National Board certification attests to the fact that a librarian has been judged by a peer group as one who is accomplished in the field. It gives credibility to a librarian as a professional and leads to leadership opportunities. More importantly, librarians who are certified by the National Board have a better understanding of their roles and make a bigger impact on student achievement.

The National Board standards for librarians cover what librarians know, do and how they grow as professionals.

Basic requirements:

Bachelor’s degree, 3 years teaching experience, 4 portfolios, 6 essays

Portfolio topics: Instructional Collaboration, Appreciation of Literature, Integration of technology, Documented accomplishments. The literature and technology portfolios require video component, in addition to the written pieces.

The essay portion of the certification is timed and taken at a scheduled time. Two prompts are given and the candidate must address both prompts in a limited amount of time.

Info on National Board Certification for Librarians

Cost is about $3000 total, but funding is available from various sources. Some districts pay a stipend for librarians who have national board certification.

A new option is Take One. It allows teachers to sample and learn the standards for a particular area, videotape themselves doing a lesson and provide written commentary on that lesson.

Resources:

Discussion groups

Achieving National Board Certification for School Library Media Specialist – A Study Guide by Gail Dickinson

AASL web site

Education World

Blogs: Teacher Sol, Certifiable, Teaching Safari

Only 12 NBCTs in Texas! Might be something to look into!