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The Marshall Community & Technical College's Certificate & Major
for the Associate of Applied Science Degree (A.A.S.)
Introduction
The Public Library Technology (PLT) program is aimed at current and prospective library workers, especially in rural areas. The entire content of the program is delivered through the Internet using WebCT, a highly regarded course management program, and is the only one of its type in our region that is totally distance-education based. Students can work in their homes on their own schedule and not spend time and money traveling to campus or a central site. Many public libraries in WV are staffed by individuals without a professional library degree and, in some cases, no post-secondary education. This program was created to provide these workers with college credits, additional training, and practical skills so they may be able to provide the kind of service their communities need.
This program originated as a collaborative effort among three institutions: (1) Marshall Community & Technical College, (2) Marshall University Libraries, and (3) the West Virginia Library Commission. These three worked together initially to set up a local program for paraprofessionals. The certificate program is the first online library-training program in the region. It is also among the first programs being offered completely online at the Marshall Community & Technical College.
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The PLT Certificate
The PLT Certificate is a 33-hour program delivered 100% online requiring no on-site or classroom meetings. This certificate does not enable the student to become a professional librarian but may provide needed on-the-job training and/or the credits to propel a student into the Associate Degree of Applied Science (A.A.S.) or MU Regents Bachelor of Arts (R.B.A.) degree program. Obtaining certification and degree status may make library employees eligible for promotions and salary increases within their libraries. Through the WV Library Commission, public library personnel can also use the courses for in-service education.
There are 18 hours in the library science portion of the certificate program. Each library course is 3 credit hours and offered during the rotation provided below. Students must take the PLT and general studies courses listed on this MCTC certificate course form. This is not a cohort. Students can enter the program at any time and take these courses that do not require prerequisites in any sequence.
There are 15 hours in the general studies portion of the program. Each course is 3 credit hours. These courses are offered every semester and can be taken during any term. Students who live near the MCTC or another community college can also sign up for the classroom version if s/he wishes to attend a regular class.
2-Year Course Rotation:
FALL-SPRING
FIRST 8 Week Period:
- PLT 100 Introduction to Public Libraries (EDGE) - Johnson
- PLT 220 Public Library Children's and Young Adult Services - Lucas
- PLT 230 Public Library Reference - Brooks
- PLT 250 Public Library Technology - Hechesky
SECOND 8 Week Period:
- PLT 235 Advanced Reference Skills - Lucas
- PLT 240 Public Library Organization & Administration - Brooks
- PLT 255 Collection Development - Lewis
- PLT 260 Public Library Adult Services – Hechesky
- PLT 280 Public Library Marketing - Thomas
FULL TERM (16 weeks):
- PLT 210 Public Library Cataloging - Campbell
- PLT 299 Capstone Experience - STAFF
SUMMER - Session B:
- PLT 100 Introduction to Public Libraries (EDGE) - Johnson
- PLT 220 Public Library Children's and Young Adult Services - Lucas
- PLT 230 Public Library Reference - Brooks
- PLT 235 Advanced Reference Skills - Lucas
- PLT 240 Public Library Organization & Administration - Brooks
- PLT 250 Public Library Technology - Hechesky
- PLT 255 Collection Development - Lewis
- PLT 260 Public Library Adult Services – Hechesky
- PLT 299 Capstone - STAFF
PLT & General Studies Course Descriptions
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The PLT Major
The Marshall Community and Technical College also offers a major in Public Library Technology for the Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree. Students must complete a minimum of 66 hours of which 36 must be from the PLT courses offered below. 30 hours must be completed in General Studies. Each PLT course is 3 credit hours and can be taken concurrently with general studies requirements. Some PLT courses do have pre-requisites so be sure to take them in sequence and/or obtain instructor permission prior to registration if you need to take them out of sequence.
Each Associate Degree student must participate in a campus-wide capstone experience. The capstone is an internship that must be completed during the last semester of enrolment. The internship project and placement will be coordinated by your PLT299 Capstone Experience Instructor. During the PLT299 Capstone Experience, Associate Degree students will develop an electronic portfolio that demonstrates the following general education learning outcomes:
- Communicate effectively using written and oral skills.
- Apply mathematics and basic scientific concepts for problem solving activities.
- Utilize technology competently.
- Use critical thinking skills.
- Develop an awareness of ethical behavior.
- Recognize the richness of diversity.
After completing an assignment that meets the learning outcomes listed above, students will also write a short reflection paper in which they will discuss the following:
- indicate which learning outcome is demonstrated by the assignment
- how the learning outcome was achieved by the assignment
- how competency of the learning outcome will impact your future personal and career goals
- any other comments that are pertinent to demonstrating achievement of the required general education learning outcome.
2-Year Course Rotation:
FALL-SPRING
FIRST 8 Week Period:
- PLT 100 Introduction to Public Libraries (EDGE) - Johnson
- PLT 220 Public Library Children's and Young Adult Services - Lucas
- PLT 230 Public Library Reference - Brooks
- PLT 250 Public Library Technology - Hechesky
SECOND 8 Week Period:
- PLT 235 Advanced Reference Skills - Lucas
- PLT 240 Public Library Organization & Administration - Brooks
- PLT 255 Collection Development - Lewis
- PLT 260 Public Library Adult Services – Hechesky
- PLT 280 Public Library Marketing - Thomas
FULL TERM (16 weeks):
- PLT 210 Public Library Cataloging - Campbell
- PLT 299 Capstone Experience - STAFF
SUMMER - Session B:
- PLT 100 Introduction to Public Libraries (EDGE) - Johnson
- PLT 220 Public Library Children's and Young Adult Services - Lucas
- PLT 230 Public Library Reference - Brooks
- PLT 235 Advanced Reference Skills - Lucas
- PLT 240 Public Library Organization & Administration - Brooks
- PLT 250 Public Library Technology - Hechesky
- PLT 255 Collection Development - Lewis
- PLT 260 Public Library Adult Services – Hechesky
- PLT 299 Capstone - STAFF
PLT & General Studies Course Descriptions
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Admissions
- Interested students must apply to the Marshall CTC and be admitted to register for classes. Consult the Admissions homepage to request an admissions packet.
