Graduate Certificate in School Librarianship
About the Program
The Graduate Certificate in School Librarianship (CSLIB) is available to certified teachers who desire add-on certification in School Librarianship from the Louisiana State Department of Education. LSU has not determined whether this program meets the educational requirements for licensure in the other states. Therefore, if you intend to pursue such credentialing in another state or elsewhere, it is advised that you contact the applicable credentialing authority to familiarize yourself with its specific requirements and determine if this program meets the applicable eligibility criteria. If you have additional questions in this regard, please contact Dr. Diane Gill to assist you in your career planning.
This is an entirely asynchronous online degree program.
Student Profile
This certificate program is for certified teachers in Louisiana who are seeking add-on certification in school librarianship. Certified librarians develop collections that meet the curricular needs of the school, collaborate with teachers in integrating literature into their lesson plans, and assist students with finding reading materials that are interesting and age-appropriate.
Students are required to take six courses (18 hours) in areas such as Information Resources, School Library Management, Introduction to Cataloging and Classification, and Literature and Services for Children and Teens. Specific course work is determined by which area of emphasis students choose.
All required core courses must be completed with a grade of at least a B. Please note a grade of "B-" or lower will not meet this requirement.
Category 1: Elementary and/or Secondary School Library Materials (9 hrs)
Required core course:
- LIS 7002 Information Resources
Two courses selected from:
- LIS 4101 Collection Development for Children
- LIS 4102 Collection Development for Teens
- LIS 4104 Collection Development of Non-Fiction
- LIS 4105 Collection Development of Graphic Novels
- LIS 7800 The Art & Practice of Storytelling
- LIS 7808 Special Topics in LIS (when appropriate)
Category 2: Organization, Administration, and Interpretation of Elementary and/or Secondary School Library Service (6 hrs)
Required core courses:
- LIS 7010 Organization of Information
- LIS 7400 School Library Management
Category 3: Elementary and/or Secondary School Library Practice (3 hrs)
Required core course:
- LIS 7900 Internship in Library & Information Science
Students who will be applying for add-on certification in Louisiana must take LIS 7900 Internship in Library & Information Science OR substitute three years or more of successful experience as a school librarian.
Students who will have three years or more of successful experience as a school librarian by the time they complete the Graduate Certificate may substitute an additional course from Category 1 for the Internship in order to earn the required 18 hours.
Students who will not be applying for add-on certification in Louisiana and dual degree students may substitute an additional course from Category 1 for the Internship in order to earn the required 18 hours.
Students are admitted to the CSLIB program three times a year. Application deadlines are:
- May 15 for the Fall semester
- October 15 for the Spring semester
- March 15 for the Summer semester
Applicants must apply through the LSU Graduate School. All application materials must be received by the application deadlines. In addition to the LSU Graduate School required materials, the School of Information Studies requires applicants to provide:
- A resume.
- A statement of purpose of at least 1,000 words that answers the following questions:
- Why do you want to earn an CSLIB?
- What are your career goals and objectives?
- How will the degree help you achieve these goals?
Please note: SIS does not require letters of recommendation.
The Graduate School's criteria for admission and probationary admission are shown below.
Admission:
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
- A grade-point average of at least 3.0 (“A”= 4.0) on all undergraduate work (or in the final 60 credit hours) and 3.0 on any graduate-level work.
Probationary Admission:
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
- A grade-point average of at least 2.75 (“A”= 4.0) on the final 60 hours of undergraduate work and 3.0 on any graduate-level work.
- Applicants with a GPA of less than 2.75 for the final 60 hours of undergraduate work must have completed a minimum of nine hours of graduate work with at least a 3.33 GPA to be considered for probationary admission.
- Official GRE scores (Verbal, Quantitative and Analytical Writing) no more than five years old of at least 300 composite and 3.5 writing. Other standardized graduate admissions exams will be considered (GMAT, MAT, LSAT, etc.)
- In your Statement of Purpose you must also address the reasons for your lack of achievement as an undergraduate and the reasons you believe you would succeed in the program.
For information on the application process, application fees and deadlines, and application processes for international students, see the Graduate School website.
Although the SIS Online CSLIB is an entirely asynchronous online program, it is classified as a on-campus program by LSU for the assessment of student tuition & fees. The SIS Online CSLIB is not part of LSU Online and follows the on-campus tuition & fee schedule.
Tuition and fee information can be found at Tuition and Fees.
Students who are not residents of Louisiana or the states listed above will be charged the non-resident fee.
CSLIB students are eligible for the scholarships and financial aid opportunities described at SIS Awards and Scholarships.