May 13th, 2pm Central Time – An Introduction to the LSSC Program

On Monday, May 13th at 2:00 pm (Central), LSSC will offer an hour-long webinar on the program and how it works. The presentation will explain the value of this certification to Library Support Staff, employers and library users. You will also have the opportunity to have all of your questions answered by program staff members. This webinar is open to all interested candidates. Register to attend.

May 14th, 12pm Central Time – Preparing a Portfolio

Many LSSC candidates want to prepare portfolios to meet LSSC requirements. On Tuesday, May 14th at 12:00 pm (Central), LSSC will offer an hour-long webinar explaining what the LSSC Program requires in a portfolio. The presentation will also give you the chance to see examples of successful submissions and learn how your portfolio will be evaluated. This webinar is open to all interested candidates. Register to attend. 

If you can’t make it to either of these webinars, you can watch archived recordings of past webinars. 

January 9th, 2pm Central Time – An Introduction to the LSSC Program

On Wednesday, January 9th at 2:00 pm (Central), LSSC will offer an hour-long webinar on the program and how it works.  The presentation will explain the value of this certification to Library Support Staff, employers, and library users. You will also have the opportunity to have all of your questions answered by program staff members. This webinar is open to all interested candidates. Register to attend at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/519940537.

January 15th, 2pm Central Time – Preparing a Portfolio

Many LSSC candidates want to prepare portfolios to meet LSSC requirements.  On Tuesday, January 15 at 2:00 pm (Central), LSSC will offer an hour-long webinar explaining what the LSSC Program requires in a portfolio. The presentation will also give you the chance to see examples of successful submissions and learn how your portfolio will be evaluated. This webinar is open to all interested candidates. Register to attend at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/446960537.

It has been a very busy summer and fall for LSSC. The big news: competencies in the 10 LSSC competency sets have been revised. With input from the LSSC Certification Review Committee, library experts and ALA Divisions, the LSSC staff prepared revised competencies. The ALA-APA Executive Board approved the new competencies on October 28, 2012. You can see the new competencies on the LSSC website. With the new competencies approved, the portfolio development suggestions used in preparing portfolios as well as the rest of the LSSC website has also been revised and updated.

The revisions resulted in a merging of some of the competencies so that candidates choosing to prepare portfolios will find the task less complicated. The directions for preparing a portfolio have also been revised and clarified. Support staff who have prepared portfolios contributed to the revised directions.

LSSC has also completed 11 recognition agreements with community colleges who submit their entire curriculum for review. Support staff who graduate from colleges with which LSSC has recognition agreements are immediately eligible for LSSC certification.

As of December 1, LSSC has 318 candidates from 45 states and 26 graduates. The number keeps growing as library support staff recognize the value of certification. Candidates have shared anecdotes about results after certification. One candidate reported that when lay-offs occurred at her academic library, her broadened knowledge and skills as a result of her certification work resulted in her keeping her job and expanding her responsibilities. Another reported that after her certification she was able to get a job in another school library at twice the salary. And a third indicated her mayor had requested a raise for her from the city council after she became certified.

A formal evaluation of all candidates and graduates will be done next year. For more information on the LSSC Program, please email lssc@ala.org.

November 13th, 2pm Central Time – An Introduction to the LSSC Program

On Tuesday, November 13, at 2:00 pm (Central), LSSC will offer an hour-long webinar on the program and how it works. The presentation will explain the value of this certification to Library Support Staff, employers and library users. You will also have the opportunity to have all of your questions answered by program staff members. This webinar is open to all interested candidates. Register here. 

November 15th, 2pm Central Time – Preparing a Portfolio

Many LSSC candidates want to prepare portfolios to meet LSSC requirements. On Thursday, November 15, at 2:00 pm (Central), LSSC will offer an hour-long webinar which will explain what the LSSC Program requires in a portfolio. The presentation will also give you the chance to see examples of successful submissions and learn how your portfolio will be evaluated. This webinar is open to all interested candidates. Register here. 

On Monday, September 17 at 2:00 pm (CST), LSSC will host an hour-long webinar explaining portfolio requirements for the LSSC Program. LSSC candidates may prepare portfolios to meet LSSC requirements, and this presentation will provide examples of successful submissions and information on portfolio evaluation criteria. This webinar is open to all interested candidates. Register to attend at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/744489113

The American Library Association-Allied Professional Association’s Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC) Program has continued to grow rapidly since the June 2012 ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim. The program currently has over 320 active candidates and 22 graduates who have been certified. The program also recently announced partnerships with Central Carolina Community College, Dona Ana Community College and Highline Community College. More information on these partnerships can be found on the LSSC News portion of the LSSC website.

More information and the application can be found here: http://ala-apa.org/lssc/2012/06/11/ala-apa-announces-financial-assistance-for-lssc-candidates/

All LSSC candidates are eligible to receive a subsidy by completing an application form available at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FYRXSR8. ALA-APA will give first preference to those candidates who have not received a previous subsidy. To apply for a subsidy, applicants must enroll in the LSSC by July 30, 2012. LSSC enrollment information is available at http://ala-apa.org/lssc. Recipients will be chosen using a random selection process; ALA-APA will announce subsidy awards on August 6, 2012.

Recipients must complete an LSSC-approved course by April 1, 2013. A catalog of approved courses is available at http://ala-apa.org/lssc/approved-courses. To receive the subsidy, recipients must add a Course Certification Certificate to their candidate record and send proof of course payment to LSSC. 

More information about the course subsidies is available at our website.

The LSSC is partially funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. For more information, please contact LSSC staff at lssc@org or Ian Lashbrook.

Candidates for the program have two options for completing the competency sets needed for certification: taking and passing approved courses or compiling and submitting portfolios. This presentation will focus on helping candidates create successful portfolios for submission. Attendees will also have the opportunity to have their questions answered by program staff members.

For more information on the webinar and how to register, please visit https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/629297521.

For more information please visit the LSSC website.

PCC and ALA-APA believe that the LSSC will benefit graduates, the library in which they work and library users. ALA-APA Director Lorelle Swader said, “This national Certification will recognize PCC graduates for their acquired skills and knowledge. The LSSC, which is becoming a national standard, shows employers that these graduates are committed to library work and their future.” Krista Goguen, PCC’s Library Technology Program Coordinator said, “The LSSC Certification process has strengthened our program curriculum.  We are pleased to be able to offer this additional recognition of our students’ achievements.”