- Be sure to allow plenty of time to obtain official high school or former college transcripts. You must obtain official transcripts from every school you have attended prior to Marshall.
- Official transcripts must be sent directly FROM the former school TO Marshall to be considered. Transcripts must not be opened and should include the school's official seal.
- You must get transcripts re: any college credits you may have even if you only took one or two classes; obtained them in the military; or took them more than 7 years ago.
- The SAT or ACT is not required, but all students must take the Marshall Community College placement exams for Math and English. The placement tests can be taken online as well prior to admission. Consult the MCTC webpage for more information.
- Because this is an online degree program, all students must have a computer that connects to the internet and meets minimum MU requirements. Consult the MU Online page for computer specifications.
Opportunities for Financial Support
- Students who have been out of school for a while may qualify for financial aid that is specific to part-timers. HEAPS, the Higher Education Adult Part-time Student Grant, encourages and enables eligible students to study part-time, achieve educational goals, and improve the workforce in West Virginia. Check Marshall's Financial Aid site for more options.
- All students should also apply for Federal Financial Aid and check out the American Library Association and the West Virginia Library Association for continuing education scholarship opportunities.
- Current tuition & fee information for undergraduate MCTC students can always be found on the Bursar’s homepage. Look under “Tuition & Fees” for internet courses. Internet courses have a flat rate that is the same for in-state and out-of-state students. The rate does change every year so be sure to check the Bursar's site before enrolling.
Special Notes
- Undergraduates in other programs can take PLT courses too. Be sure to check so you can use PLT classes as electives in your current two or four-year degree program. To utilize these courses as electives, students must obtain approval from his/her academic advisor prior to enrolling. We also recommend this track for non-degree seekers who are already working in a public library who wish to improve their job skills.
- Students who already possess a Bachelor’s degree and/or over 60 undergraduate hours seeking the certificate can do so upon advisor approval. In some cases, the general studies requirements will not be needed to obtain the certificate so be sure to check.
- Teacher Education students or certified K-12 teachers, consult the College of Education's School Library Media Certification Program if you are considering becoming a school librarian. This option is available at Marshall University at the graduate level only and can be combined with the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.).
- Students who already possess a Bachelor's degree or are close to graduating who are interested in becoming a professional librarian should consult American Library Association accredited master's degree programs in library science. Currently, there are no programs in West Virginia but there are several accessible via distance education. For more on the M.L.S. option, please consult Kelli Johnson at 304-696-6220 or johnson28@marshall.edu or consult the handout, So you want to be a librarian? if you want to see more info on careers in libraries.
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PLT Blog
A weblog, or *blog, is similar to an online diary or in that it can be frequently updated and consist of personal entries arranged in chronological order. Many individuals use them as an outlet for their personal narratives, biographical information, or daily musings. Others have created political or satirical blogs that have commercial and entertainment value.
For our purposes, I created the PLT Blog so current and future students can discuss various issues pertaining to the Public Library Technician program at Marshall. Anyone affiliated w/ the program or West Virginia and regional libraries can post to the list. I also invite Marshall and WV Library Commission faculty and staff to discuss issues that may impact PLT students and/or the program in general. The goal is to provide another outlet for you to communicate with your teachers, other professionals in the field, and of course, each other!
Click on this link to access the PLT Blog: http://mu-plt.blogspot.com/
Since we are using the Blogger platform, you will need to set up your own account (it's free!) before you can post. This is not an anonymous Blog. As with all net communications, we do expect everyone who participates to practice current Netiquette when dealing with one another. The Blog Administrator, Kelli Johnson, reserves the right to remove any list member who flames another member and/or posts items that are not relevant to the library profession, the PLT program, and/or student or faculty concerns. If you have problems posting to the Blog site, contact Kelli at (304) 696-6220 or johnson28@marshall.edu.
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PLT Mailing List
Join the discussion and subscribe to our email list to hear about PLT news first! The PLT-List is an open list for Public Library Technology students, faculty, library employees, and friends to discuss ideas, issues, and concerns relating to the program, courses, and the library profession in general. Any member of the library community is invited to join. This is a restricted list. Only PLT-List members can post messages to the list. Just be sure to only send items that are pertinent to the PLT program, library training or employment, and library-related issues. The PLT list moderator, Kelli Johnson, reserves the right to remove any list member who flames other members or ignores current conventions in Netiquette.
How to Subscribe
- Create a message to: mailserv@marshall.edu and gnore the subject line
- In the body of the message text, type the following subscribe command and include your e-mail address: subscribe PLT-LIST youremail@yourdomain.com end
- Send message. You will receive an immediate response and instructions on how to post to the list. This is a restricted list so only members may post a message.
How to Unsubscribe
- Create a message to: mailserv@marshall.edu and Ignore the subject line
- In the body of the message text, type the following unsubscribe command and include your e-mail address: unsubscribe PLT-LIST youremail@yourdomain.com end
- Send message. You will receive an immediate response if your unsubscribe command went through properly.
- If you have problems getting on or off the list, contact the moderator, Kelli Johnson.
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In 2005, the Public Library Technology program was recognized by the Southern Growth Policies Board as a 2005 Innovator Award Winner!
For more information, please contact:
Mrs. Carol Perry |
Mrs. Billie Brooks |
Ms. Kelli Johnson |
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