LEUs Explained
Library Education Unit (LEU) Requirements
Each Librarian is responsible for their own professional development and is required to attain a certain number of credits in their certification or permit period. Librarians holding multiple professional library positions during their 5-year license period must earn the number of LEUs required for the position they held the longest during the 5-year license period.
- Professional Assistants must complete a total of 50 LEUs in five years.
- Branch/Department Heads must complete a total of 75 LEUs in five years.
- Directors must complete a total of 100 LEUs in five years.
All classes for LEU credits must be completed between the date your certificate was issued and when it expires. Those renewing their first temporary permit or 5-year certificate may use credits earned in the 6 month grace period prior to being required to attain a permit or certification.
All items being submitted for renewal or audit credit must be either from the; Preapproved provider list, Evergreen Indiana OR approved PRIOR to the event by the Certification director and have received a letter approving the credit.
How long do I need to hold on to my LEU certificates?
Certified librarians shall retain copies of LEU certificates of completion, or other written documentation of LEU completion (such as conference form), for a period of at least ninety (90) days from the later of the following dates:
- The end of the certification period during which they were earned; or
- The actual date on which the certificate was renewed if the certificate was renewed after it expired.
The State Library does not keep this information and will only request copies of LEU records from individuals whose files have been selected for random audit at certificate renewal.
LEU Providers
Please click here for the full list of approved providers who are preapproved for all or some of their offerings by the State Library.
Other library education providers must be evaluated and approved by the Indiana State Library and should submit a completed Application for LEU approval (new)at least 30 days prior to the date of the program. The State Library will deny any applications for LEU credit if the application is submitted after the event has taken place.
If you are looking for information on LEU documentation, click here.
What Qualifies For LEUs?
LEU courses should be library related. A limited number of non-library related units may be taken for subjects of importance to library programming, services, or operations. Opportunities for LEUs are as follows:
Library science (LIS) education courses from accredited colleges or universities
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- If you take a LIS course from an accredited college or university (or approved institution) you can earn 15 LEUs per 1 credit hour taken, you are not limited on the amount of college credit courses submitted in a 5-year period.
- To earn credit for these courses on an audit please submit an official transcript by email or mail to the certification director. Credits can only be from the 5-year certification period.
- If you are a holder of a temporary permit, you MAY NOT count your LIS courses towards your permit renewal if they are required for your certification level.
- These courses do not require LEU provider pre-approval from the State Library.
Local, state, and national library association or specialist-subject related conferences
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- 1 hour = 1 LEU
- If not from a pre-approved provider, approval must be given by ISL Prior to conference attendance.
- To document conference attendance as LEUs, please fill the conference form out during or immediately after your conference and add to your files in case of audit. DO Not sent to ISL unless asked.
Workshops, seminars, institutes, lectures, training by certified trainers
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- 1 hour = 1 LEU
- Must have prior LEU approval from the State Library if provider is not on the list of pre-approved providers.
- In-state library organizations will likely issue LEUs. See below for information on documenting these LEUs when the event is out of state, online, or not a library provider.
Non-library related subjects of importance to library programming, services, or operations (For example, foreign language, fitness, and wellness)
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- 1 hour = 1 LEU
- May earn up to ten (10) Non-library related LEUs per five (5) year certificate period.
- If not from a pre-approved provider, approval must be given by ISL prior to event attendance.
Developing and delivering workshops for conferences, staff in-service training, or any other continuing education opportunity available to library professionals
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- 1 hour program = 1 LEU; 2 hour program = 2 LEUs, etc. (The number of LEUs that may be earned developing and delivering workshops matches hour for hour the length of the program.)
- Up to five (5) LEUs per five (5) year certificate period may be earned developing and delivering workshops for conferences, staff in-service training, or any other continuing education opportunity available to library professionals.
- The program agenda and LEU approval letter will serve as verification of these LEUs. A completed Microsoft Form LEU application (preferred) or LEU Provider Application(PDF) will need to be submitted by the provider and approved by the State Library prior to the workshop. The application must be submitted at least 30 days prior to the date of the program.
External professional committee work
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- 1 hour = 1 LEU
- Up to five (5) LEUs of external professional committee work per five (5) year certificate period may be earned.
- This includes serving on a professional organization committee or as a professional organization officer of a Library related group.
- Participation in professional committee work does not require prior LEU approval from the Indiana state library.
- The librarian seeking to use external committee or professional organization work is responsible for getting a certificate or obtaining documentation of hours from the committee or professional organization president, vice president, director, or associate director.
Publishing in a peer reviewed journal
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- Article that is 1,000 or more words long = 5 LEUs
- A maximum of 5 LEUs per 5-year period can be earned for an article. (1 article only per 5 years)
- Publishing in a peer reviewed journal does not require prior LEU approval from the Indiana State Library. A copy or website link to the article will serve as verification of the LEUs
Professional Roundtable Meetings
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- 1 LEU per roundtable attended
- A maximum of 10 roundtables are allowed in a 5-year period and are only allowed for those holding 5 year certificates.
