Professional Qualification Requirements

The criteria for professional qualities of a library worker are confirmed by an order N 506-Ն by the Minister of Culture, August 5, 2013. Requirements for a position of a head of department are:

• Master degree of "Analyst of Documentary Information Resources" or "Manager of library-information work, bibliographer, specialist of documentary"  or academic degree and at least 1 year work experience of chief librarian or chief bibliographer, or
• Master's degree in higher education or academic degree and at least 3 year work experience of chief librarian or chief bibliographer.

Requirements for a position of a leading librarian are:

• Bachelor's degree with professions of "Library information and bibliography" or "Librarian-bibliographer, pedagogue" and at least 1 year work experience of a first-class librarian, or
• Higher education and at least 3 year work experience of first-class librarian.

The Public Libraries Act sets out the basic requirements for occupying library positions in public libraries.

In Canada, professional qualification requirements for library employees vary by province and library type. For public and academic libraries, a Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) from an accredited institution is typically required for librarian positions. The MLIS programs are accredited by the American Library Association (ALA) and include studies in library science, information management, and related fields. Requirements for other library employees, such as library technicians or assistants, often include a diploma or certificate in Library and Information Technology, though this varies by employer. School libraries may have less strict requirements, and some specialized libraries may require additional qualifications relevant to their focus. Qualifications are not uniformly mandated across Canada with individual libraries, library systems often setting their own expectations.

There is a card issued for professionals in librarianship. This card allows to exercise the profession and is regulated by Law 11 of 1979. However, it is usual for librarians not to have this professional card; there is a large concentration of professionals in the main capital cities and in a large part of the country. Libraries are run by professionals from other areas, not necessarily graduate librarians.

The position of librarian in Costa Rica requires at least a bachelor’s degree from university. Three public and one private university offer the librarianship education. In the labour market, both in the public and private sectors, it is required to have at least the bachelor’s degree. Generally, librarians are trained in bachelor or master level degree; the wage will be different based on the level of the academic degree. Also, to work in the profession, librarians must register at the Costa Rican Association of Librarians, COPROBI (Colegio de Profesionales en Bibliotecología de Costa Rica), which is the body that oversees the legal practice of the profession in Costa Rica.

To work in libraries in Cuba it is necessary to have a technical or university qualification granted by the Technological Schools of the Middle Level or by the University. On the other hand, specialists from related professions can also occupy librarian positions, receiving a special training course.

In France, there are different qualifications to work as a librarian. On the one hand, there are university degrees or diplomas from specialized schools (from BTEC Higher National Diploma to master’s degree) and, on the other hand, there are competitive examinations to enter the civil service. The various diplomas make it possible to work in companies and association libraries or to apply for certain jobs or competitive examinations in the civil service field. Competitive examinations allow students to work in state and local authority libraries. The Ministry of Culture has published in 2022 a National Repository of skills in Public Libraries.

The minimum starting point for librarians is a post-garduate diploma or Masters degree. This can be by Master of Philosophy, which is an advantage, or Master of Arts in Library or Information Studies. The middle level staff is usually a diploma or first degree in library or information studies.

Israel has a two-tiered librarian qualification system: A Masters in Information Science (MIS) or a Post-Graduate Diploma in Library and Information Science is required to work in a university/college library. A BA or a professional certificate is required to work in a public, school, or special library. There is no legislation regarding a professional qualification requirement for library staff. Academic librarians typically begin as a Certified Librarian, and then progress to Senior Librarian and Library Specialist. Most librarians continue their professional education once qualified, by taking online and in-person courses at academic institutions or via the library associations, and participating in the annual conferences.

There are professional qualification requirements for position of a professional public librarian (Shisho) and a teacher librarian (Shisho Kyoyu). Professional public librarian (Shisho):

• University (including junior college) graduates who take courses (Shisho Katei) required for librarian certification at a university (including junior college);
• Graduates of universities (including junior colleges) or technical colleges complete a short course in librarianship (Shisho Koshu);
• Those who have worked as an assistant librarian for 3 years or more may complete a course for librarianship and become qualified.

Teacher librarian (Shisho Kyoyu):

• Graduates of universities, who has teaching staff license, complete a short course in school librarianship (Shisho Kyoyu Koshu).

Issued according to the Library Act, the Regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers legislate the number of qualified librarians required to run a library (depending on the status and type) as well as sets the qualification and education requirements for certain library positions. The qualified librarian is defined as a person who works in a library and has received certain academic or professional education or certificate of continuing education in the field of libraries. Depending on the status of library (incl. libraries of national importance, main regional libraries, and libraries of local importance), the structure of library, the amount of functions and tasks that the library undertakes, certain requirements to have academic or professional education or certification are set for library staff. There are different requirements depending on the library type (e.g. national, public, school or academic libraries). The positions requiring certain qualifications include library directors, managers of structural units (e.g. departments and divisions), main librarians, main bibliographers, librarians and bibliographers.

A minimum Bachelor degree in librarianship is only required for state civil servants (not: employees) in the cultural and education sector.