BILL NUMBER:  S4635

 TITLE OF BILL :
An act to amend the education law, in relation to public librarian
certificate fee


 PURPOSE :
This legislation would amend section 279 of the education law to
increase the fee charged by the Education Department for the issuance
of a public librarian's certificate to better reflect current costs of
processing such certificates, and to create a temporary certificate.
This bill would also remove obsolete language related to school
librarian certificates.

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :
Section one amends paragraph (a) of section 279 of the education law
to remove obsolete language related to school librarian certificates
and to increase the fee charged for the issuance of certificates to
public librarians. Section one also amends section 279 of the
education law by adding a new paragraph (b), which creates a temporary
certificate for public librarians and establishes the fee for the
issuance of this certificate.

Section two provides the effective date.

              

 JUSTIFICATION :
School librarians are now certified through the State Education
Department's teacher certification process as school library media
specialists, so references to fees for school librarian certificates
in paragraph (a) of Section 279 of the Education Law are obsolete and
should be removed.

This bill would also increase the fee for a public librarian
certificate issued by the State Education Department from five dollars
to fifty dollars, which is less than the current $100 fee for a school
library media specialist certificate. Both certificates have similar
regulations and education requirements. The fee for a temporary
certificate, created through this legislation, will be $75 in order to
deter certificate holders from missing professional development
deadlines. The increased fees will help support administrative costs
incurred for processing public librarian certification applications.
The State Education Department issues an average of 500 public
librarian certificates annually. The certificates are lifetime
certificates, pending that the professional development requirements
are fulfilled.

In the fall of 2007, the New York Library Association's Continuing
Education Committee decided that requirements for public librarian
certification had to be changed in order to meet the needs of the
public. Public librarians, now more than ever, are required to know
about quickly evolving technology and a vast array of information
resources. The committee, working alongside the New York State Library
and referring to Regents policy as its guide, decided that ongoing
professional development would be the strategy for promoting workforce
excellence.

Professional development for public librarians is Regents policy and
is part of recommendation nine of Meeting the Needs of All New
Yorkers: Library Service in the New Century - Final Report of the
Regents Commission on Library Services, which states the need to
"establish a certification process to promote excellence in New York's
library workforce at all stage and levels." Since 1909, individuals
working in professional librarian positions in public, free
association or Indian libraries or in public library systems in New
York State have been required to possess a public librarian
certificate issued by the New York State Education Department.  This
certification is required whether the position is full-time or
part-time. The original fee of three dollars was raised to five
dollars by Chapter 458 of the Laws of 1959 and has not been raised
since. While the cost of certification has certainly increased since
1959, the recent amendment of Commissioner's Regulation 90.7 in
December of 2008 to strengthen certification requirements for public
librarian professional certificate holders will necessitate an
increase in paperwork and time spent documenting and verifying
professional development activities. The raise in fees will partially
offset these incurred costs. The proposal was introduced to the
Regents Cultural Education Committee at their July 2008 meeting and
was again discussed at their October 2008 meeting. It was approved at
a December 2008 meeting, and the regulation changes will go into
effect January 9, 2009.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :
This is a new bill.

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :
The increased fees for certificates will help to partially offset the
cost of a more complex professional public librarian certification
program.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect January 1, 2010.