Public Library Staff Education Program
About the Program
The Public Library Staff Education Program is a tuition reimbursement program developed by the California State Library to assist California public and county law libraries with staff professional development. Funding for credentialed training is provided to enable library staff to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to support valuable programs and services in their communities. The Program includes two components:
Public Library Staff Education Program (PLSEP)
Employees who have worked for a California public or county law library for at least a year and are enrolled in a master's degree in library and information science from an American Library Association accredited program may be eligible for apply for tuition reimbursement through the PLSEP. Please see application guidelines for requirements and further information. This is a competitive program, and a professional review panel evaluates the applications received to recommend for award. Awards are made for the reimbursement of the course fees. Tuition reimbursement is administered by the cooperative library systems.
Library Support Staff Training (LSST)
The LSST program provides tuition reimbursement for support staff members who are working in a California public or county law library and seeking a Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC) from the American Library Association-Allied Professional Association. A support staff position is defined as a library position which does not require a master's degree in library and information science. To apply, LSST applicants must be employed at a California public or county law library for at least one year and show proof of enrollment into the Library Support Staff Certification program. Please see application guidelines for requirements and further information. Successful applicants can receive up to $3000 in the grant year.
This project is supported in whole or in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.
The Public Library Staff Education Program call for applications is announced in February or March through the cooperative library systems and on the calix listserv. Applications and guidelines can be found on this page when calls for applications are made: http://www.library.ca.gov/grants/lsta/apply.html.
Below are samples of applications and guidelines. Please note that application forms, guidelines, requirements, and other parameters are subject to change for each grant cycle.
- Public Library Staff Education Program (PLSEP)
- Library Support Staff Training (LSST)
Tuition reimbursement is administered by California cooperative library systems. For this grant year, reimbursement conditions for the PLSEP are as follows:
- Only graduate library school courses which count toward the MLIS degree are eligible for reimbursement.
- Only courses for which a grade of B- or better, or Credit for a credit/non-credit course are eligible for reimbursement.
- Only courses completed during the 2016/2017 grant year are eligible for reimbursement.
- Courses for which you will receive reimbursement under a Librarians for Diverse Communities grant, or any other Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian grant program are not eligible for reimbursement.
Reimbursement conditions for the LSST are as follow:
- Only approved LSSC courses are eligible for reimbursement.
- Only courses successfully completed during the 2016/2017 grant year are eligible for reimbursement.
- Reimbursement for the LSSC application fee may only be requested after you have successfully completed your first LSSC course.
For any questions, please contact me using the information below.
Susan Hanks
Library Programs Consultant
Phone: (916) 653-0661
Susan.Hanks@library.ca.gov