Library Competencies

The American Library Association and the Western Council of State Libraries have both established competencies for librarians and library support staff who are interested in pursuing continuing education and certification. These competencies are designed to help individuals working in libraries understand what they should know or be able to do after achieving certification. After careful review, the Montana State Library determined that the already established competencies provided an effective framework for the state's library certification program.

To review these competencies, please see the following websites:

NOTE: The Western Council of State Libraries determined Library Practitioner Core Competencies and established the Library Practitioner Certificate Program desgined for an "individual who is a library director or manager and has no library science degree." The Library Practitioner Certificate Program was discontinued in 2009, though the competencies are still in place. ADDENDUM (2014): There is no longer a link to the Western Council competencies as they no longer display the list these were originally based upon.

American Library Association's Library Support Staff Certification

Trustees are encouraged to review the competencies listed under the Voluntary Trustee Certification Track section of this manual. Competencies for trustees were developed by Montana State Library staff in order to assist trustees in finding relevant continuing education opportunities.

ADDENDUM (2014): WebJunction maintains a comprehensive index of library competencies which librarians may find helpful.

WebJunction Competencies