First class of certification applicants approved

Contact:
Jenifer Grady
ALA-Allied Professional Association
312-280-2424
For Immediate Release
April 28, 2006

First class of certification applicants approved

CHICAGO - The Certified Public Library Administrator Program (CPLA) is pleased to announce it now has 16 candidates for certification. The CPLA Certification Review Committee (CRC) approved them on National Library Workers Day, April 4.

Candidates have an average of 12 years of management experience and have supervised an average of 24 employees.
Members of this first class reside in three regions of the United States and in Nassau, Bahamas.

"The level of commitment by, and the quality of, this first group of participants was amazing," said Denise Zielinski, CPLA CRC member. "They truly understand the value of this program as a stepping stone in their professional careers!"

Four courses also were approved: North Suburban Library System (NSLS) for Marketing, taught by Mary Wilkins Jordan; NSLS for Management of Technology, taught by David Jordan; Southeastern Massachusetts Library System (SEMLS) for Organization and Personnel Administration, taught by Cheryl Bryan; and ALA's Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA) for Marketing taught by William Sannwald. Information about these and the other seven courses may be found on the CPLA Web site at:

http://www.ala-apa.org/certification/cplaproviders.html

ALA-APA continues to encourage potential providers to submit proposals for courses before the June review deadline of May 29, 2006.
The Request for Proposals is on the CPLA Web site.
Candidates are especially requesting courses that are offered online.
According to Committee Chair Eva Poole, "Most of the participants and potential candidates stress the need to have providers offer their courses online.
We need more providers to answer this call, especially those who already have successful programs online and available for our new CPLA participants!"

The Certified Public Library Administrator Program is a professional development opportunity for public librarians with three or more years of supervisory experience in a public library.
Candidates take seven management-related courses on topics such as budget and finance, technology, building maintenance, personnel administration, and fundraising.
Courses are based on the nine standards determined by the American Library Association divisions that sponsor the program:
Public Libraries Association (PLA), Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA) and Association for Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA).
The American Library Association-Allied Professional Association: the Organization for the Advancement of Library Employees manages the program.