CSLA Librarian Training Course

Most congregational librarians started out as ordinary people who expressed an interest in having a library in their own congregation and who, because of their interest, ended up being named as librarian regardless of whether they have had any formal library training.

For just such individuals, CSLA offers a 16-lesson training course dealing with all aspects of librarianship to help even the most inexperienced librarian become an expert and to help congregational librarians with years of experience hone their skills. Topics covered include:

• Assessing your library's current strengths and weaknesses
• Assessing the physical layout of your library
• Maximizing efficiency among your library staff
• Selecting, cataloging, and classifying books and other media in your library
• Establishing effective circulation policies and procedures
• Helping library patrons find the right library materials
• Working within a budget (and how to increase your library's budget)
• Planning your library's future

Now Online! (Credit and Non-Credit)

CSLA is pleased to announce the launch of our new Online Congregational Librarian Training Course.

It's the same great course, but now it's even easier to take. Each lesson in the online course contains the traditional informative reading assignments and instructional information, along with a downloadable lesson assignment to complete and submit online. In addition, however, we've included a number of features in the course website to make study as quick and convenient, with help available at the click of a mouse button.

As an added bonus, students taking the online version of our Librarian Training Course may receive academic and continuing education credits. More information about credits is available on the "Academic Information" page of the live demonstration.

We're so proud of the online course that we're offering a "sneak peek" at the first two lessons. Click here to view a live demonstration!

Offline Study

Though our Librarian Training Course is now offered online, we still offer our traditional means of study by mail. Students enrolling in our offline course will study from a course manual and submit lesson assignments via the U.S. Postal Service or e-mail. Students wishing to save a little money while receiving the same information may wish to avail themselves of this option. Unfortunately, academic or continuing education credits are only available through our online course at this time.

Financial Aid

For those who may be interested in CSLA's offline training course but who might not have the financial means in their budget, there are scholarship funds available. Named for the first CSLA Continuing Education Chairperson, the Muriel Fuller Scholarship Fund encourages congregational librarians to apply for financial assistance for the cost of enrollment. The deadline for returning the completed scholarship application is April 1. Scholarships are awarded during our national conference in July.

Tuition

Tuition for our Librarian Training Course is as follows:

Application Download Links