LSSC Course Subsidies Announcement

Below is a new announcement issued by ALA-APA about course subsidies they are offering to LSSC candidates.  If you are a candidate in the program I want to encourage you to apply for one of 90 subsidies they will be awarding in January.  When I was going through the program I applied for and was awarded a subsidy.  I really appreciated it - not only did it help with costs, but it was also affirming to be supported in this way. 

The American Library Association-Allied Profession Association (ALA-APA) is excited to announce that theLibrary Support Staff Certification (LSSC) Program will be offering $200 subsidies to 90 candidates to complete LSSC approved courses.  If the cost of the course is less than $200, the subsidy will cover the cost of the entire course minus materials such as books, etc. 

All LSSC candidates are eligible to receive a subsidy by completing an application form available athttp://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FYRXSR8.  ALA-APA will give first preference to those candidates who have not received a previous subsidy. Recipients will be chosen using a random selection process; ALA-APA will announce subsidy awards on January 6, 2014.

Recipients may use the subsidy for an LSCC-approved course in which they are currently enrolled as of November 25, 2013 or for any LSSC-approved course which ends before April 25, 2014. Candidates may not use the subsidy for approved courses that ended before November 25, 2013. A catalog of approved courses is available at http://ala-apa.org/lssc/approved-courses.  To receive the subsidy, recipients must add a Course Certification Certificate to their candidate record and send proof of course payment to LSSC. 

 

LSSC Program updates

 Here's some recent info about the Library Support Staff Certification Program that was sent out by Ian Lashbrook of the American Library Association-Allied Professional Association. 

There is a lot going on in the American Library Association-Allied Professional Association’s  Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC) Program lately, which now has over 430 enrollees and 65 graduates!  We recently posted links of our two archived Conversations with Graduates webinars, which can also be helpful when learning about the program. Those can be found here:

·         2013, April 25 – Conversations with Graduates (YouTube archived webinar)

·         2013, June 18 – Conversations with Graduates (Adobe Connect webinar recording)

The October edition of Breaking News is now available! And finally, please take a look at our Facebook page if you haven’t already. We recently sent out Certified Library Support Staff pins that we had made for our current and future graduates and some of them have been kind enough to send in pictures of themselves sporting their new designation. If you have any questions regarding the LSSC Program, please email lssc@ala.org.

American Library Association-Allied Professional Association

50 E Huron St

Chicago IL 60611-2795

http://ala-apa.org

LSSC Free Webinar Today and Tomorrow

The American Library Association-Allied Professional Association’s Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC) Program will be offering two free webinars in December. Anyone interested in the programs are welcome to sign up by clicking the links below.

December 10th, 2pm Central Time – An Introduction to the LSSC Program

On Monday, December 10th at 2:00 pm (Central), LSSC will offer an hour-long webinar on the program and how it works.  The presentation will explain the value of this certification to Library Support Staff, employers, and library users. You will also have the opportunity to have all of your questions answered by program staff members. This webinar is open to all interested candidates. Register to attend at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/812038737

December 11th, 3pm Central Time – Preparing a Portfolio

Many LSSC candidates want to prepare portfolios to meet LSSC requirements.  On Tuesday, December 11 at 2:00 pm (Central), LSSC will offer an hour-long webinar explaining what the LSSC Program requires in a portfolio. The presentation will also give you the chance to see examples of successful submissions and learn how your portfolio will be evaluated. This webinar is open to all interested candidates. Register to attend at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/469129584

 

Ian Lashbrook - ilashbrook@ala.org

Research Associate

American Library Association-Allied Professional Association

50 E Huron St

Chicago IL 60611-2795

http://ala-apa.org

Talking up LSSC...

Today, Sylvia Bowers continues talking about balancing work, life, and classwork while completing LSSC - Library Support Staff Certification.

What help do you wish you had while taking these courses (like group support)?

It may be that I wish I had more group support, but it seems that this is something I am more willing to provide for others than seek for myself. The number of people enrolled in the LSSC program is fairly small right now, so I’m not sure it’s easy to find other participants outside of classes. Classes typically have a discussion board so that the students can interact with each other and share ideas and questions. But, since I’ve started doing the support staff certification, I have been able to share information about the program with my co-workers, I have given two presentations about it at conventions to encourage others and I’ve written about it. I do this sharing willingly and humbly, because it is meeting such a need in my life. I project I have twenty or so more working years ahead of me and I have decided this is a worthwhile investment for me.

Are any of you in the LSSC program? Let us know how it's going!

How to use what you learn in LSSC

Another post from Sylvia in our continuing series about LSSC - Library Support Staff Certification. Sylvia works for Baker County Library District managing the magazine and newspaper collections.

What helps you the most in completing your classwork in the LSSC program?

Working from home: I mentioned that I work from home and this is possible because our IT manager made a house call; he helped me set up my home pc for internet access and appropriate programs that would support my support staff training. The expense for equipment and the internet connection, of course, has been my own, but the library I work for supported me by allowing the technology manager to do that, and I am grateful.

