Empowering Rural Librarians: Librarian Credentialing through The Center for Rural Communities & Librarianship

Rural libraries and librarians provide vital services to their communities - from internet access to telehealth and supporting early literacy – and they are well-positioned to impact their community’s wellbeing. However, these libraries face many challenges, such as decades of disinvestment and budget cuts, lack of training, and limited resources. In addition, many rural librarians do not have a formal education in librarianship and may feel unqualified to meet the current challenges. Credentialing provides an opportunity to empower librarians through the recognition of their skills and provide them with a sense of legitimacy. As a part of this project, I have researched issues regarding rural librarianship, met with leaders in librarian credentialing, helped develop a proposal for the Collaborative Institute for Rural Communities & Librarianship, and interviewed librarians about their opinions on credentialing.