The Community Library Training Program (CLTP) is a Web based distance education program offered by the Public Library Services Branch of the British Columbia Ministry of Education, in partnership with the British Columbia Library Association.

The purpose of the program is to help B.C. public library staff develop the skills they need to serve their communities. The program is also open to British Columbia public library volunteers, board members, and staff or volunteers from BC Aboriginal libraries or other organizations. Others interested in acquiring library skills may contact the program coordinator for information about other programs.

Ten online courses are currently available covering a variety of public library operations and services. The program is delivered entirely via the Internet. Each course takes up to four months to complete and requires an estimated minumum of ten - twenty hours of work (both on and offline) per week. Approximately 160 students complete CLTP courses each year and students are awarded a Community Library Training Program certificate after completing a core program consisting of 4 courses.

Students in the program receive support from experienced tutors, Public Library Services Branch consultants, and other students. Communication among participants takes place primarily using the course Web sites and email. Final grades in each course are based on three graded assignments, a quiz or test, and participation in online discussions and activities.

Required readings and course materials are included with each registration package or can be found online.

• Oct 28, 2009 -- Our website has gotten a bit of a facelift! Kudos to you if you noticed. :) If some pages continue to appear in the old style, they may be stored in your cache -- to force a page refresh, hold CTRL and hit the F5 key on your keyboard. Please let Kyle know if you find any broken links.
• Oct 27, 2009 -- A reminder that registration for April 2010 courses will start on November 1st. Please be aware that we are increasing the cost of all of our courses from April 2010 onwards to $100 each (Jan 2010 courses will remain at the price of $73.50). Also note that starting in September 2010, 12% HST will be added to the cost of each course. Please see the writeup on our Registration & Fees page for more information.
• Aug 25, 2009 -- Due to budget restraints, our payment policies have changed. Specifically, all cheques should now be made payable to BCLA. We are asking all students who have already submitted payment for the 2009 Fall and 2010 Winter terms to re-submit payment as per the guidlines listed here. Sorry for the inconvenience!!