Transitioning from Curriculum Materials Center to School Library Media Center in Pre-service Teacher Education By Gail Dickinson, Old Dominion University, and Edna A. Cogdell and Karin Gavigan, University of North Carolina at Greensboro Abstract Pre-service teachers use Curricu lum Materials Centers (CMCs) to find resources to use i n assignments for college-level pre-service cou rsework a n d t o u s e i n practice teaching with PK-12 students. CMCs that visually and environmentally resemble school library media centers can transition pre-service CMC users into classroom teachers who use school l i· brary media centers for personal professional growth and to enrich thei r teaching. This article presents a case study of one CMC to i l l ustrate this transition. Introduction Curricu lum Materials Centers (CMCs) exist in most schools and colleges of education. Their purpose, as stated by the Curricu lum Materi­ als Center Col lection Development Pol icy of the Association of College and Research Li­ braries (ACRL) is to make "readily available for inspection, evaluation, and use, educa­ tional materials of the highest qual ity pro­ duced for use with children from preschool age through grade 12, and adult basic educa­ tion materials when appropriate to the curricu­ lum" (ACRL, 1 993). One traditional role of CMCs is to act as a warehouse for materials that can be used by pre-service teachers to encourage the devel­ opment of resource-based teaching. This role is seen as especial ly important with the cur­ rent emphasis on accountabil ity in education. As curricu lum standards and testing continu­ ally change, both pre-service and experienced teachers must select resources to supplement new ways of teach ing as wel l as new content. As early as 1 992, Henderson and Barron noted that teachers may lack "the necessary information, resources, and/or skil ls to re­ spond to the measures under implementation" (Henderson & Barron, 1 992, 254 ) . The CMC can serve as a l ink for resources and practical appl ications from pre-service education to use of the school l ibrary media center for new and experienced classroom teachers. CMCs have existed since the 1 920s, but the 1 960s saw a sign ificant increase in the num­ ber of centers, as well as a shift in the types of Education Libraries Volume 27, No. 1 Summer 2004 materials available. The first advent of audio­ visual materials in education caused major changes in teacher preparation, along with widespread interest in how teachers were us­ ing these materials (Smith & I ngersol l , 1 984 ). New interest in hands-on learning sparked the development of materials for science and math . At the same time that school l ibraries were changing their name and focus into school l ibrary media centers, college and university teacher education programs were wrestling with how to organize and access large vol­ umes of oddly shaped materials. These kits, consisting of manipulatives, filmstrips, fi lm loops, and other materials used for experi­ ments, were contained in huge boxes. Stor­ age cabinets for filmstrips, fi lm loops, and tape cassettes began to appear in closets, classrooms, and in faculty offices. Few academic l ibraries were prepared to add these materials to their collections. In some cases, the use of the materials required extra space to assemble the materials, or used non­ l ibrary-adapted messy materials such as wa­ ter, sand, dirt, or other items. The kits often included filmstrips, fi lm loops, 1 6mm fi lms, and other materials requ iring audiovisual equipment that needed to be used in dark­ ened spaces. Manipu lative materials and sup­ pl ies such as construction paper, scissors, and bul letin board materials required special housing as wel l . Schools and colleges of edu­ cation slowly began to organize centralized spaces to house the materials, both to institu­ tional ize their use in teacher preparation, and 11 to provide more consistent access for al l teacher education students. These rooms were little more than storage space at first, kept under lock and key. Mate­ rials, if they were cataloged at a l l , were organ­ ized by accession number or subject area. Eventually, related hardware to view aud io­ visual materials, and production equipment such as opaque projectors, dry mount presses, and laminators were added to the collections. The curriculum materials center became a d ifferent animal than an education l ibrary devoted to theory. CMCs were evolving into centers ded icated to practical applica­ tions, rather than more research-driven aca­ demic faci l ities such as education l ibraries. With the demise of the innovative educational trends of the 1 970s and the emergence of the back to basics educational trends in the 1 980s, curriculum materials and the centers in which they were housed tended to be on the back burner of teacher education. The materi­ als were sti l l available, and pre-service teach­ ers were encouraged to use them, but very few curricu lum materials centers were funded at the level required to keep the materials up­ to-date. With the current growing attention to re­ source-based inquiry learn ing , curricu lum ma­ terials centers are once again becoming an active part of teacher education. This is driven in part by the demands of the National Council on the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) which requ ires teacher education programs to show how teacher candidates gain access to up-to-date teaching resources, along with data on the funding and use of such resources (NCATE, 2000). Teclehaimanot and Patterson's 1 992 study on the nature, function, and value of curricu lum materials centers refers to al l of the above in their survey of colleges of education in the north-central U.S. One often overlooked pur­ pose, however, is the value that curriculum materials centers have in creating a resource­ addiction in pre-service classroom teachers. By creating curricu lum materials centers that visually resemble