met for the first time at the ALA Midwinter Meeting. The committee chair of the CPLA-CRC is Eva Poole, Director of the Denton (Tex.) Public Library. The other members are Amy Kellerstrass, Denise Zielinski, and Linda Mielke.
The ALA-APA Council also approved, at ALA Annual Conference in June 2004, a Certification Program Committee, charged to:
- encourage and promote development of certification programs;
- monitor and evaluate the progress of such programs;
- encourage individuals to seek certification through such programs of the ALA-APA; and
- make recommendations to the ALA-APA Board of Directors for general improvements to ALA-APA certification, based on evaluations and trends in certification practice. The committee shall consist of 5 individuals, including the chair.
The chair of this committee is Christine Lind Hage. The other members are Ismail Abdullahi, Clark-Atlanta University; Nancy Bolt, Colorado State Library; Donald Sager, Gossage Sager Associates (IL), and Barbara Stripling, New York City Board of Education.
Certification*
ALA-APA's certification programs will improve professional practice in librarianship through the establishment of continuing professional development goals; identification of a body of knowledge and skills necessary to the practice of librarianship and/or to a specific specialization within librarianship; and, recognition of those individuals who have demonstrated both mastery of a body of knowledge and skills and continuing commitment to ongoing professional development.
The first certification program to be launched will designate Certified Public Library Administrators (CPLA). CPLA will certify public library administrators who have achieved proficiency in several critical management-related subjects through experience beyond the Master's of Library Science (MLS). PLA, LAMA, and ASCLA have defined standards for the program and are developing the procedure with the CPLA Certification Review Committee.
The Congress on Professional Education III (COPE III) action plan includes the development of certification for support staff. The Library Support Staff Interests Round Table (LSSIRT) has taken the lead in identifying the needs of support staff with regard to certification and working with other groups within ALA to meet those needs. In partnership with ALA's Office of Human Resource Development and Recruitment, the Round Table's Certification Committee has already begun the process and is planning to survey the nation's support staff in the near future.
*Please note: All documents in this section are preliminary and subject to change as details for each certification program are finalized.
CPLA Potential Providers Introductory Letter
Press Release, August 9, 2005
ALA-APA seeks providers for public librarian certification
CHICAGO - The American Library Association - Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) will be launching a certification program for public librarians in 2006. Currently, ALA-APA is seeking educators to provide courses for candidates to fulfill for the Certified Public Library Administrator (CPLA) designation.
The certification program is based on the assumption that a broad range of organizations, including library schools, consortia and systems, state agencies and others may offer CPLA- approved courses.
The goal of the certification program is to improve the quality of library service through the provision of practical knowledge and skills essential to successful library management. This certification, the first of its kind to be offered in the United States, is a course and evaluation-based national, portable program specifically for public librarians who have had at least three years of supervisory experience. The program incorporates nine standards that will allow candidates to demonstrate mastery of the breadth of skills necessary for library and human resource management.
A Request for Proposals (RFP) will be available in September 2005 from the ALA-APA Web site (www.ala-apa.org/certification/cplarfp.html). Potential providers may be American Library Associations Divisions, library schools, independent consultants, vendors, regional library systems, etc. The RFP will ask for continuing education program providers who offer courses with an evaluative-based component related specifically to the administration of public libraries of all sizes. These courses, workshops, or institutes may be delivered in a variety of methods, such as face-to-face or online. The CPLA Certification Review Committee will approve successful provider applications.
Jointly, the Public Library Association (PLA), Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA), and the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) developed the nine comprehensive competencies that define the skill sets necessary for a post-MLS management-focused curriculum. The goal is to further the development of librarians in management as well as those who aspire to hold administrative positions. The standards on which courses should focus are:
Budget and Finance
Management of Technology
Organization and Personnel Administration
Facility Management and Maintenance
Current Issues
Marketing
Fundraising/Grantsmanship
Politics and Networking
Serving Diverse Populations
If you would like to participate in this innovative educational opportunity for librarians, please contact the ALA-APA Office at 312-280-2424 or jgrady@ala-apa.org.
*Please note: Documents in this section are preliminary and subject to change as details for this certification program are finalized.
The Certification Task Force issued the following initial documents to assist in the development of the CPLA program:
Certified Public Library Administrator Program Standards
Certified Public Library Administrator Program Guidelines
Certified Public Library Administrator Program Governance |
For Immediate Release
December 21, 2007
New Library Support Staff Certification Project (LSSCP) Website Announced
The Library Support Staff Certification Program (LSSCP), a project to develop a national voluntary certification program for support staff in public and academic libraries, has a new website, http://www.ala-apa.org/lsscp. The site houses informational documents, minutes from discussions by its Advisory Council and contact information for library associations and groups wanting to host conference or meeting presentations about the project.
The American Library Association, in partnership with the Western Council of State Libraries, was awarded $407,111 by the Institute of Museum and Library Services to develop the Library Support Staff Certification Program. The project is led by Nancy Bolt and Dr. Karen Strege.
This project addresses the Library Support Staff (LSS) community’s need for a national certification program to help the profession standardize expectations for LSS; helps support staff master critical job competencies; provides educators with guidance for training curricula; and helps employers articulate job requirements.
Contact the American Library Association-Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) Office for more details at (800) 545-2433, ext. 2424, or e-mail jgrady@ala.org. |