My co-worker’s creative support: As much as possible, I look for opportunities to integrate my class assignments with my daily responsibilities at work, or I turn class projects into an opportunity for on-the-job training. My co-workers help me find opportunities. For example, for one class project I was able to learn all about the online and in-library resources we had for genealogy research. Myself and a co-worker attended “Family History Days”, where I gave a power point presentation I’d prepared on that topic and she put together an informational booth. This presentation led to another opportunity for a similar presentation at another local genealogy conference, as well as sharing the information at an all-staff training day. I needed help from more knowledgeable staff to create the presentation because I needed to learn about the resources for myself, I shared the information with the community and passed the information on to other staff who hadn’t yet had the opportunity to learn about these resources.

Thanks once again, Sylvia. Are you taking classes and working? Let us know how it's going for you by commenting below.

Balancing life, work, and school. What works for you?

Sylvia Bowers answers another question for us about her experience with LSSC - Library Support Staff Certification.

What techniques have you learned in order to balance your work/school/home life?

I try to schedule no more than 2-hours per day during the week to do general classwork; this usually falls between 8pm to 10pm after my household has quieted down and I can focus. I block larger sections of time on the weekends to work on bigger class projects. If I’m feeling pressured to get my assignments done in too little time, I will schedule a couple vacation hours to accommodate the extra time needed to do a good job. I have only had to do this two to three times. Also, a couple of the instructors have stated up front in their syllabus the amount of time they expect to be spent on classwork and assignments. The class I am taking right now, Adult Readers’ Advisory, specified that students should be able to complete classwork and assignments in 7 to 10 hours per week. I try to use this as a guideline, so I’m not spending more time than is expected. If an instructor has not stated their time expectations then I will simply ask and this then gives a good baseline from which to plan.

The absolutely most useful thing I did when I first started taking classes was to connect to the internet at home so I could do my classwork from home. I found, though, that I was still spending too much time isolated from my family, so I got a laptop. With a laptop I can sit in the living room with my family while they’re reading or visiting and I can do my classwork. It usually takes longer to do my work because there are interruptions, but that’s okay, because this setup meets my emotional need to spend time with my family in the evening.

Thanks, Sylvia. Do you have any questions or comments for Sylvia? Just click on the link below!

What can you learn through LSSC?

Today Sylvia Bowers, SSD member-at-large, answers a couple questions for us about her experience with LSSC - Library Support Staff Certification.

Which one class have you liked the most and why? How has what you've learned in your favorite class influenced your work?

These are very good questions. My favorite class with the most usefully applicable information was the Library Technology class I took from Northern Kentucky University. The class started with very basic computer use information, ended with document and internet security, with a lot of practical projects in between.

The class lasted from late August through early October. Some of the projects included creating Google docs and Google presentations, and scheduling online meetings. One project entailed pricing and "purchasing" computer systems and furniture for a fictitious library of my choice. Another fun project for this class was planning how to automate a small branch library.

A large portion of time in this class was spent learning how to cope with technology change. This is a very common challenge. We explored resources that are available and strategies that you can implement that will help a person working in a library keep up with these changes, as well as how to make good use of that technology in your job right now.

In addition to the larger projects, I learned much I can use in my job on a daily basis. For example, I learned beyond-basic internet search skills, standard computer trouble-shooting skills, and I certainly gained an appreciation for the complexity of computer networks.

I appreciated the support I got from the instructor and the institution. It was a very satisfying learning experience and I would recommend this class to anyone.

Thanks, Sylvia!

Are you curious about getting certified? Ask Sylvia questions about the LSSC program by posting in the comments section below!

LSSC stands for Library Support Staff Certification

Today's guest post is from Sylvia Bowers who has worked at the Baker County Library District for 7 years. She manages the magazine and newspaper collections for the main library, branches & bookmobile. She also works on the circulation desk, processes books and helps with interlibrary loan. "It's a wonderful job and I love it!" she says. She started the LSSC program in January 2010, and is partway through her fourth class.

I am about 1 ½ years and 3 ½ competencies into the Library Support Staff Certification process. We all know that growth and change are challenging, sometimes difficult and often exciting. I decided to begin the LSSC program because after having worked at my library for 6 years, I felt there were fundamental gaps in my understanding of what libraries were all about (mission) that I wanted to fill, and I wanted to gain library-specific skills that would help me do my job better, such as helping a patron with a reference question. It was time for me to find a way to grow and learn and change.

Even though the LSSC program is very flexible in allowing you to choose your own path - portfolios or classes - I’ve chosen to take classes exclusively. This works really well for me because it keeps me on a schedule and keeps me focused. I’ve completed three classes and am in the middle of the fourth one right now. I really enjoy the online learning experience. I’ve taken “Reference” from Infopeople, “Communication, Teamwork and Decisionmaking” from Fresno Pacific University, “Library Technology” from Northern Kentucky University and am currently taking “Foundations of Library Services” also from Northern Kentucky University. Each class has provided a balance between practical skills I can use every day and foundational knowledge about the library profession.

The benefits I’ve experienced from pursuing certification have been numerous.