By Dr. Lesley S . .J. Farmer 

Libraries are often thought of a haven for print, and most people associate print with text. However, a 
world of information is captured in print-based images: d iagrams, i l lustration, art reproductions. Education 
l ibraries are more apt than other university l ibrary sections to include visuals because of picture books -
and wel l  as posters, maps, videos, and other visuals. Increasingly, teachers and l ibrarians recogn ize the 
power of visuals as an educational tool .  Osa and Musser's article on posters highl ights the impact of 
posters in teaching and learning.  

Visuals can be generalized to include the entire l ibrary itself. The visual message of library facilities, in­
cluding furniture and signage ,  evokes a learning atmosphere in the best circumstance. Dickinson and 
Cogdell's article on transforming a materials center into a school l ibrary implies that schools need to have 
active learning communities rather than staid resource warehouses. 

The case for visual l iteracy runs deeper, however. Nelson provides an overview of visual l iteracy and re­
search-based evidence for visual instruction . She explores the semiology of visual artifacts, and asserts 
that visual instruction needs to be taught explicitly, particularly in a pluralistic society. Furthermore, l ibrary 
instruction should include visual aids to help students remember and apply concepts more readily . 

. 
The topic of visual aspects of education l ibraries exceeds these articles. Wade's collection of web sites 
touches on other important issues: art collections, d igitizing images, access to visual images, cataloging 
visual resources, web page design,  to name a few. 

Visual information also has cultural and gender impl ications. Do pre-service teachers have access to im­
ages from non-Western cultures- and women artists? Does information literacy instruction include critical 
thinking about societal contexts of visual images? 

When people come to the l ibrary, they make a decision about staying and using l ibraries within the first 
four minutes . How does your library look? Is it professional - and welcoming? Does publ ic art or student 
artwork festoon the l ibrary? Do staff dress appropriately to reflect that same warm professionalism? Are 
l ibrary publ ications "branded" to give a consistent look and message? Does the l ibrary web portal carry 
out that theme and allow for faci le visual navigation? (And does it include captions for all images so that 
visually-impaired users can understand the graphical aspects of the site?) 

As societies reinstate visual images as a viable form of information, l ibraries need to embrace this ap­
proach to ideas. Particularly in d iverse settings, l ibraries need to show the universal - and culture­
contextual - nature of visuals. 

Education Libraries Vol u me 27, No. 1 Summer 2004 4