Introduction
The Library Technician Certificate Program is designed to equip students with skills required of qualified library technicians. The acquired skills provide students with preparation and opportunities for advancement and/or gain employment in the growing and dynamic field of library and information services. The skills may be used in public and academic libraries, and in the information centers of various institutions such as business corporations, medical centers, museums, law offices, and government agencies.
The Library Technician Certificate Program coursework provides an integrated curriculum with educational knowledge, human relations, and library/information technology skills. The program also recommended courses in Computer Science, Speech, Child Development and other academic divisions enabling students to acquire proficiency in several areas. Courses in the program will be offered on-campus as well as online, thus allowing more flexibility and reaching a wider public.
One of the required courses in the program, Lib 3, is transferable as an elective to UC/CSU systems and is on Plan A of the General Education Plans. This course will help students meet the AA graduation requirement.
This is a well-balanced program combining ethics of serving a multiethnic customer base and hands-on training in the use of the latest library/information technologies for information retrieval and manipulation, as well as for cataloging, acquisition, and circulation of information resources.
The program is scheduled to start in Fall 2008.
Program Description
The certificate and degree program prepare students for employment with entry and mid-level library technician positions in public, academic, school, and special libraries. This program, designed according to guidelines from the American Library Association, is intended to equip students with many of the required competencies for a successful performance in all phases of library services. It encompasses the library automation essentials such as acquisitions, cataloging, circulation, public access catalogs, techniques of information retrieval, and the Internet. It also emphasizes the skills of communication and the spirit of public service essential in a diverse and multicultural society.
Requirements for the Library Technician Program Career Certificate
(18 units totals)
Recommended sequence:
Semester I
LIB 3 Information Competency (3 units)
This course is designed to help students
become an information-literate world citizen in the new seamless
and global Information World. The course encompasses library literacy,
information technology literacy, and Internet literacy. It encourages
thought transformation, intelligent reasoning, and a new understanding
of the world, including an appreciation of cultural diversity.
The course has a well-balanced structure in practices and theories,
with lectures, forum discussion in-class and online, computer
lab activities and written research assignments. In addition,
there will be field trips to some of the most famous and richest
libraries and museums in Southern California.
LIB 203 Introduction to Acquisitions (3 units)
This course is designed to teach students the valuable skills required to become qualified library technicians. This course focuses on the goals and functions of acquisitions and the topics will include: the basics of acquiring library materials; the financial management of materials budgets; vendors; and ethical considerations. Visitations to other libraries or information research centers are required.
Semester II
LIB 201 Introduction to Cataloging (3 units)
This course is designed to teach students the valuable skills necessary to become qualified technicians. Topics will include: cataloging principles and procedures including descriptive and subject cataloging, classification systems, Machine Readable Cataloging (MARC) formats, bibliographic utilities, authority and bibliographic verification and control.
LIB 202 Introduction to Access Services (3 units)
This course is designed to teach students
the valuable skills necessary to become qualified technicians.
This course focuses on the major functions of library public and
access services and topics will include: circulation management,
collection maintenance, supervision of staff, confidentiality,
intra and interlibrary loan, reserve collections, copyright laws,
statistical design and compilation.
Semester III
LIB 204 Introduction to Reference Services (3 units)
This course is designed to teach students
the valuable skills necessary to become qualified technicians.
This course introduces students to widely used print, non-print,
and online sources in a variety of settings, and develops question-negotiation
skills and search strategies. The topics will include the information
needs of library users and the students will be empowered to function
competently in the Information Age.
One of the two courses listed below:
* CAOTC 34 Introduction to Computers & Applications (3 units)
This is an introductory computer course
which concentrates on computer hardware basics such as the CPU,
memory, storage, input and output devices, networking, and the
internet. Also, students will have hands-on experience with Microsoft
Office suite for application integration.
* CAOTC 35 Microsoft Office - Specialist (3 units)
Microsoft Office-Specialist is a beginning hands-on course that teaches students to create, edit, format, and integrate a wide range of business documents. Students will use Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access. Computer hardware basics and the use of the internet for business and research purposes will also be covered
*This course meets the computer proficiency requirement for the
degree.
Recommended courses (but not required)
LIB 210 Web Health Resources (1 unit)
LIB 211 Web Business Resources (1 unit)
LIB 212 Web Law Resources (1 unit)
CDECE 34 Children's Literature (3 units)
SP 25 Elements of Intercultural Communications (3 units)
SP 20 Elements of Interpersonal Communications (3 units)
