http://hdl.handle.net/2142/1429 Allerton Park Institute Proceedings (no.10, 1963); Edited by Alice Lohrer http://hdl.handle.net/2142/1516 Future Possibilities in the Development of the School Library Materials Center Lohrer, Alice Previous papers have presented both philosophical and theoretical aspects of the changes and developments that have been taking place in the school library field. These have been supplemented with considerations given to the practical problems arising from the newer media being used in modern teaching programs and the role of the school library at all levels in servicing the needs of students and teachers who are using successfully these multi-media resources for more effective learning. To maintain perspective while projecting one's thoughts into the possible future developments of the school library as an Instructional Materials Center is both difficult and perplexing. In a country as vast and complex as ours, where basic patterns of education vary greatly from section to section, and where each area has its own deep seated roots in the past, no single pattern of education or of school library programs emerges clearly. The fifty states have fifty patterns, and within each state there are great variations among the schools of teaching methods, of library service, of the type and amount of teaching materials made available, and of the administrative patterns for servicing book, pamphlet, periodical, audio, and visual resources in a school or in a school system. This complexity, as we know, stems from the fact that our federal constitution delegates the responsibility for educating children and youth to the states, who in turn delegate the responsibility to the citizens of each community. The people alone can decide whether they want to provide quality education with functional school facilities and adequate or superior learning resources, or, whether they want to provide for the bare necessities of teaching as required by state regulations. Leadership, or the lack of it, at the state and local level determines to a great degree what is provided for the children of a state and community. Even within a school district itself, inequalities of school plants, school facilities, teaching staff, and instructional materials may be very apparent to anyone concerned with the problem and willing to take the time to investigate. School libraries http://hdl.handle.net/2142/1515 The School Library Becomes a Materials Center: Stages of Development Bomar, Cora Paul At this Institute we have been concerned with examining research and practical experience that support the concept of a school library materials center; we have teamed of new resources for the school library materials center, and of patterns for organizing and processing these resources. We have spent some time discussing the planning of facilities to house the school library materials center. We have also had presented to us exciting descriptions of school library materials programs that exemplify desirable use of the school library materials center by both teachers and students. The topic for consideration in this paper, "The School Library Becomes a Materials Center: Stages of Development," is not an easy one to tackle for it is at this point that we are charged with the task of attempting to answer the question, "How does the school library become a materials center?" or another way of phrasing the topic is, "We are ready and willing, how do we begin?" I have approached this assignment wondering what could be said that has not already been covered. But, I am happy to have this opportunity to share with you a few elementary beliefs, activities, and programs that may reinforce what you are already doing, or may give you, who are school librarians, the courage to implement plans for the further development of your school library materials center. School libraries http://hdl.handle.net/2142/1514 Services of the School Library Materials Center in the High School Mann, Mary Louise When North Central High School in Washington Township, adjacent to Indianapolis, was established in 1956, a statement of its educational philosophy was prepared, and reads as follows: "To give each student an unexcelled opportunity to grow according to his needs, interests, and abilities, in academic achievement, social poise, worthy use of leisure time, vocational preparation, responsible citizenship, and physical development." In accordance with this philosophy, the school library was planned and organized as an instructional materials center where a variety of materials and media would be available to enrich the curriculum, to challenge the students, to provide recreational opportunities, and to facilitate student use of every medium. During the next seven years, new materials were added continuously to the library, and its services were expanded greatly. However, rapidly increasing school population resulted in over -crowded conditions in the library as well as in the entire school. Consequently, a new seven million dollar building was constructed and opened in September 1963.The librarians were invited to assist in planning the library in the new building. Visits were made to other libraries, and frequent consultations were held with the architect and school administrators. Early in the planning stage, the decision was made to follow the subject divisional plan for the library, because it was generally agreed that this type of physical arrangement would best suit the needs of students and faculty and be more adaptable to modern methods of teaching. According to Dr. Harold Gores of the Educational Facilities Laboratory, "Educational change has architectural consequences." Careful planning and preparation paid dividends, and now the new library, in full swing, is literally "a librarian's dream." School libraries http://hdl.handle.net/2142/1513 Newer Teaching Methods and the Library Program in the Junior High School Ratliff, John A. There are so many changes in the schools, and they are coming so fast these days that one is likely to become confused if he tries to keep up and feels condemned if he does not. Any self-respecting librarian will feel that he must know what is going on and try to adjust procedures