UW-Milwaukee’s Certificate in School Librarianship prepares candidates for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Teaching License #1902, so they may serve as certified school librarians in Wisconsin K-12 school districts. School librarians serve the information needs of K-12 students, teachers, and families. In addition to being experts in library and information studies content and competencies, school librarians also have skills as teachers, guiding students in research, reading, information literacy, ethical use of information, and critical thinking.
The School Librarianship - Undergraduate Certificate is a Post-Baccalaureate program that includes pathways for both certified teachers who wish to earn the add-on licensure in school librarianship and students who are not yet certified teachers who wish to earn their initial licensure in school librarianship.
Visit the program website for a complete list of all pathways toward school library licensure.
Requirements
Students must already hold an undergraduate degree and must have matriculated with a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher. Students are required to maintain a cumulative 2.75 GPA or higher throughout their certificate program as well. Specific program requirements vary depending on which pathway the student is following towards licensure, but SOIS courses and clinical work are required for every program. Per WI DPI requirements, all students must complete a successful background check through UWM to gain admission to our program. Please visit this link to complete the check through UWM's partnership with MPS.
We have four pathways towards school library licensure:
- Students who are already certified teachers who want to earn their add-on licensure in school librarianship as part of their Master’s in Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree. These students complete the certification requirements as part of their MLIS and will not be a part of the undergraduate certificate program.
- Students who are already certified teachers who only want the add-on licensure in school librarianship. These students are undergraduate certificate program students for their entire course of study.
- Students who are not yet certified teachers who will be earning their Master’s in Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree, and then return as undergraduate certificate program students to complete their initial licensure in school libraries.
- Students who are not yet certified teachers who will be earning only their initial licensure in school librarianship. These students are undergraduate certificate program students for their entire course of study.
Pathway Course List for certified teachers who want to earn an MLIS with the 1902 school library license:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| INFOST 501G | Foundations of Library and Information Science | 3 |
| INFOST 511G | Organization of Information | 3 |
| INFOST 571G | Information Access and Retrieval | 3 |
| INFOST 799 | Research Methods in Information Studies | 3 |
| INFOST 520G | Managing Library Collections | 3 |
| INFOST 637G | Library Services for Young Children | 1 |
| INFOST 638G | Library Services for School-Aged Children | 1 |
| INFOST 639G | Library Services for Teens | 1 |
| INFOST 645G | Library Materials for Children | 3 |
| INFOST 646G | Library Materials for Young Adults | 3 |
| INFOST 642G | School Library Media Programs and Resources | 3 |
| INFOST 644G | Clinical Experience in School Libraries | 2-3 |
| INFOST 611G | Cataloging for Small Libraries | 1 |
| INFOST 640G | Information Literacy Instruction | 3 |
| INFOST 670G | Instructional Technologies | 3 |
Pathway Course List for students who are already certified teachers who want the add-on 1902 licensure in school librarianship:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| INFOST 520 | Managing Library Collections | 3 |
| INFOST 645 | Library Materials for Children | 3 |
| INFOST 637 | Library Services for Young Children | 1 |
| INFOST 638 | Library Services for School-Aged Children | 1 |
| INFOST 639 | Library Services for Teens | 1 |
| INFOST 646 | Library Materials for Young Adults | 3 |
| INFOST 642 | School Library Media Programs and Resources | 3 |
| INFOST 644 | Clinical Experience in School Libraries | 2-3 |
| INFOST 611 | Cataloging for Small Libraries | 1 |
| INFOST 640 | Information Literacy Instruction | 3 |
| INFOST 670 | Instructional Technologies | 3 |
Pathway Course List for students who are not yet certified teachers who will earn their Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree, and then return to complete their 1902 licensure in school libraries:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| INFOST 501G | Foundations of Library and Information Science | 3 |
| INFOST 511G | Organization of Information | 3 |
| INFOST 571G | Information Access and Retrieval | 3 |
| INFOST 799 | Research Methods in Information Studies | 3 |
| INFOST 520G | Managing Library Collections | 3 |
| INFOST 645G | Library Materials for Children | 3 |
| INFOST 637G | Library Services for Young Children | 1 |
| INFOST 638G | Library Services for School-Aged Children | 1 |
| INFOST 639G | Library Services for Teens | 1 |
| INFOST 646G | Library Materials for Young Adults | 3 |
| INFOST 642G | School Library Media Programs and Resources | 3 |
| INFOST 640G | Information Literacy Instruction | 3 |
| INFOST 670G | Instructional Technologies | 3 |
| ED PSY 640G | Human Development: Theory and Research | 3 |
| INFOST 643 | Pre-Student Teaching Experience in School Libraries | 1-3 |
| INFOST 611 | Cataloging for Small Libraries | 1 |
| CURRINS 545 | Reading in the Content Areas: Middle, Junior, and Senior High School | 3 |
| INFOST 630G | Strategies for Managing Group Learning and Assessment in Libraries | 3 |
| EXCEDUC 600 | Survey of Exceptional Education | 3 |
| INFOST 543 | Student Teaching Experience in School Libraries | 6 |
Pathway Course List for students who are not yet certified teachers who will be earning only their 1902 license in school librarianship:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| INFOST 520 | Managing Library Collections | 3 |
| INFOST 645 | Library Materials for Children | 3 |
| INFOST 646 | Library Materials for Young Adults | 3 |
| INFOST 642 | School Library Media Programs and Resources | 3 |
| INFOST 640 | Information Literacy Instruction | 3 |
| INFOST 670 | Instructional Technologies | 3 |
| INFOST 611 | Cataloging for Small Libraries | 1 |
| INFOST 637 | Library Services for Young Children | 1 |
| INFOST 638 | Library Services for School-Aged Children | 1 |
| INFOST 639 | Library Services for Teens | 1 |
| INFOST 643 | Pre-Student Teaching Experience in School Libraries | 1-3 |
| CURRINS 545 | Reading in the Content Areas: Middle, Junior, and Senior High School | 3 |
| INFOST 630 | Strategies for Managing Group Learning and Assessment in Libraries | 3 |
| ED PSY 640 | Human Development: Theory and Research | 3 |
| EXCEDUC 600 | Survey of Exceptional Education | 3 |
| INFOST 543 | Student Teaching Experience in School Libraries | 6 |
Additionally, all non-certified students need to complete the School of Education Seminar on Act31: History, Culture, and Sovereignty Rights of Wisconsin Native Americans (1 day, continuing education, no credit).
Advising
Please contact our School Library Coordinator for further information:
Susan Hersh, MLIS: shersh@uwm.edu
School Library Media Coordinator/Senior Lecturer
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
School of Information Studies, NWQB 3489,
2025 E. Newport Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53211
(414) 229-2474