725 KAR 2:060. Certification of public librarians.

725 KAR 2:060. Certification of public librarians.

RELATES TO: KRS 171.250, 171.260, 171.270

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: KRS 171.250,171.260, 171.270

NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY: KRS 171.260 requires certification of public librarians and other full-time employees. KRS 171.250 requires the board to establish the requirements for certification. This administrative regulation establishes the requirements for certification of public librarians.

Section 1. Definitions. (1) "ALA" means the American Library Association.

(2) "Board" means the Kentucky State Board for the Certification of Librarians.

(3) "Continuing education units" or "CEU" means educational offerings that provide credit through a certified program.

(4) "Full-time" means working more than 100 hours per month.

(5) "Library information services" means duties performed by library employees that require special skills and knowledge to be performed properly.

(6) "Library work experience" means employment in a library that includes administration, collection development, technical services, public services, or support for public service areas, and excludes secretarial, custodial, groundskeeping, security, food service, driver, and messenger duties.

Section 2. Required Certification by Public Library Position. (1) A library director serving a population of more than 15,000 shall hold or obtain a professional certificate.

(2) A library director serving a population of 15,000 or less shall hold or obtain at least the paraprofessional certificate.

(3) An assistant director, bookmobile librarian, branch head, or department head shall hold or obtain at least the paraprofessional certificate.

(4) All other full-time positions providing library information services as determined by local library policy shall be filled by persons who obtain or hold at least the library experience certificate.

Section 3. Types of Certificates. (1) A Professional Certificate I shall be valid for five (5) years, and shall be awarded if an applicant has obtained a master's degree in library science from an ALA accredited library school.

(2) A Professional Certificate II shall be valid for five (5) years and shall be awarded if an applicant has obtained a master's degree in library science from a library school that has not been ALA accredited.

(3) A Professional Certificate III shall be valid for five (5) years and shall be awarded if an applicant has obtained:

(a) A bachelor's degree with at least twenty-one (21) hours in library science; or

(b) A master's degree with at least twelve (12) hours in library science.

(4) A Professional Certificate IV shall be valid for five (5) years, and shall be awarded if an applicant passed the library certification examination before July 1, 1980.

(5) A paraprofessional certificate shall be valid for five (5) years and shall be awarded if an applicant has completed or obtained:

(a)1. Sixty (60) hours of college training, including at least twelve (12) hours of library science; and

2. Two (2) years of full-time library work experience;

(b)1. A high school diploma or GED;

2. At least fifteen (15) hours of library science; and

3. Five (5) years of full-time library work experience;

(d) A master's degree with at least six (6) hours in library science.

(6) A library experience certificate shall be valid for five (5) years and shall be awarded if an applicant has obtained a high school diploma or GED and has completed:

(a) Twelve (12) hours in library science;

(b) Nine (9) hours in library science and three (3) hours in a related field of study;

(d) A bachelor's degree and six (6) hours in library science.

(7) A professional, paraprofessional or library experience certificate shall be renewed according to 725 KAR 2:070.

(8) A temporary certificate shall be valid for five (5) years and shall be issued to a person who:

(a) Holds a job requiring certification as provided in Section 2 of this administrative regulation; and

(b) Does not meet the requirements of Section 2 of this administrative regulation.

Section 4. Sources of Education for Initial Certification. (1) The board shall accept academic credit from college credit courses offered by an institution of higher education, which is accredited by its respective regional association.

(2) The board shall accept library and information science credits from courses offered by:

(a) Graduate schools accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of the American Library Association and these courses shall be approved for all types of certificates;

(b) Colleges whose library and information science departments are accredited by their respective regional associations and these courses shall be approved for all types of certificates;

(c) Accredited colleges that offer individual library and information science courses and these courses shall be approved for all types of certificates; or

(d) Community and technical colleges that offer library or information science courses and these courses shall be approved for paraprofessional and library experience certificates.

(3) The board shall accept one (1) or more nontraditional sources of education for the paraprofessional or the library experience certificates as follows:

(a) A library institute shall be an in-depth program of library and information science developed according to the Approved Guidelines for Library Institutes. The program may be submitted to the board for approval sixty (60) days in advance of implementation. One (1) institute shall substitute for a three (3) hour college level library and Information science course and shall be substituted once.

(b) Four (4) CEUs in library topics shall be equal to one (1) three (3) hour college level course, and may be substituted once.

Section 5. Application for public library certification shall be made to the board by submitting a completed Application for Certificate of Librarianship.

Section 6. A fee of five (5) dollars shall be charged for each certificate issued.

Section 7. A professional, paraprofessional or library experience certificate shall be issued to an applicant who meets the requirements and submit the required fee.

Section 8. Incorporation by Reference. (1) The following material is incorporated by reference:

(a) Approved Guidelines for Library Institutes, January 29, 1992; and

(b) Application for Certificate of Librarianship January 29, 1992.

(2) This material may be inspected, copied or obtained at the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, 300 Coffee Tree Road, Frankfort, Kentucky 40602-0537, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (18 Ky.R. 3277; Am. 19 Ky.R. 48; eff. 7-4-92; 26 Ky.R. 897; 1157; eff. 12-16-99.)