Georgia State Board for the Certification Of Librarians: FAQ
Continuing Education
As of January 1, 2026, all Librarians licensed to practice in the state of Georgia will be required to:
- Register and report their continuing education into CE Broker®; and,
- Beginning January 1, 2026 and thereafter to record all continuing education taken to satisfy licensure and renewal requirements within their CE Broker® account which will be accessible by the Board and its designees.
In light of this new requirement, licensees will need to create, at a minimum, a NO COST, BASIC LIMITED ACCESS ACCOUNT in CE Broker® and begin recording any completed continuing education activities.
LICENSEES ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO LOAD ALL CE ALL CE COURSE ACTIVITIES AND CERTIFICATES BEFORE YOU APPLY TO RENEW AND AS YOU TAKE AND RECEIVE THEM. The Board will use its authority to audit the continuing education. If you do not enter ALL OF THE REQUIRED hours in CE Broker®, there is a high probability that you will be audited and the Board will take action as necessary in accordance with the law and rules.
CE PROVIDERS
The Board accepts continuing education courses sponsored by Georgia Public Library Service (GPLS). Visit their website for continuing education resources.
FAQs
Certification is on a basis from Grade 2 to Grade 7, depending upon education. See Rule 320-3-.01 of the board rules for specific information.
Librarian certificates may be granted to applicants in the following classifications:
- Grade 2 – A Para-Professional Certificate is granted to a person who is a graduate of a four-year college of recognized standing, including or supplemented by at least 12 semester hours in a planned program of library science taken at an institution approved by a state or regional accrediting agency.
- Grade 5-B – A Librarian’s Professional Graduate Certificate is granted to a person who holds a master’s degree in the field of librarianship from a library school whose program is accredited by the American Library Association or master’s degree in library and information science from Valdosta State University received during this program’s American Library Association accreditation pre-candidacy/candidacy.
- Grade 5-D – A Librarian’s Professional Graduate Certificate is granted to a person who presents foreign credentials which satisfy the Board that he/she has attainments and abilities equivalent to those of a person who is a graduate of a library school whose program is accredited by the American Library Association, as described above, and that he/she is competent to carry on library work ably and efficiently.
- Grade 6 – A Librarian’s Advanced Professional Graduate Certificate is granted to a person who qualifies for a Librarian’s Professional Graduate Certificate and who has completed a sixth year or more of planned graduate study in the field of librarianship from a library school whose program is accredited by the American Library Association.
- Grade 7 – A Librarian’s Doctoral Certificate is granted to a person who qualifies for a Grade 5(b) Librarian’s Professional Graduate Certificate and who holds an earned doctorate in the field of librarianship from a library school whose master’s degree program is accredited by the American Library Association.
To apply for certification, you may apply online here or obtain a paper application from the board’s website here. Also, please submit a copy of your transcript to the Board office to accompany your application. Transcripts must be mailed directly to you from college or university in a sealed envelope and submitted with your application. A student’s copy is not acceptable unless the transcript is mailed from the college or university in a sealed envelope. The library school you attended must have been accredited by the American Library Association at the time you graduated.
No.
No.
Prior to each renewal period, licensees are required to obtain 10 hours of CPE to renew the license. See information on this website regarding CPE.
The Board accepts continuing education courses sponsored by Georgia Public Library Service (GPLS). Please visit their site for more information on their continuing education offerings.
Forms for obtaining a wall certificate may be found on this website or by contacting the Board office.
Once the renewal period has been opened by the Professional Licensing Boards Division, you may renew your license via our website with a credit card. The website is here. You will be asked a series of questions including whether or not you have received a conviction or board sanction since the last renewal, whether or not you have completed your continuing education requirements, and whether or not you are a U.S. citizen. Read the questions carefully so that you do not answer a question incorrectly by mistake.
Renewing your license via the website is the fastest way to renew your license. Paper renewals are not automatically mailed to licensees. A paper renewal form may be requested by the licensee either by calling the Board office at 478-207-2440 or requesting a form in writing from the Board office. You may also directly update changes to your address or email address online on the Board’s website. Please note that failure to receive the postcard notification does not relieve the licensee of the responsibility for timely renewal.
Submit an upgrade application and transcript. To apply for an upgrade of certification, you may apply online, or obtain a paper application from the board’s website here. Also, please submit a copy of your transcript to the Board office to accompany your application. Transcripts must be mailed directly to you from college or university in a sealed envelope and submitted with your application. A student’s copy is not acceptable unless the transcript is mailed from the college or university in a sealed envelope. The library school you attended must have been accredited by the American Library Association at the time you graduated.
The renewal period has been opened by the Professional Licensing Boards Division. You may renew your license via our website with a credit card. The website can be found here. You will be asked a series of questions including whether you have received a conviction or board sanction since the last renewal, whether you have completed your continuing education requirements, and whether you are a U.S. citizen. Read the questions carefully so that you do not answer a question incorrectly by mistake. Renewing your license via the website is the fastest way to renew your license.
Paper renewals are not automatically mailed to licensees. A paper renewal form may be requested by the licensee either by calling the Board office at 478-207-2440 or requesting a form in writing from the Board office. You may also directly update changes to your address or email address online on the Board’s website. Please note that failure to receive the postcard notification does not relieve the licensee of the responsibility for timely renewal.
Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
P.O. Box 514070
Milwaukee, WI 53203-3470
Phone: (414) 289-3400
Fax: (414) 289-3411
Website: www.ece.org
World Education Services, Inc. (WES)
P.O. Box. 5087
Bowling Green Station New York, NY 10274-5087
Phone: 212-966-6311
Fax: 212-739-6100
Toll Free: 800-937-3895
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.wes.org