For Course Providers

The Library Support Staff Certification Program is seeking education providers to offer courses for LSSC candidates. Education providers can be library education programs, community colleges, state library associations, state libraries, regional library cooperatives, ALA divisions and other units, and individual library consultants. The LSSC Program provides certification to Library Support Staff (LSS) who complete six of ten competency sets.

LSSC Program-approved courses are listed on the LSSC website. By offering a LSSC approved course, you can:

  • Attract more students to your program
  • Build on LSSC publicity about your program
  • Reach a national audience
  • Increase your visibility to a potentially new audience
  • Improve library service across the country
  • Build a national reputation

An approved course may be a workshop, institute, or other educational offering; be offered over several weeks or in a condensed period; be online or in person or a combination of both; and be synchronous or asynchronous. All approved courses must cover all competencies in a competency set.

Interested education providers must submit a course application, which requires:

  • a detailed syllabus, including readings;
  • a competency map which compares the course content to each of the competencies in a competency set;
  • instructional methods;
  • assessment strategies; and
  • a resume of the course instructors.

LSSC course evaluators review each course using a course approval rubric. Course providers are urged to review this rubric before submitting a course for approval. If your course is approved, students who successfully completed the course in the last two years from the date of course approval can receive LSSC “credit” for that course.

To help you build a new course, check out the Portfolio Development Suggestions that guide students creating a portfolio in a competency set. This might give you some ideas for activities for an approved course.

After a course is approved, an LSSC candidate who successfully completes the course must only submit proof of completion and will not have to complete a portfolio for that competency set.

Course application fees

First and second courses:  $100 each course
Each additional course:      $50 each course

Course Maps

Use the course maps for each competency set below to organize your proposed curriculum. On the course map, beside each competency, indicate where in your curriculum each competency will be addressed. A competency may be addressed through readings, discussion, assignments, and other methods.

Required

Electives (choose any three)