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Sen. Dan Sullivan backs waiver to allow library boards to hire directors without ALA‑approved master's
Summary
Sen. Dan Sullivan told the committee his bill would let local library boards hire directors without an American Library Association–approved master's degree by allowing hiring based on experience; the committee moved the bill and the transcript records it passing in committee.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R., District 20, told the Senate City, County & Local Affairs Committee that current state law requires library directors to hold a master’s-level degree approved by the American Library Association (ALA) and that no Arkansas programs are ALA‑approved.
“What this bill does is just give the, the board that's over that library the opportunity to hire someone based on their experience, without having that degree,” Sullivan said, adding that other education roles in the state allow substitutions for formal credentials through waivers. Sullivan said many Arkansas applicants obtain online degrees from out-of-state programs because there are no in‑state approved programs.
No members of the public rose to speak for or against the measure in the provided excerpt. The committee recorded a motion and the transcript shows the committee passing the bill: “The bill passes, senator Sullivan.”
The bill, as presented in the transcript excerpt, would grant local library boards authority to consider experience in place of the ALA‑approved master's requirement for library directors; the text of the bill and any implementing rules were not included in the transcript excerpt.
