Recently, the New York State Board of Regents revised Commissioner's Regulation § 90.7 regarding certification of public librarians. After January 1, 2010, individuals certified as public librarians in New York State must be able to demonstrate completion of continuing education and training equal to or greater than 60 hours within each five-year period to maintain their certification. Certificates or transcripts showing successful completion of courses are acceptable forms of documentation, as are letters from a supervisor indicating completion of a program or project.

A wide range of options for professional development is available. Approved programs from accepted providers include formal classes or courses, workshops, seminars, lectures, institutes, webinars, e-courses, library conference programs, or other relevant programs. Additionally, these 60 hours may include up to 12 hours accomplished through:

• Supervised internship(s) for which no academic credit is awarded.
• Instructional activities that include relevant content both created by and delivered by the public librarian professional certificate holder.
• A supervised professional development project in a relevant content area for which no academic credit is awarded.

These activities must be documented by a letter of completion authorizing this qualifying credit.

Information on continuing education opportunities can be found on the New York State Library companion site librarycareersny.org. Training opportunities for professional development from a variety of sources and vendors have been listed on the Calendar section of this site.

Professional development topics offered by libraries, library systems, library associations, and other course providers have been identified below to help guide librarians to acceptable courses and activities.

Disclaimer: The providers and course opportunities sections in these pages are not inclusive, and there may be other topics relevant to individual libraries and situations. Contact your public library system or the New York State Library for further information.

Disclaimer: The providers and course opportunities sections in these pages are not inclusive, and there may be other topics relevant to individual libraries and situations. Contact your public library system or the New York State Library for further information.