Recommendation 1: Keep the current vision for the Minnesota Voluntary Certification Program.
Recommendation 2: Reinstate the CLIME Committee with representatives from library organizations offering Continuing Education (CE) to provide overall coordination for CE and support for MVCP.
Recommendation 3: The consultants recommend that one of the following scenarios be implemented. The consultants recommend implementing Scenario 1 and offer two other scenarios for alternative consideration:
Scenario 1: Minnesota State Library Services should assume primary responsibility for the MVCP and make changes recommended in this report.
Scenario 2: Replace MVCP with a requirement for all non-MLS who work in libraries to take What is Library Service?
Scenario 3: Continue MVCP as it currently is operated with no changes.
Recommendation 4: Assumning Scenario 1, SLS should commit to funding MVCP at a level to make it successful.
Recommendation 5: Include MVCP in the new Strategic Plan and the revision of the Public Library Standards.
Recommendation 6: Develop a program to encourage more tangible rewards. Federated systems should encourage member libraries to provide a tangible reward and should offer such benefits to their own staff. Consolidated staff should initiate such tangible rewards in their own libraries.
Recommendation 7: Continuing education in general should be expanded to other types of libraries through a coordinated program and the CLIME Committee. The Certification program should remain only for public library support staff until changes in the program are considered successful and then a decision can be made whether to develop specific competencies for academic or school library support staff.
Recommendation 8: Take a close look at homework and other certification requirements. Consider requiring homework to be submitted electronically within a certian period of taking a workshop. Approve the homework (or ask for more information) and then consider the homework for that workshop complete and do not require it to be submitted again. Give specific instructions and benchmarks on what constitutes acceptable homework. At the end of the certification process, ask particpants to submit only a journal (if that be kept), the competency worksheets and the final project.
Recommendation 9: The CLIME Committee should work with the CE providers to design a curriculum that will allow MVCP participants to complete the cerification program in three years or less. This schedule should be posted on the MVCP website and publicized to current and potential MVCP participants.
Recommendation 10: Establish consistency in MVCP policies and have the program administrator responsible for answering all questions.
Recommendation 11: Appoint a committee to revise the competencies with special attention to youth services, managemtn and technology.
Recommendation 12: A process for quick review of workshops should be put in place. If State Library Services administers the program or if the administration stays the same, one person should be designated to review and approve all workshop applications in a timely fashion.
Recommendation 13: More online courses and ItV should be approved for certification credit. People at a distance from in-person workshops should be encouraged to take courses online.
Recommendation 14: Include management of the website in the overall administration of the program with funds allocated for complete review and updating. The actual home of the webpage could be at the State Library Services or at another site overseen by SLS.
Recommendation 15: Abandon Career Renewal until the MVCP is on solid footing. Clarify what recertification means and other paths toward recertification if it is deemed necessary.
Recommendation 16: Keep the requirement for workshops or demonstration of mastery in all the competencies in order to be certified.
Recommendation 17: Keep the assessment process basically the same with the changes suggested under homeowrk.
Recommendation 18: Increase the perceived value of the MVCP to increase its acceptance in more libraries and regions.
Recommendation 19: Develop a comprehensive program to market MVCP and to recognize graduates of MVCP.