• Eligibility and Certification Information for Educators Interested in Becoming a School Librarian

    Requirements for the Issuance of the Standard School Librarian Certificate.

    To be eligible to receive the standard School Librarian Certificate, a candidate must:

    • Have 2 creditable years of experience as a classroom teacher;
    • Hold a master’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education;
    • Successfully complete a school librarian preparation program; and
    • Successfully complete the certification examination for the school librarian certificate.

    A master’s degree in library science with school librarian certification is the direct approach to earning a school librarian certificate, however, the educator’s master’s degree does not have to be in library and information science. Educators who already hold a master’s degree in another field must successfully complete a school librarian preparation program which may be twenty-four or more graduate level hours depending upon the university’s program and the educator’s deficiency plan.

    The following universities offer school librarian certification programs:

    • University of North Texas
    • Texas Woman’s University
    • University of Texas at Austin
    • Texas A&M University – Commerce
    • Sam Houston State University

    Emergency Permit Eligibility

    The State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC) allows school districts to grant a one-year-only emergency permit to educators hired to work in a position that they are not yet certified to fulfill. Fort Worth ISD can hire an educator to work in a school librarian position if that person is fully certified or within six credit hours of completing a school librarian preparation program. An educator hired as a school librarian under emergency permit in the Fort Worth ISD must complete all of the requirements for the school librarian certificate by May 31st  of the emergency permit year.

    Application Process

    Educators who are certified school librarians or will be within six credit hours of completing the certification program at the beginning of the upcoming school year are encouraged to apply to the Fort Worth ISD Librarian Pool posted annually in the spring through the district’s Human Resources site.