asked the Minister for Local Government why, in view of the statement that professional library qualifications would be taken into consideration in assessing the suitability of candidates for senior appointments in libraries, reference to these qualifications has in the last year been dropped from the particulars of office circulated by the Local Appointments Commission; and why no certificates or qualifications in library training are required for local authority library posts.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Library Appointments.
26.
The qualifications and particulars of office for senior posts in the local authority library service as declared by me were not changed in the last year and did not at any stage refer to the holding of academic qualifications. The qualifications for such posts provide that a candidate must possess satisfactory training in and experience of library work and I consider that a requirement that a candidate should have in addition a formal qualification in library training would be unnecessarily restrictive.
I understand that it is the practice of the Local Appointments Commission to prepare regulations governing the conduct of competitions held by them and that some time ago they decided, in line with practice in other cases, to delete from the regulations in relation to library posts a statement to the effect that in assessing the merits of candidates regard would be had to any academic qualifications possessed by them. The statement was considered superfluous because interview boards would take account of such qualifications in any event.