Public Library Certification Requirements

Students who desire certification for positions in Indiana public libraries must meet the requirements established by the State Library Certification Board. For complete information, contact the Indiana Library Certification Board, Indiana State Library, 140 N. Senate, Indianapolis, IN 46204, 1-800-451-6028.

The board lists two kinds of education in determining the grade of certificate granted:

Accredited library education is described as completion of graduate study in an accredited program and validated by a diploma. This level relates to the higher grades of certification: Librarian I, II, or III. Librarian I and II levels have experience as well as educational components. Librarian III is the minimum grade for heads of libraries serving populations of 10,001 to 25,000 and for comparable positions as determined by the library certification board. The Master of Library Science degree from Indiana University meets this requirement.

Approved library education is defined as elementary instruction in library science taken after completion of a prescribed period of undergraduate education. Approved library education requires specified amounts of study in library science and relates to the lower grades of Indiana library certificates. Two levels of approved education are recognized:

• Intermediate library education requires a bachelor's degree and at least 15 credit hours of library science courses. This meets the requirements for Librarian IV, which is the minimum grade for heads of libraries serving populations of 5,001 to 10,000 and for comparable positions as determined by the library certification board. The following courses at Indiana University meet the intermediate library education requirement for Librarian IV: L520, L524, L527, L528, L533.
• Minimum library education requires at least two years of undergraduate education and at least 9 credit hours of library science courses. This meets the Librarian V level, which is the minimum grade for heads of libraries serving populations of 5,000 or fewer and for comparable positions as required by the library certification board. The following courses at Indiana University meet the minimum library education requirement for Librarian V: L524, L527, L528.

Students wishing to meet Indiana public library certification requirements must meet all requirements for and be admitted to the M.L.S. degree program.

return to top