The Western Council of State Libraries (Western Council) is the organization that represents the twenty-two state libraries located west of the Mississippi River. The Western Council has developed a unique program, the Library Practitioner Certificate Program, for library practitioners, defined as library directors or managers without a masters of library and information science (MLS). The certificate requires that the practitioner has completed 240 contact hours in different competency areas and has library experience.
The Western Council Library Practitioner Certificate recognizes and documents the library knowledge and skills of qualified library practitioners.
It allows those library practitioners to document success in their current positions and utilize their credentials and proof of their qualifications for other job opportunities.
Qualified applicants may begin applying for the program as of January 10, 2007.
The program also approves education providers who must meet standards set by Western Council. This approval process assures certificate applicants of high quality educational experiences.
The Western Council Library Practitioner Certificate Program is funded by a 2003 Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant.
For more general information please visit: http://certificate.westernco.org/index.html#about.
For applicant requirements and application information please visit: http://certificate.westernco.org/applinfo.html.