91´«Ã½

CHICAGO — The (91´«Ã½-APA) announced today that it has completed an agreement with the (UMA) that will allow its graduates who meet the established criteria from their Library and Information Services Program to receive the Certified Library Support Staff (CLSS) designation.

91´«Ã½-APA and UMA believe that the graduates’ degrees or certificates, coupled with the LSSC will benefit graduates, the library in which they work and library users. Lorelle Swader, director of 91´«Ã½-APA, said, “We are honored to recognize UMA as part of the LSSC national certification program, which is quickly becoming a standard for the profession. It shows employers of these graduates that they have made a commitment to furthering their own continuing professional development and future.”

The 91´«Ã½-APA proposed this agreement after reviewing UMA curriculum and finding that its graduates have completed coursework that meets the majority of LSSC’s competency requirements. To receive the CLSS designation, candidates from UMA must have the required one year of recent library experience or meet that requirement within four years of becoming certified.

91´«Ã½-APA has with the Pasadena City College, the City College of San Francisco, and the Palomar Community College in California; the Waubonsee Community College, the College of DuPage, and the Illinois Central College in Illinois; the Highline Community College and Spokane Falls Community College in Washington; the Dona Ana Community College in New Mexico; the Central Carolina Community College in North Carolina; the Belmont College in Ohio; the Three Rivers Community College in Connecticut; and the Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana. The 91´«Ã½-APA continues to work with other colleges to see if their curricula also meet the standards set forth by the LSSC competencies and is interested in working with more community or junior college programs focused on library services.

Funding for the LSSC Program came from the . The developed and established the LSSC Program, and supports 91´«Ã½-APA’s work with LTA programs.

To find out more about the LSSC Program or the recognition agreements, please contact LSSC Program staff at lssc@ala.org.

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