accordingly, because that is the nature of self-respecting librarians. If one knows what the changes are and why they are happening, he is not likely to feel so confused or condemned, and he is not so likely to be taken in by temporary expedient shifts that have little meaning. His choices will be more selective and his decisions wiser in proportion to his understanding of what he is trying to do and why he is trying to do it. One will derive more satisfaction from his work because he will feel he is functioning adequately in his role. So also will all the other people whose activities are to influence or to be influenced by a properly functioning library. Thus it seems that one of the best things to do is review and assess the pressures that are producing changes in education, examine the changes, and interpret the effects the changes bring. Then we can review and reorganize our basic understandings so that we can correct our directions where they need correction and adapt our procedures to them. School libraries http://hdl.handle.net/2142/1512 The Elementary Teacher and the Instructional Materials Coordinator Plan Together for Media Integration With Classroom Teaching and Learning Davies, Ruth A. An instructional materials program is an integral part of a quality educational program. The educational goal of our free society is to provide a quality education for every citizen and an optimum education for each citizen so that all citizens will be functionally literate. In our complex society, to be functionally literate means more than being able to read and to write. It means being able to read, to write, to think, and to act with competence. To think and to act with competence means being capable of translating knowledge into constructive action and rational behavior. It also means being capable of solving the problems encountered today and being capable of solving adequately the problems to be encountered in the future. To develop such competence is the purpose and the goal of education in our democracy. To reach this goal necessitates the availability of knowledge-building and knowledge-extending materials and a planned program for media-usage. A quality, optimum educational program designed to develop functional literacy requires that learning go beyond the limitations of the textbook and the confines of the classroom. An optimum education requires that learning be individualized. A textbook can generalize, but it can not individualize teaching nor can it individualize learning. Knowledge-building media must be provided to meet the individual student's needs, interests, goals, and abilities. An instructional materials program is recognized today as the logically, economically, and educationally effective and efficient means of providing the materials, the services, and the guidance necessary for the full development and the optimum realization of a quality educational program designed to develop functional literacy. School libraries http://hdl.handle.net/2142/1511 Designing Facilities for School Library Materials Centers Srygley, Sara Krentzman As libraries were established in a few secondary schools in America at the turn of the century, in all probability those responsible felt that they faced insurmountable problems. These pioneer libraries were placed wherever space could be spared in buildings not planned to accommodate them at all. In retrospect, it seems remarkable that school administrators and librarians of the early 1900' s could arrange library equipment and materials as effectively as they often did in the small and unsuitable areas then designated for libraries. Sixty years later, designing new or renovated quarters for school library services is one of the most complex and challenging problems school library or materials specialists face. The buildings they help to plan represent their concepts of the role of the library in education today, as well as their ability to influence school administrators and architects to accept their ideas. The amount of space allocated for library services, the nature and location of the special areas designated, and specific provisions for the housing and dissemination of the educational media considered legitimate library materials all these tell a community what the planners believe to be a good school library and what services may be expected from it. Winston Churchill is often quoted as having said that we shape our buildings, thereafter they shape us. Recognition of the truth of his statement only contributes to the insecurity a thoughtful school librarian must surely feel today. School libraries http://hdl.handle.net/2142/1510 Patterns for Administering the Processing of Resources for the School Library Materials Center James, Viola L. School libraries and school library materials centers are being evaluated in terms of services they offer to the many changing philosophies and methods of education. If the objective of the school library is to contribute to achieving the objectives formulated by the school, the objectives are more nearly attained when the major function of the library is to provide high quality work with teachers and students.* The librarian of this library or materials center must work with the teachers of a team in the major emphasis of each; he must provide materials for every level of maturity whether material is presented by television or classroom teacher; he must watch for and follow the changes in subject matter, such as the new mathematics presents; he must have material ready for large groups of students and for individuals. In addition to providing materials, he must teach. He instructs both teachers and students in the use of all library resources. The provision of materials and the teaching function are two time-consuming activities. But before these functions can be performed, the material, printed or audio -visual, must be ordered, cataloged, and processed. These, too, are time-consuming activities. Administrators and supervisors began to realize that library service could be improved if a part of these responsibilities would be taken from the librarians to provide more time for working directly with teachers and students. The administrator of a school district where no library service had