New York State Public Librarian Certification : General Inf & application

If you have any questions regarding the New York State Public Librarian Certification please contact

Grace Riario   griario@rcls.org   845-243-3747 Ext 233.

Any person appointed to or employed in a permanent (part-time or full-time) professional librarian position in a public, free association or Indian library in New York State must hold an ACTIVE public librarian certificate issued by the New York State Education Department.

Please click on the "Renew Your Certificate" tap above. It will open the New York State Library portal.

Click on the renewal instructions document to begin the process.

The New York State Board of Regents revised Commissioner's Regulation § 90.7 regarding certification of public librarians. Public librarian professional certificates issued as of January 1, 2010, and thereafter shall only remain valid when 60 hours of professional development are completed every five-year period. Such periods will be defined as every five years from the initial certificate date.

A wide range of options for professional development is available. Approved programs from accepted providers include formal classes or courses, workshops, seminars, lectures, institutes, webinars, e-courses, library conference programs, or other relevant programs. As stipulated in Commissioner's Regulation § 90.7(c)(1), curriculum from "any other institution or provider as pre-approved by the employing library, employing library system or the State Education Department" can fulfill the professional development requirement.

Additionally, these 60 hours may include up to 12 hours accomplished through:

• Supervised internship(s) for which no academic credit is awarded.
• Instructional activities that include relevant content both created by and delivered by the public librarian professional certificate holder.
• A supervised professional development project in a relevant content area for which no academic credit is awarded.

These activities must be documented by a letter of completion authorizing this qualifying credit.

Information on continuing education opportunities can be found on the New York State Library companion site librarycareersny.org. Training opportunities for professional development from a variety of sources and vendors have been listed on the Calendar section of this site.

Professional development topics offered by libraries, library systems, library associations, and other course providers have been identified below to help guide librarians to acceptable courses and activities.

Certificates or transcripts showing successful completion of courses are acceptable forms of documentation, as are letters from a supervisor indicating completion of a program or project. (From NYSED website)

Application Procedure for New York State

• Complete and send the Professional Certificate application form along with your graduate library degree course transcript and a fee of $5.00.


• Application for Replacement of Public Librarian's Professional Certificate: Complete and send the Replacement of Professional Certificate form along with a fee of $5.00.

Checks should be made payable to: New York State Education Department

Send your application, materials and appropriate fee to:

Public Librarian Certification
The State Education Department
Division of Library Development
Cultural Education Center Room 10B41
Albany, NY 12230

Application Procedure for the State of New Jersey

• Complete and send the Professional Certificate application form (please see below) along with your graduate library degree course transcript and a nonrefundable fee of $75.00.

Money orders and certified checks should be made payable to Thomas Edison State College   

Send your application, materials and appropriate fee to: