Attendees: Allison Ameduri, Allison Ryan, Emily Mervis, Alice Chunn, Janice Warner, Jennifer Berry, Dana Eckstein.
GoToMeeting did not record the video/audio. It only recorded the length of the meeting and the names of online attendees. We apologize that you will not be receiving a link to the video we were hoping to record and archive.
Certification: Dr. Ross Todd and Dr. Mary Jane McNally
To earn the school media specialization in the state of New Jersey, students must take the 11 courses required by the Department of Education (DoE). These courses are delineated here. Three of these are foundational education courses for librarians who will work with youth: 514-Learning Theory, Media, and Curriculum; 575-Management of School Library Media Programs, and 592-Field Experience: School Library Media.
- Upon completion of the required course load, the diploma will reflect the school media track.
- This is for librarians who will work in public schools in New Jersey.
- Certification for other states is sometimes transferable from New Jersey, but, for example, to be certified in Pennsylvania requires taking the PRAXIS exam.
An additional component outside of the 11 courses, required by the NJ DoE to obtain NJ certification, are 3 education classes which can be taken online through Rutgers.
- The curriculum was tailored for school librarians by the Rutgers faculty/administration in conjunction with the NJ DoE.
- Online, through Rutgers, non-credit, non-free. Classes are offered during the fall, spring, and summer.
- Those who are certified librarians in another state or currently possess a NJ teacher certification do not have to take these 3 education classes. If this applies to you, the question then becomes whether or not you can transfer your existing certification to work in a NJ public school library.
- Employers generally give one “buffer” year of employment while the teacher-librarian takes the online certification courses. In other words, you can be employed as a school librarian before you complete all 3 education courses. From the start of your employment, however, you have one year to complete those courses. This one year pre-certificate is called your CE (Certificate of Eligibility) and if you fulfill the school library track at Rutgers, Rutgers automatically submits your documents to the DoE and will get your CE granted faster than if you were to do it on your own.
- After the CE requirements are fulfilled, you receive your CEAS (Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing).
- If you are currently employed as a school librarian, but have not yet satisfied all areas of certification, your school district may arrange tuition reimbursement in order for you to complete the 3 education courses.
- Emergency certification: an agreement between the school and librarian in which the school provides employment that is conditional upon the completion of the MLIS degree. The school negotiates with the state DoE regarding the MLIS student’s certification status.
- Since certification is required only for public schools, you can work in a private school without it. However, your salary may not be equivalent to a teacher’s pay scale.
For a detailed explanation of the certification process, see this site that Jay Stefanelli put together.
Arranging Your Field Experience
Mary Jane McNally (mmcnally@rci.rutgers.edu) is the coordinator for field experience. The requirements for 592 are a total of 150 hours in a school library under supervision of another school librarian (which, over 15 weeks, breaks down to 10 hours per week). This means that students already working in a library full-time cannot use their own job unless there is a veteran librarian supervising them.
- Students with full-time jobs should contact Mary Jane to discuss the field experience.
- Students take 575 and 592 concurrently to maximize the impact of the library management course and to complement their field experience.
For students who are unsure whether they want to specialize in school librarianship:
- If you are planning on going into a public library immediately after graduation, but may eventually seek employment in a school library, it is possible to complete the coursework outlined for school media specialists. But, you do not have to complete the field experience and the online certification courses.
- You can, upon graduation and into your career, contact Rutgers and re-enroll to complete the field experience and certification classes. However, if you think that SOMEWHERE DOWN THE LINE you may want to work in a school, it is easier to do the specialization and have your CE to continue earning your certification than it is to request your CE. In regards to the latter, it may be difficult to obtain your CE because the coursework you completed before graduation may have changed upon the time of your re-enrollment, in which case, you may need to take additional courses to satisfy the school media specialist coursework.
Upcoming Events:
NJASL Fall Conference: November 15-17, Long Branch NJ. Leslie Blatt of NJASL is making arrangements to have RASL volunteers receive a discounted rate (or be reimbursed for volunteering), but does not have a final number for cost yet. Email mrsles@aol.com for more information from Leslie.