School Media Certification

School Media Certification can help lead to meaningful careers. Job descriptions in the school systems are evolving with changes in technology. The School Media Specialist can contribute to positive change. The certification is conferred by the State of Indiana. The requirements include a valid teacher's license and a sequence of SLIS courses. If you do not have a teacher's license, you can work on your education requirements concurrently with your SLIS degree. Students must be admitted to the MLS or MIS degree program in order to complete coursework for this certification. It is possible to complete the certification (27 hours plus S401) without completing a master's degree (MLS = 36 or MIS = 42 plus S401) - however, most people complete the extra courses.

Details about certification requirements are on our SLIS Indianapolis website, maintained by Marilyn Irwin.

CERTIFICATION WORKSHEET (.pdf)
*from Noriko Hara, SLIS

The certification is available through both the SLIS Bloomington and SLIS Indianapolis programs. Students must have a home campus, but may take a portion of their coursework through the other campus. Being registered on two campuses can lead to some complications with financial aid, and student fees.

The School Media certification has had different names (including School Library Media, Instructional Media...). The current formal title is: Advanced Program of Certification for Teacher of Library and Media. We will still use School Media Certification for easy identification.

SLIS advisors:

Noriko Hara, SLIS Bloomington School Media Advisor: nhara@indiana.edu
Dr. Hara is on the Bloomington campus, and is available for academic advising appointments.
Rhonda Spencer, SLIS Bloomington Director of Admissions and Placement: spencerr@indiana.edu
(812.855.2666 or Toll-Free: 888.335.7547)
Rhonda is available to discuss admissions processes.
Debora Shaw, SLIS Internship Coordinator: shawd@indiana.edu
Before certification for school media services is awarded, you must complete a 180-hour internship under the direction of a supervisor who has been selected because of the quality of the supervisor's library media program. Internships can be completed in the summer or during the academic year.
Marilyn Irwin, Director of the SLIS School Media Program system-wide (email: irwinm@iupui.edu). Marilyn Irwin is on the Indianapolis campus, but is a helpful resource for school media careers for SLIS Bloomington students, too. She maintains current requirement information on the web.

Education advisors:

Jeane P Novotny - Academic Advisor Graduate Teacher Certification
Dorothy Slota, Licensing Advisor
Student Teaching Staff - IU Bloomington School of Education staff can answer student teaching questions.
Office of Student Teaching website.

Helpful Links:

American Association of School Librarians (AASL)
Association for Education Communications Technology (AECT)
Association for Indiana Media Educators (AIME) - a division of ILF
Indiana Computer Educators (ICE)
Indiana Department of Education
Indiana Library Federation (ILF)
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
School Librarianship as a Career (from AASL)
School Library Media Research - online journal
Standards for Teachers of Library Media

One of the nation's leading programs:
IU offers one of the nation's leading programs in school media services. Many of our graduated go on to hold key positions and become change agents within their academic settings. Employers value IU graduates because they are:

Teachers of library media and information literacy who plan collaboratively with other teachers.
Leaders in technology adoption and implementation within curriculum development.
Professionals who advocate open access to materials throughout the community for school staff and students.

Professional Associations
We encourage our students to become active in the professional associations. Membership in these organizations can help you make contacts for future employment.