Candidates for AIRS Certification should review the following study materials:

All Candidates:

Standards for Professional Information & Referral  — The Standards address all aspects of an I&R operation including service delivery, resource database, reports and measures, cooperative relationships, organizational requirements and disaster/emergency preparedness.  

The ABCs of I&R (IMPORTANT: Must be 2005 Edition or later! -- treat older editions in the same way as outdated database records -- with extreme caution!).

AIRS Online Training — All of the AIRS courses available on the AIRS Online Training portal are useful study material. However, the course entitled "AIRS: The Information and Referral Process" serves as a "core" resource for all CIRS and CIRS-A candidates. For CRS candidates, "AIRS: Introduction to Taxonomy and Indexing" covers some very important material.

Composition of Examination Tests

CIRS and CIRS-A Candidates:

The Information and Referral Interview: Models to Remember — A compendium of core documents, assembled by Norman L. Maas of The Metropolitan Library System (Oklahoma City and County), originally published in Information & Referral: The Journal of the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (reprinted with permission).

CIRS Performance Based Competencies for Certification (For CIRS examinees)

CIRS-A Candidates:

Online Study Guide for Developing Aging Competency for Information & Referral/Assistance

History of Older Americans Act

CIRS-A Performance Based Competencies for Certification

CIRS-A Study Guide Powerpoint (prepared by the Illinois Department on Aging)

CRS Candidates:

Indexing with the AIRS/INFO LINE Taxonomy — A practical guide written by   Margaret Bruni of The Detroit Public Library's TIP Service , originally published in Information & Referral: The Journal of the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (reprinted with permission).

Taxonomy Supplements: How to Keep the AIRS/INFO LINE Taxonomy Updated for Your Resource File  — A practical guide written by   Georgia Sales of INFO LINE of Los Angeles, originally published in Information & Referral: The Journal of the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (reprinted with permission).

Setting Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria: Determining the Scope of a Resource File  — A series of considerations (with sample policies) written by Dick Manikowski, originally published in Information & Referral: The Journal of the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems  (reprinted with permission).

Information for all Candidates:

Examinations are based on the above recommended materials together with actual I&R experience.  Coverage of this material, together with professional experience and self-guided study, is an effective way to prepare for certification examinations.  AIRS discourages 'teaching to the test' by any trainer offering I&R workshops, consultations or presentations. AIRS encourages all presenters to base their instruction on the documentation listed above., primarily the AIRS Standards and the ABCs of I&R. 

AIRS does not endorse any sample exams or questions related to the CIRS, the CRS, or the CIRS-A tests.  Any questions provided in a training session or workshop are not based on an actual exam; nor should they be presented as accurately reflecting any AIRS exam questions.