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What is the Certification Program for Kansas Library Administrators?
The Certification Program grants recognition for Kansas library staff members in all fields for their continuing education and career development. The initial certification grants recognition to Kansas library staff at four levels, based on formal education and/or achievements in Kansas continuing education programs. The re-certification documents a librarian's ongoing career development and can be used in evaluations, resumes and advocacy at the local, regional and state level. The program will be used to document the steadily growing expertise of Kansas librarians in the world of modern librarianship.

The program was launched in July 2007 for Kansas public library administrators and was extended to library administrators in all library fields in the early months of 2009.

Where can I find a description of the program?
The Introduction to the publication, Reaching for Excellence: Certification Program for Kansas Library Administrators describes the program. It can be found at:
http://skyways.lib.ks.us/KSL/ce/cert_program_intro.pdf

Who is eligible to participate in the program?
Any staff member working in a Kansas library may participate in the program. The State Library of Kansas would like to have very broad participation in the program by library directors, but any Kansas library staff member is welcome to participate.

How do I enroll in the program?
Fill out a copy Application for Certification, which is found in the certification publication at:
http://skyways.lib.ks.us/KSL/ce/app_certification.pdf

Attach to the application some documentation that confirms the requirement for the Level of Certification that you are applying for. This may be a GED Certificate, a diploma, a transcript, a KPLACE Certificate, or a document that confirms a specified number of continuing education contact hours. If you have any difficulty securing documentation for the appropriate level of certification, please contact Shannon Roy, Continuing Education Coordinator, State Library of Kansas at 785-296-2148 or email shanroy @ kslib.info .

Once I am enrolled in the program, how do I participate?
List and document all the continuing education events that you participate in until you reach the training requirement of 45 contact hours of training and continuing education. Once you have documented 45 hours, you may apply for re-certification by sending the documentation to Shannon Roy, Continuing Education Coordinator, State Library of Kansas, 300 SW 10th Ave., Room 343-N, Topeka, KS 66612-1593.

Is there a time limit on applying for re-certification?
Yes. You must apply for re-certification between the date on your initial certificate and the same date three years later. Your documentation must show that you participated in programs that added up to at least 45 contact hours of training and continuing education.

What qualifies as documentation for a CE event?
The State Library will accept anything that confirms your participation, including certificates of completion, registrations or copies of the program. Continuing education records kept by the librarian's regional system or library will also be accepted.

What qualifies for certification credit?
Almost anything that can be reasonably connected with a library career and lifelong learning.

Training accepted for certification renewal includes:

• Workshops sponsored by regional systems, library organizations or libraries
• College courses in librarianship, information science or major academic disciplines
• Leadership programs
• A statewide library conference or pre-conference
• A national library conference or pre-conference
• A commercial training seminar that is connected to professional skills
• A workshop sponsored by a unit of government, if related to needed job skills or area of knowledge covered in the core competencies
• Online or desktop training events with a confirmation of completion from the provider
• Training credit will also be given for teaching a workshop or online event but that credit will be limited to presentation time.

Activities that will NOT be accepted for library certificate training include:

• Programs that last for less than one hour
• Parts of programs
• Staff meetings, board meetings or committee meetings
• Individual on-the-job training sessions
• Courses designed for hobbies and personal skills rather than major academic disciplines, such as horsemanship, harp playing or hot air ballooning.
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Can I apply for re-certification at any time?
Yes. But the three year clock starts running again as soon as re-certification is awarded. 45 contact hours must be documented within the next three years to keep the certification active.

What happens if I don't meet the 45 hour training requirement within the required three year period?
It depends on the circumstances. If the failure was caused by a medical emergency that caused substantial amounts of sick leave, a serious family emergency that prevented attendance at training events or a serious library emergency, such as a major disaster or a major legal problem, you may apply for a time extension to qualify for re-certification. The emergency must be serious enough to clearly prevent normal career development for a substantial period of time.

If more ordinary difficulties have prevented the accumulation of 45 contact hours within three years, you must re-apply for entrance into the program, receive another initial certificate and meet the training requirement within three years of the date on the initial certificate.

What is the role of the Core Competencies for Kansas Public Library Directors?
The Core Competencies for Kansas Library Directors was adapted from the Competencies for Library Practitioners developed by the Western Council of State Librarians. It is intended to help Kansas public librarians design their professional development plan and to help continuing education providers select and plan the training programs for Kansas librarians. The continuing education requirements for re-certification do not specify which core competencies must be met.

What if I still have unanswered questions about the program?
Contact Shannon Roy, Continuing Education Coordinator, State Library of Kansas at 785-296-2148 or shanroy @ kslib.info.