Missouri K-12 Library Media Specialist (LMS) Certification

Whether or not you currently have a teaching certification, MU offers all the courses needed to meet the State of Missouri’s requirements for K-12 School Library Media Specialist (LMS) certification.

Advanced Certification

For Individuals Who Already Hold Teacher Certification

  • If you are a certified classroom teacher and are interested in becoming certified as a K-12 LMS in Missouri, you may meet certification requirements by taking courses within the framework of the LIS master's program.  A Master's Degree from an American Library Association (ALA) accredited degree program enables you to also be eligible for employment in public, academic and special libraries.

  • The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) grants advanced certification as an LMS. Unlike initial certification, colleges and universities do not recommend individuals for the certification. If your goal is advanced certification only, you may take DESE approved LIS courses to fulfill certification requirements as a non-degree-seeking student.

  • Carefully consider which of the two routes to certification best meets your long-term career goals. No more than nine credit hours of LIS graduate course work may be carried into the master’s program, even if the additional courses were taken at MU. If you become certified as a non-degree seeking student and later decided to enroll in the master's, the nine credit hour limitation will apply to all of the certification courses you've taken.

  • Requirements for certification as a K-12 School Library Media Specialist vary from state to state. Certification Services will work with you to facilitate the certification process in your chosen state.

Initial Certification

For Individuals Who Do Not Hold Teacher Certification 

  • If you are not certified as a classroom teacher and want to serve as K-12 Library Media Specialist in a Missouri school, there is an LIS program designed to enable you to meet your goal. Upon completion of the Master's with Initial Certification program, you will be qualified to work in an elementary, middle or secondary school as an LMS.

  • In addition to a minimum of 30 credit hours of content area courses, you will complete a professional education component that includes aspects of human learning, working with culturally diverse learners and ways to meet their needs, and student behavior management strategies.

  • The initial certification program requires a full semester of mentored site-based experiences in one or more school library media centers.

Questions?

If you are interested in completing certification requirements, either initial or advanced, contact Dr. Linda Esser, coordinator of the LMS Certification program at MU, via email at esserl@missouri.edu.  Dr. Esser is familiar with Missouri certification requirements, and she will assist you with negotiating the particulars of the certification process.

The SISLT Student Coordinator’s Office is also happy to assist you with any questions.

(573) 884-2670
(877) 747-5868 (Toll Free)
sislt@missouri.edu