Revitalization of the School Library Media Specialist Certification Program at the University of Kentucky: Preparing 21st Century School Library Technology Leaders

摘要

In 2010 due to decreased enrollment and university-wide budget cuts, the University of Kentucky School of Library and Information Science made the decision to suspend admission to the School Library Media Certification program. The Kentucky librarian community responded with a campaign to request that this program be reinstated since the University of Kentucky is the only university in Kentucky offering a school library media preparation program within an American Library Association-accredited master's program. As a result, a committee of experts was formed to examine the status of the school library media profession in the state of Kentucky, collect and analyze data of perceptions of differing stakeholders, and make a decision in regards to the future of the School Library Media certification program. This paper presents the study conducted by this committee, the findings, and the implications for the future of the School Library Media certification program at the University of Kentucky.