- Professional roundtables do not require prior LEU approval from the Indiana state library.
- These meetings must meet as a group of professional library staff for at least one hour per meeting for the purposes of professional development or expansion of professional knowledge that will benefit the home library.
- The host library is in charge of awarding certificates to all attendees. The certificate must include roundtable name and date; name of host library; participant’s name; the 1 LEU awarded and a signature of the host library director or director’s designee.
Library Tours
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- 1 LEU per library tour attended
- 5 library tours may be submitted per 5-year period.
- Library tours do not require advance approval from the state library and the host library is in charge of creating and awarding LEU certificates to those attending.
How do I apply for LEU approval of my workshop, conference, or staff day?
If your library or organization is planning workshops for public librarians, please complete this Forms application for Library Education Unit Approval (preferred method) or please download and submit the Application for Library Education Unit Provider (PDF) (Revised 2014). Please allow up to 30 days for an approval decision. Any application submitted after an event has taken place will be denied.
Please direct questions to the Certification Program Director at certification@library.in.gov, 317-232-6276.
How do I document LEUs for conferences?
Conference programming is LEU-eligible if the conference is either;
(1) presented by a provider on the ISL Approved Training Providers list, or
(2) approved after submitting the Application for LEU Approval Form or Application for LEU Provider(PDF) to the Certification Program Office at least 30 days advance of the conference.
This includes in-person and virtual conferences.
To document your attendance:
- Fill out completely and sign the Indiana Librarian Conference Form.
- Keynote speeches and author talks, as well as standard workshops are eligible. Eligible sessions must have a specified learning objective and make a contribution to the field of professional librarianship.
- Business meetings, conference registrations and orientations, time spent at vendor booths, and social events without a speaker are NOT eligible for LEUs.
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- Based on the sessions you attended, count up the LEUs you earned. LEUs are awarded hour-for-hour for eligible sessions lasting longer than 30 minutes. LEUs round up to 2 after 90 minutes. LEUs round up to 3 after 2.5 hours, and so forth.
- Attach session synopses to your completed Indiana Librarian Conference Form. Gather and save written descriptions of the sessions you attended. The synopses should include the program content, length, and presenter information.
- A conference program or agenda usually contains all the information you need. Copy and pasting from the website is encouraged.
- Print or electronically save a copy of the program/agenda in your files for future reference.
- NOTE: Most organizations do not keep their conference information online for more than a few months. Please DO NOT rely on a link to a conference website as a record of the session content.
- Print or electronically save your registration confirmation or certificate of attendance as proof of your attendance.
- File these documents with your other LEUs. DO NOT send them in to the State Library. You will not receive a certificate from the State Library for conferences.
- You will only need to submit your documentation to the State Library if you are notified your file has been selected for random audit or you are using the form for a temporary permit renewal. If you are not notified as such, please do not send in this paperwork.
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How do I document LEUs for Live and Archived virtual conference sessions or webinars?
In order to get credit for viewing a live or archived webinar please follow the following steps.
- Make sure the program is over 30 minutes long in order to earn 1 LEU for the program.
- Verify that the webinar provider is on the list of Training Providers Approved by ISL for LEUs.
- If the provider is not on the list of approved training providers, fill out the LEU provider request form BEFORE you attend the session to see if it is eligible for LEUs. Sessions submitted AFTER the event has been attended will not be approved per ISL policy. The same 30-day approval policy applies.
- Some webinar providers issue certificates; many do not. If you don’t get a certificate from the provider, please follow the instructions below for creating an in-house certificate.
IMPORTANT: Some webinar providers will issue certificates; many will not. If you do not receive a certificate, please follow the instructions below for creating them in-house. If you receive a certificate from an approved provider and it references Professional Growth Points (PGPs), CEUs, Contact Hours, or CPDUs instead of LEUs, this is still acceptable. Only Indiana public libraries use the term LEUs (non-library organizations in Indiana, as well as libraries and other organizations outside Indiana, use other terms).
LEUs are awarded hour-for-hour for eligible sessions lasting longer than 30 minutes. LEUs round up to 2 after 90 minutes. LEUs round up to 3 after 2.5 hours (and so forth).
Certificates generated in-house may be formatted any way you choose, so long as they contain the following elements:
- Participant’s name
- Event/Workshop provider’s name
- Event/Workshop name, date, and number of LEUs obtained (or instruction time)
- Proctor/Supervisor’s written name, professional title, and signature (In the case of a Library Director, the HR manager or the President of the Board of Trustees should sign the certificate).
Download a Sample LEU certificate template.
How do I keep track of my LEUs?
This LEU tracking form can help you keep track of your LEUs earned. This form is not a substitute for LEU certificates, Indiana Librarian Conference forms, or other documents described on this page that are required to document LEUs earned. You may turn this in with the required documentation when being audited if you so choose.