Recording Continuing Education Credits for Recertification

How to Record Continuing Education Credits for Recertification

After each CE event:

  1. Within a few days of a workshop, webinar, or conference, fill out a Continuing Education Activity Report form.  It’s a good idea to do it soon so you don’t forget any important information.
  2. You may use a pre-filled CE form from the Workshop & Training History page or a blank form.
  3. You can fill out the form on your computer, then save it to your computer's hard drive or your library's drive share.
  4. Hold on to it, until you have enough Activity Report forms to fill out an Annual Summation of Continuing Education Activities form.

Once a year:

  1. Print all the Continuing Education Activity Report forms you've saved, and sign them.
  2. Use the data from the forms to complete an Annual Summation of Continuing Education Activities form.  If you fill out the form on your computer, it should tally the contact hours for you.
  3. Print and sign it.
  4. Send to Angela at Winnefox these two things:
    a. your Annual Summation of Continuing Education Activities form
    b. all the Continuing Education Activity Report forms for that year
  5. Angela will validate and sign the Annual Summation form, make a copy for Winnefox's files, and send all the forms back to you.
  6. Store these forms in a file.

When your certification is up for renewal (every 5 years):

  1. Send to DPI:

When you receive your certification renewal:

  • Toss out all the old forms, and start the cycle again.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Some class descriptions refer to CEUs (Continuing Education Units) and the form asks for Contact Hours.  How do I figure out the conversion?

The State uses contact hours because CEUs are confusing, and hours are simple.  To convert them you just move the decimal point over one place:

  • .5 CEU = 5 hours
  • 1 CEU = 10 hours
  • 2.5 CEU = 25 hours

2. I attended a program that was 1 hour and 10 minutes long.  How do I figure the 10 minutes?

Round the time up to the next quarter hour.  The 70 minute program gives you 1.25 contact hours.

4. I’m taking a non-library class at the local technical college.  May I use this as credit for continuing education?

Maybe.  Non-library course time can be counted if what you learned relates to your job duties or requirements.  Allowable courses would include things like bookkeeping & accounting, management, and some computer training.  A language course would count if you had a large number of non-English speakers in your town.  Recreational courses like gardening, landscape painting, or furniture refinishing cannot be counted.

5. I’m very active in WLA.  Can I count the time I spend on those activities?

Probably not.  If the activity is of a significant nature (chair or member of a major committee, holding an office) you may be able to count it.  But most committee work and other activities cannot be counted.  There are two restrictions to this type of activity:

  • It can’t count for more than 10% of your total credits (10 hours).
  • It must be approved in advance using the Preapproval for Self-Directed Continuing Education Activity form.

6. I’m taking an online course.  How do I count the contact hours?

If CEUs are awarded for the course, just convert them to hours (see the guidelines in question #1 above.
If CEUs aren’t awarded, contact Angela Schneider at aschneider@winnefox.org and she'll find out.

7. I’m taking a class that runs from September through December, and my certification is up for renewal in October.  How do I count the class?

You can’t count it for the renewal that’s coming up this year, because you have to successfully complete the class before you can count it.  But it gives you a good start on your next renewal cycle.

8. How do I count time for an activity that had several different sessions, like a WLA conference?  Do I have to fill out a separate form for each session?

It’s not necessary to fill out a separate form for each session.  Fill out one form for each day of the conference, and list all the sessions you attended.  Count your contact hours like this: full day = 6 hours; half day = 3 hours.  Here's an example of a form filled out for one day of a conference.

9. Where do I get blank forms?

The Winnefox Extranet Continuing Education page has links to forms on the DPI website.  The Continuing Education Activity Report and the Annual Summary Form are in Word format and can be filled in on screen & printed off.

10. May I watch a webinar recording and count it as a continuing education event?

Yes, you may count any webinar — whether attended "live" or watching a recording —  as a Category B continuing education activity. (updated 20 Aug 2020)