At the ALA-APA Council session this morning, there was a rather lengthy discussion about the need for and value of the ALA-APA Certified Public Library Administrator (CPLA) program. This program has had
nine librarians complete the program and earn the "right to use the CPLA(r) designation. What does the CPLA do for librarians. We know, from the ALA-APA office that librarians who register for the program do so for career advancemenet or professional development. What is interesting about this program is that the certification isn't really recognized by many libraries and as one person noted, the libraries in his state look for for degrees than they do for certification and as a result, he enrolled in an MPA degree program.
Lots of discussion about the requirements for the program - especially the requirement to have had three years of professional library experience as a manager to qualify. A new manager (less than one year in her position) argued, rightfully in my opinion, that new librarians/managers can bring just as much to the discussion as more seasoned librarians.
What do you think? Should there be a library certification program? Would you participate? Why would you participate? Does certification matter in your area?
ALA-APA Public Library Certification
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