Revised Librarian Certification Manual now available

A new edition of the Certification Manual for Wisconsin Public Library Directors is now available. New information has also been added to the DLT website for library directors, which provides additional information and resources for certification and library administration.

The latest edition revises the existing Certification Manual, last updated in 2017, and is intended to be a shorter and easier to understand guide for those seeking librarian certification. It includes a summary of the two facets of certification – Grade and status – and provides a description of the initial application process, renewal process, and continuing education (CE) requirements to maintain certification in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin statutes and administrative codes require that all directors of public libraries and public library systems be certified by the Division for Libraries and Technology. Public librarian certification has been part of Wisconsin law since 1921, when the legislature passed the first law to assure a high level of professional management and administration of Wisconsin’s library resources, programs, and services.

The process of librarian certification has not significantly changed since the last edition of the manual. One item of note, however, is a new requirement for librarians who are interested in completing self-directed, Category C continuing education activities to obtain pre-approval from their library system CE validators before completing the activity. This requirement will begin with activities completed after January 1, 2025. Any category C activities completed in 2024 will be handled as previously instructed by public library system CE validators.

Additional documents to support librarian certification, including the certification application form, continuing education reporting forms, a summary of certification requirements, and a summary of CE requirements for renewal, are also included on the DLT website.

For more information about the new manual or Wisconsin librarian certification, join Public Library Administration Consultant Teresa Schmidt for a free webinar at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 4. The event will include a brief overview of the new manual and plenty of time for other questions about certification. The webinar will be recorded and shared at a later date. Register for the Teams webinar here.

Many thanks to the participants of the Certification Manual Revision Workgroup who made this revised manual possible, including Laurie Freund, Bridges Library System; Meredith Lowe, UW-Madison iSchool; Joy Schwartz, Winnefox Library System (retired); Tracy Vreeke, Nicolet Federated Library System; and Shannon Schultz, South Central Library System and former DLT Public Library Administration Consultant and Certification Coordinator.

For more information, contact Teresa Schmidt, 608-266-7270.