- Guide Introduction
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Library Staff Licensing Pathways
Librarian certification, or licensure, is Rhode Island’s process of gatekeeping the librarian career. Due the nature of librarian work (working with school-aged children and the community at large), a standardized set of skills, as well as confidently knowing a librarian is not a criminal offender, is an important thing to be sure of. Certification is the formal process of vetting potential hirees.
Currently in Rhode Island, only school librarians are required to hold certification prior to employment. However, all other types are librarians are forced to meet a strict educational requirement of a masters degree in Library and Information Science prior to qualifying for entry-level positions.