Congratulations to the Eagleville Bicentennial Public Library's Donna Jordon and Smyrna Public Library's Ginger Graves who each earned Public Library Management Certifications from the Tennessee Public Library Management Program.

The Tennessee State Library and Archives and Secretary of State Tre Hargett said, "The Tennessee Public Library Management Program equips local librarians with management, leadership, and partnership building skills, so they can better serve their communities. This certification is a significant milestone for Ms. Jordon and Ms. Graves and both the Eagleville and Smyrna libraries."

This year, 22 librarians across the state graduated from the program as Certified Public Library Managers. To earn this distinction these librarians completed three years of course work through the Tennessee Public Library Management Institute, more than 90 hours of continuing education, and completed a final project.

State Librarian Chuck Sherrell noted, "These graduates are an impressive group. They sacrificed to complete this rigorous three-year program while still doing their full-time jobs. Their level of participation shows how dedicated they are to their libraries and communities."

The Tennessee Public Library Management Institute is an annual workshop that focuses on management, leadership, and community partnership building skills, hosted by the Tennessee State Library and Archives. The institute includes sessions on library values and governance, project management, staffing best practices, funding and budgeting, marketing, public speaking, and strategic planning.

This graduating class was the first to experience the addition of online/virtual training throughout the year including monthly meetings and projects.

For more information about the Tennessee State Library and Archives, please visit https://sos.tn.gov/tsla. For information about the Tennessee Public Library Management Institute visit https://tsla.libguides.com/plmp.