been provided questioned from the beginning the fact that similar and overlapping routines were planned for each library. The search for the most effective way to handle this problem of providing as much time as possible for direct work with teachers and students is the topic of this paper. School libraries http://hdl.handle.net/2142/1509 The Electronic Learning Center in the Library Regenstreif, Harry In 1961 the University of Michigan published in the Language Laboratory Technical Report #12 an article by this author entitled "The Electronic Study Center." Outlined in this article were the reasons and methodology for expanding the ordinary language laboratory into an installation which would serve as a teaching aid for all subjects. The term "electronic study center" is rather cumbersome, and since I am addressing a group which is library -oriented, I shall refer to the same concept in this report as the "audio-library." In preparing this report for an institute sponsored by a school of library science, one of my major endeavors has been to try to see the problems involved through the eyes of the librarian. Being woefully ignorant of those finer points of library science which go beyond the Dewey Decimal System and the card catalog, I hope I have not oversimplified or overlooked too many all-important details. Most universities, colleges, high schools, and quite a few junior high schools have installed language laboratories. These installations are being used with varying amounts of success by foreign language teachers as a tool for teaching the spoken foreign language. Quite naturally, these language laboratories are controlled by, and under the direction of, the language teachers. At this time I should like to question seriously the wisdom of having these installations under the control of the foreign language department in the respective schools. I believe, rather, that that collection of teaching aids and the concepts which we at present call the language laboratory should be viewed as one of the several components of a modern well-equipped library and so operated. School libraries http://hdl.handle.net/2142/1508 New Resources for the School Library Materials Centers Whitenack, Carolyn I. As a graduate of the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library Science, one continues to carry in his life-long learning activities those ideals, concepts, and goals that were first given to him in his graduate training. Thus I have been exposed to a multi -materials philosophy for many years, and this philosophy is so much a part of me that I feel highly honored to speak with you about "New Resources for Library Materials Centers.* Dr. Stone, our keynote speaker, set the tone of this conference and was able to express so clearly all the potential of the school library materials center. I think that in practice we do not as yet reach this goal, but we are moving in that direction. It is hoped that this audio-visual presentation (Colored slides were used throughout this presentation illustrating titles, equipment, or uses of library resources in individual libraries.) will amplify what Dr. Stone said, and in addition, expand your understandings of the new things that are happening in the school library world. Before presenting slides of the many types of resources available today, I should like first to recommend to each of you the publication, The School Library, Facilities for Independent Study in the Secondary School, published by Dr. Harold Gores, President, Educational Facilities Laboratories, 477 Madison Avenue, New York 22, N. Y. I hope each of you will write for a copy and express appreciation to him for this very thoughtful and imaginative publication. And I hope you will also write to Dr. Ralph Ellsworth and thank him for his authorship of this significant publication. Someone in the audience asked last night, "What can we do to communicate with our superintendents?" The Education Facilities Laboratories, because it was primarily designed to assist the superintendent, is one agency that is respected by them. Your superintendent has already received this publication. Go in and ask him for his copy, borrow it, and discuss the principles expressed in it in relation to your own library program. School libraries http://hdl.handle.net/2142/1507 Research and Practical Experiences of Recent Years That Support the Concept of the School Library Materials Center Stone, C. Walter I have said before and I would like to begin by saying again that, "in my book," there is no more challenging or exciting work and there is no job of greater importance to progress in every sector of society than that of managing the availability and flow of knowledge through all media. This is the business of librarians everywhere and within elementary and secondary education, it is the business of the school librarian. The School Library Materials Center concept is one answer given by our profession to the challenge of modern educational communication and information service requirements. It is an important idea, and since the approval in 1956 by the American Association of School Librarians of an affirmative statement which defined the role of the school library as an instructional materials center, this idea has become increasingly a guiding principle employed in planning school media services. The chief limitation of the concept, and of the philosophy behind it, is that it does not go far enough. I believe the rationale we need today is one more similar to that used in justifying formation of the new Division of Learning Resources at Florida Atlantic University. This rationale identified two sorts of professional responsibility in educational media service: (1) To put at the disposal of the teaching faculty all media technology, services, and systems which will enhance the effective communication of ideas in a pre-programmed phase of learning; and (2) To put at the disposal of the student all media technology, services, and systems which will enhance the effective communication of ideas in a self-programmed phase of learning. For me, this statement expresses our professional responsibility clearly. To date, however, we have not been prepared to meet such a challenge. School libraries