Librarian's Professional Certification
§ 42.1-15.1. Qualifications required to hold professional librarian position.
Public libraries serving a political subdivision or subdivisions having a population greater than 15,000 and libraries operated by the Commonwealth or under its authority, shall not employ, in the position of librarian or in any other full-time professional librarian position, a person who does not meet the qualifications established by the State Library Board.
A professional librarian position as used in this section is one that requires a knowledge of books and of library technique equivalent to that required for graduation from any accredited library school or one that requires graduation from a school of library science accredited by the American Library Association.
If you have not received a degree from an institution in the American Library Association’s Directory of Institutions Offering Accredited Master’s Programs in Library & Information Studies, you are not eligible to receive a Librarian's Professional Certificate.
No funds derived from any state aid shall be paid to any person whose employment does not comply with this section.
This section shall not apply to law libraries organized pursuant to Chapter 4 (§ 42.1-60 et seq.), libraries in colleges and universities or to public school libraries. (1988, c. 716; 2004, c. 559; 2006, c. 539; 2012, c. 296.)
Application for Librarian's Professional Certificate and Preamble (pdf)
Checklist of Items to Send When Submitting Your Application:
- Check or Money-Order Made Payable to The Library of Virginia
- Completed Application
- A copy of your graduate transcript (official or unofficial) which includes your academic record (grades), the type of degree you received, and the date your degree was conferred.
Please verify that your library school is accredited by the American Library Association.
If you have questions or need clarification, please contact Cindy Church at (804) 692-3773.
Send applications to:
ATTN: Paranita Carpenter
Library Development & Networking Division
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219-8000
