January 15, 2016

About one-third of the state's public library board members have already signed up for a certification program created by the Tennessee State Library and Archives within the first six months of the program's existence.

The Tennessee Trustee Certification Program was launched July 1, 2015 to serve these volunteer board members (called trustees in state law). It includes 10 short online courses that provide training on various aspects of library management. Each course ends with a test. Trustees must score at least 80 percent on all 10 tests in order to be certified.

Those who complete the program remain certified for three years.

There are about 1,000 trustees serving on public county and city library boards throughout the state, appointed by their local government officials. They serve without any compensation, donating their time and expertise to help oversee the libraries. So far, 347 have enrolled in the program and 166 have completed all 10 courses to become certified. All members of the Lewis County Public Library Board, Maury County Public Library Board and Minor Hill Library Board have completed the certification process.

"This training program is another way that the State Library and Archives provides support to public libraries throughout the state," Secretary of State Tre Hargett said. "I'm encouraged that so many trustees have signed up for the program. I hope they will be joined very soon by even more of their colleagues. These courses each take about an hour to complete, but they contain valuable information that will help trustees perform their jobs more effectively."

Here are a few of the comments received from trustees who have completed the program:

"Well done! Loved the enthusiasm of the presenters. The ones who put in funny tidbits were amusing. The presenters who had outlines and handouts were especially helpful."

"This program is very good even if a person has been a trustee for many years. It is especially good for new trustees."

"Thanks for offering this. As a new trustee, this type of information is very helpful and gives a more confident feeling of responsibilities and duties."

"I am new as a library trustee and this my primary reason for thinking the courses were perfect. They gave me great information and put a lot of things into perspective."

Here is the list of public library board members certified through the Tennessee Trustee Certification Program: