Relates to the public librarian certification fee

Summary of provisions

Section one amends paragraph (a) of section 279 of the education law to remove obsolete language related to school librarian certificates and to increase the fee charged for the issuance of certificates to public librarians. Section one also amends section 279 of the education law by adding a new paragraph (b), which creates a temporary certificate for public librarians and establishes the fee for the issuance of this certificate.

Section two provides the effective date.

Justification

School librarians are now certified through the state Education Department's teacher certification process as school library media specialists, so references to fees for school librarian certificates in paragraph (a) of Section 279 of the Education Law are obsolete and should be removed.

This bill would also increase the fee for a public librarian certificate issued by the State Education Department from five dollars to fifty dollars, which is less than the current $100 fee for a school library media specialist certificate. Both certificates have similar regulations and education requirements. The fee for a temporary certificate, created through this legislation, will be $75 in order to deter certificate holders from missing professional development deadlines. The increased fees will help support administrative costs incurred for processing public librarian certification applications. The State Education Department issues an average of 500 public librarian certificates annually. The certificates are lifetime certificates, pending that the professional development requirements are fulfilled.

In the fall of 2007, the New York Library Association's Continuing Education Committee decided that requirements for public librarian certification had to be changed in order to meet the needs of the public. Public librarians, now more than ever, are required to know

about quickly evolving technology and a vast array of information resources. The committee, working alongside the New York state Library and referring to Regents policy as its guide, decided that ongoing professional development would be the strategy for promoting workforce excellence.

Professional development for public librarians is Regents policy and is part of recommendation nine of Meeting the Needs of All New Yorkers: Library Service in the New Century - Final Report of the Regents Commission on Library Services, which states the need to "establish a certification process to promote excellence in New York's library workforce at all stage and levels." Since 1909, individuals working in professional librarian positions in public, free association or Indian libraries or in public library systems in New York State have been required to possess a public librarian certificate issued by the New York State Education Department. This certification is required whether the position is full-time or part-time. The original fee of three dollars was raised to five dollars by Chapter 458 of the Laws of 1959 and has not been raised since. While the cost of certification has certainly increased since 1959, the recent amendment of Commissioner's Regulation 90.7 in December of 2008 to strengthen certification requirements for public librarian professional certificate holders will necessitate an increase in paperwork and time spent documenting and verifying professional development activities. The raise in fees will partially offset these incurred costs. The proposal was introduced to the Regents Cultural Education Committee at their July 2008 meeting and was again discussed at their October 2008 meeting. It was approved at a December 2008 meeting, and the regulation changes went into effect January 9, 2009.

Legislative history

This is a new bill.

Fiscal implications

The increased fees for certificates will help to partially offset the cost of a more complex professional public librarian certification program.

Effective date

This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.