SANFORD - Graduates of Central Carolina Community College's Library and Information Technology program are now eligible to receive the American Library Association-Allied Professional Association's Library Support Staff Certification, thanks to an agreement between the college and the ALA-APA.
The LSSC is quickly becoming a standard certification for the profession, according to Lorelle Swader, ALA-APA director.
"The ALA-APA and CCCC believe that the [Library and Information Technology] degree or diploma coupled with the LSSC will benefit graduates, the library in which they work, and library users," Swader said. "The college's LIT graduates will be recognized for their acquired skills and knowledge with this national certification, which is quickly becoming a standard for the profession."
The ALA-APA proposed the agreement after reviewing CCCC's curriculum and finding that the graduates of its Library and Information Technology A.A.S. degree and Diploma programs have completed coursework that meets the majority of LSSC's competency requirements.
The agreement applies to those who graduated starting with the spring semester of 2010.
To receive the LSSC, candidates from these programs will also need to show that they have met the LSSC's Communications Competency Set. That can be achieved by providing proof that they have completed Communications 110: Introduction to Communications at CCCC or by completing an LSSC-approved course in communications.
The field of Library and Information Science has long been dominated by professional librarians - those with master's degrees, even though much of the library's daily operations are dependent on the work of support staff, or the paraprofessional librarian, according to Rita Van Duinen, the college's LIT lead instructor.
"For the college's LIT students, the ability to receive national certification from ALA-APA in addition to their Associate or Diploma is a value-added service the college can now offer graduates in this field," she said. "National certification for library support staff will bring much needed notoriety to the work and experience of paraprofessionals, as well as to their earned academic degree/diploma, and to the LIT program and CCCC as a whole."
ALA-APA has similar agreements with Pasadena City College and Palomar Community College in California; Waubonsee Community College, College of DuPage, and Illinois Central College in Illinois; and Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana. ALA-APA is working with 13 other colleges to see if their curriculums also meet the standards set forth by the LSSC competencies.
Funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the American Library Association developed and established the LSSC Program.
To find out more about the LSSC, go to http://ala-apa.org/lssc. For more information about CCCC's Library and Information Technology programs, visit www.cccc.edu/curriculum/majors/library or contact Rita Van Duinen at 919-718-7280 or rvanduinen@cccc.edu.