- Guide Introduction
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Library Staff Licensing Pathways
Tennessee has established a career gatekeeping process for school librarians in the form of certification, or licensure. This process has been implemented for multiple reasons, but the most obvious is that which protects our school-aged children from untrustworthy individuals. Every school librarian in Tennessee will have to submit to a criminal background check prior to becoming certified. Additionally, school librarians also need to display a high level of knowledge through standardized examination and the completion of a masters degree program.
For all other types of librarians in the state, a barrier to career entry still exists through an educational requirement of a masters degree in Library and Information Science to qualify for entry-level positions.