Please be prepared to submit documentation verifying that you have met the requirements from one of the options below:
Option I
A master's (or higher) degree and completion of a Maryland-approved program leading to licensure as a library media specialist, including three semester hours of special education coursework.
Option II
A master's (or higher) degree, completion of a program leading to licensure as a library media specialist in another state, and three semester hours of special education coursework.
Option III
A master's (or higher) degree, a valid professional library media license from another state, three semester hours of special education coursework, and three years of satisfactory full-time experience as a library media specialist.
Option IV
A master's (or higher) degree, a National Board Certificate issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in Library Media, and three semester hours of special education coursework.
Option V
- A bachelor's or higher degree; and
- A school library media practicum, 1 year of full-time teaching experience, or 1 year of full-time school library media-related experience; and
- Three semester hours of special education coursework; and
- 36 semester hours of post-baccalaureate credit with 15 semester hours completed at one institution and a minimum of 24 semester hours of graduate-level credit in the coursework listed below*.
- History and philosophy of education
- Student developmental levels, learning theory, and strategies for identifying student information and learning needs
- Theory, principles, and methods of instructional design and delivery
- Inclusion of special needs student populations.
- Administration of library media programs, including an understanding of State and national library media standards and technology standards
- Materials for children in all formats, including concepts related to the teaching and learning of reading
- Materials for young adults in all formats, including concepts related to the teaching and learning of reading;
- Selection, evaluation, and use of materials in all formats to meet student curriculum and instructional needs;
- Access and delivery of information, including reference and bibliographic systems in all formats;
- Organization of knowledge, including cataloging and classification, and information retrieval in all formats;
- Principles of communication, including dissemination and use of information in all formats; and
- The design, creation, and implementation of library media in all formats for instructional use.
*Additional post-baccalaureate or graduate courses may be substituted if some of the coursework described above has been acquired as a part of the undergraduate degree program.