Professional Bookseller Certification Program

Our friends at New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association have launched a Professional Bookseller Certification program, with the first of five modules beginning in mid January focusing on event management. The course is so popular, it was sold to capacity within a day, but we encourage you to do the following if you are interested in this certification course, either as a student or a teacher.

Students: Even though the first module (Event Management) is at capacity, you should still register to get on the waitlist. NAIBA hopes to launch another class in spring and registering will put you on the wait list, and also demonstrate the demand for this type of education.

Teachers: ​Booksellers and industry staff who would like to be instructors for any of these modules are welcome to submit their name to NAIBA. 

PRESS RELEASE FROM NAIBA

NAIBA is proud to announce the Events Management module of the Professional Bookseller Certification. Booksellers from across the country are welcome to register. 

The Event Management module is the first of six courses that are part of the certification program. Currently in development are: Inventory Management, Store Operations, and Basic Bookselling. Those programs are expected to begin later in 2021. The remaining modules, Staff & Human Resources and Career Fast Track, are scheduled to launch in 2022. For more information, visit our FAQs page.

Booksellers and industry staff who would like to be instructors for any of these modules are welcome to submit their name to NAIBA.

The Professional Bookseller Certification Program is the first effort of its kind to draw upon the combined knowledge and experience of independent booksellers to create the modules and education materials while offering a professional certification for these learning opportunities.

“After 15 years of working in the book industry, I finally have the opportunity to be part of creating the professional certification program that I wish I had been able to attend when I was hired for my first bookselling job. It is an honor to be able to work collaboratively with my colleagues in the industry to compile our knowledge into these courses, to share best practices with other bookstores, and to be part of training the next generation of independent booksellers," says BrocheAroe Fabian, owner, River Dog Book Co., and an instructor in the Events Management course.

To be a professional in any industry requires skills and knowledge and not just time. This program will train staff wishing to make bookselling a career, keeping the industry vibrant and stable. Training and education in-store are a good foundation, but often resources and time are limited. This certification program will train booksellers in the skills and resources to do their jobs well and certify to the industry that they have achieved a higher level of expertise.

For more information, contact Eileen Dengler, NAIBA Executive Director at naibaeileen@gmail.com or 516-333-0681.

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