NEW! ALA Executive Board approves LSSC - set to launch January 2010!
NEW! LSSC AC09 Briefing Document Now Available!
I want recognition that my job is important, that my work is valued, that I am valued as a human being. This is more important than money. I want to be trusted that I will do what I’m paid for. I need pride in myself and my job.1
This Library Support Staff Certification Program (LSSC) addresses LSS needs for a national certification program to help the profession standardize expectations for LSS, help the large number of LSS master critical job Competency Sets; provide educators with guidance for training curriculums; and help employers articulate job requirements. According to the 2004 statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) 230,843 workers are employed in U.S. academic and public libraries. Of these, 160,150 (69%) workers are library support staff (LSS) holding jobs not requiring a Master’s Degree in Library Science (MLS).2
1. Suzanne Mahmoodi and Kathleen Weibel, Paraprofessionals: What Are They Doing? What Are the Trends? How Do They Get to A Desired Future; A Report of Focus Groups (unpublished, 1991).
2. National Center for Education Statistics, 2004 Academic Libraries Survey (Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, 2004), http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2007/2007301.pdf (accessed December 11, 2006). National Center for Education Statistics, 2004 Federal-State Cooperative System Survey (Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, 2004), http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/libraries/pub_data.asp (accessed December 11, 2006).
The project is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the American Library Association. It is a partnership between the American Library Association and the Western Council of State Libraries.
FAQ: Management Software Request for Proposal
Providers, please visit LSSC 's RFP FAQ to learn more about a potential partnership with this exciting new program.
Historical Documents
Please review the history of ALA-APA certifications and the LSSIRT Certification Task Force Certification of Library Technical Assistants document.
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