School Library/Media and Information Technology Certification

Degree Requirements
School Library Services Minor
School Media Services Major and the M.L.S
Courses Open to Undergraduates

Degree Requirements

The student must be admitted to the M.L.S. degree program in order to complete the course work leading to the minor or major in school library or media certification as a library media specialist in Indiana.

Emphasis in this area includes knowledge of a wide range of information sources and formats; selection and preparation of instructional plans and materials; promotion and use of quality literature for children and young adults; management of budgets, staff, and automated information services; collaborative teaching and cooperation with community information agencies; understanding of facilities planning; and instructional design for emerging technological innovations in education. Individuals specializing in this area are educators, information managers, and instructional designers.

Indiana library/media/technology certification transfers to other states in the United States. The student seeking certification in a state other than Indiana should contact the certification office in that state to be certain of meeting any additional teacher training requirements.

The student who has completed a bachelor's degree and meets the admission standards for the M.L.S. or M.I.S. program, but who does not hold a teaching license, may pursue the requirements for the license in school media by completing educational methods classes, student teaching in instructional media, and the courses required for the major in school media.

A student may enter a program leading to either the minor in school library services or the major in school media technology services after completion of a bachelor's degree and after meeting the requirements for an Indiana teaching license at either the elementary or secondary level. The bachelor's degree should include a minimum of 90 credit hours in liberal arts. At the secondary level, it is strongly recommended that the student have a teaching major in social studies, language arts, science, or computer technology. Entry requirements for either certification program are the same as those for entering any master's-level SLIS program. A student must submit an application for a certification program before completing 6 credits in SLIS. Questions concerning course work leading to a valid teaching license in Indiana should be directed to the Certification Office, School of Education, IU Bloomington, (812) 856-8511.

The program leading to certification as a school library/media specialist at Indiana University is approved by NCATE, and the SLIS M.L.S. program is ALA accredited.

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School Library Services Minor (24 credit hours)

Completion of this minor allows the graduate to hold a building-level position as a professional library media specialist. Course work leading to the minor may be obtained through the SLIS graduate program as follows:

Required course work:
L520, L524, L526, L528, L533, L553, L596

and one course from the following school library services minor electives:
L551, L552, L554, L557, L570, L571, L578

or any 3 graduate credits from SLIS seminars, readings, workshops, or special topics courses dealing with educational theory and technology use or information resources for children and young adults.

Completion of 24 credit hours as outlined above will allow the library services minor to be added to the standard teaching license in Indiana. The student may elect to stop graduate studies on completion of the 24 credit hour minor or may complete the M.L.S. degree by completing three courses from the following:
L503, L505, L509, L527

and one additional course from the school library services minor electives given above or any other course recommended by the student's advisor from the M.L.S. curriculum.

If the student elects to complete the minor without seeking the M.L.S., graduate course work from the School of Education and other graduate programs may be used to complete the minor provided it is approved by the director for library media education and the local certification officer. In this case, courses such as R503 Application of Instructional Media or R547 Computer Mediated Learning, for example, would be acceptable. See Indiana University School of Education Bulletin, Instructional Systems Technology, for more options.

If the student holds a life license for teaching in Indiana, the minor in school library services can be added only after it has been professionalized by completion of 12 graduate credit hours beyond the minor. Of the total 36 credit hours, 12 must be in course work that emphasizes use or preparation of instructional technology or application and management of information technology related to public school education.

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School Media Services Major (Emphasis in Information Technology) and the M.L.S.

Completion of this 36 credit hour major for school media information technology services to be added to the provisional teaching license also meets the requirements for the M.L.S. degree. Completion of this major enables the student to hold a position as a professional library media specialist with additional responsibilities in information technology and audiovisual services.

Required course work:
L520, L524, L526, L528, L533, L553, L596

plus three courses from:
L503, L505, L509, L527

and two courses from:
L551, L552, L554, L557, L570, L571, L578

The student who holds a life license for teaching in Indiana must professionalize this major before it can be added to the license. Professionalization requires completion of 12 additional graduate credit hours beyond the 36 described above, and these additional credits should be in educational technology, instructional theory, selection and use of instructional resources, and information technology. Any of these additional 12 credit hours may come from graduate programs outside SLIS.

The student should consult with the director for library media education in order to determine approval of these additional courses.

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Courses Open to Undergraduates

The following courses may, with permission, be taken in the junior or senior year with a view toward school library certification: L533, L551.

If such course work is taken as an undergraduate, the credit may count as an elective in the student's undergraduate work. Since all course work for either the minor in library services or the major in media services must be taken as a graduate student, an undergraduate who has completed either or both courses listed with a grade of B or better may, in consultation with the graduate advisor, substitute other graduate-level course work from SLIS in meeting the certification and/or M.L.S. degree requirements.

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