Routes to a Professional Qualification

As in other services within the local authority system, certain grades within the public library service are professional grades, for which a recognised professional qualification is required, as laid down by the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government or his representative.

In the public library service the entry-level professional grade is at the office of Assistant Librarian, which is a Grade 5 post.

There are opportunities open to staff to acquire a recognised professional qualification and therefore to become eligible for promotion within the library service.

This section provides information on the options open to such staff. All the courses mentioned and linked to are accredited by the Library Association of Ireland (LAI) or, in the UK, by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP). Prospective students are advised to confirm that a course is accredited by the LAI before enrolling.