Here is the text that is presented in the attached PowerPoint:

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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
  • 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

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
• 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?