school l ibrary media cen­ ters, pre-service teachers can transition their use of the curricu lum materials center to the K-1 2 school arena. CMC directors who under­ stand the value and purpose of the school Education Libraries Volume 27, No. 1 Summer 2004 l ibrary and who can create a model school l ibrary media center in a university setting can enhance this transition. The School Library Media Center Teachers are exiting schools of education across the country with toolboxes filled with vast and varied tools to enhance their teach­ ing careers. Some of these teachers have perceptions of school l ibrary media centers gained from using a CMC in their teacher preparation program. Others have memories of the school l ibrary media centers of their K- 1 2 school days. The school l ibrary media profession has the expectation that school l ibrary media centers are an extension of the classroom whose goal is to reflect the curricu lum and "to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information" (AASL, 1 998). When teachers visit the school l ibrary media center in a school, they can expect to find: Personnel. Teachers will find a skilled profes­ sional l ibrary media person capable of assum­ ing the roles of instructional partner, teacher, and information special ist. In addition, the presence of a l ibrary media clerk wil l al low the professional to work more effectively with the teachers. Books. A collection of print materials that meets the educational and recreational needs of the students and faculty is an essential component of a school l ibrary media center. Reference books for research assignments and projects wil l be needed in al l curricular areas. Other print resources to support local , regional, state and national guidel ines and standards and professional books that serve as ancil lary material for classroom instruction are also reasonable expectations of teachers. Audiovisual material. Teachers use audiovis­ ual materials to insure that instruction appeals to al l learning styles and to capitalize on the heightened visual and sensory awareness of today's students. Videocassette and DVD re­ cord ings that support the curriculum are often checked out to enhance instruction. Other aud iovisual materials that educators expect to find in the media center are games, maps, globes, kits, sound books, posters and CD 1 2 ROMs. With the new advances in technology, electronic access to encyclopedias, maga­ zine, newspaper and specialized databases also provide easily retrieved information needed by teachers. Internet access is not only expected, but a must. Technology. Today's educators are required to integrate the use of technology in the in­ structional process. While not al l schools are flush with technology, there is an expectation of some basic equipment. Basic equipment would include: overhead projectors, com­ puters with Internet access, videocassette recorder/players, l istening stations (elemen­ tary), DVD players, data projectors, lamina­ tors, d igital cameras, flatbed scanners, and camcorders. Facility. Teachers expect schools to have a school l ibrary media center with functional rooms, furnishings and a student-centered environment. Furthermore, teachers expect students to be able to come to the school l i­ brary media center as a class, as part of a small group and on an individual basis. Leadership. Teachers expect school l ibrary media special ists to serve as a l ink between new education reforms and information skil ls that are required to meet identified needs. School l ibrary media special ists wil l be ex­ pected to model and promote l ifelong learn­ ing. Special Services. Special services are some­ times unexpected, but always favorably re­ ceived by teachers. These services, such as assistance with production of instructional or display materials, are varied. Some examples include copier services, laminators, El l i­ son/Accu-Cut machines for construction paper designs for bul letin boards or wall decora­ tions, staff development for teachers, book fairs, book and/or technology clubs for stu­ dents, extended hours and evening media nights. School l ibrary media centers and CMCs focus on the same mission in different ways. School l ibrary media centers strive to ensure that their K-1 2 students are effective users of ideas and information, while CMCs have the same mission in their support of teacher edu­ cation programs. Curriculum Material Centers are learn ing centers where pre-service teach- Education Libraries Volume 27, No. 1 Summer 2004 ers can analyze and evaluate educational re­ sources for use in student teaching and in their future classrooms. Case Study: Teachi ng Resources Center, Un iversity of North Carol ina at Greensboro The national emphasis on information literacy places new demands on the role of Curricu­ lum Materials Centers in the education of pre­ service teachers. It is imperative that CMCs provide qual ity curriculum-based resources while, at the same time, providing instruction in accessing and evaluating materials both in­ house and onl ine. Every effort should be made to guarantee that teacher candidates have positive l ibrary ex­ periences when they visit the Curriculum Ma­ terial Center. These positive encounters help to ensure that pre-service teachers wil l be­ come active users of school l ibrary media centers in their future jobs. The Teaching Resources Center (TRC) at the University of North Carol ina at Greensboro is committed to providing a state-of-the-art, ac­ cessible collection of current interdiscipl inary resources to meet the needs of the education community at UNCG. In fulfi l l ing this mission, the TRC serves as a model school l ibrary me­ dia center for pre-service teachers. Listed below are some ways in which the TRC visually repl icates a qual ity school l ibrary me­ dia center. Environment The Teaching Resources Center is designed to feel warm and welcoming to students and faculty. The facility itself is located adjacent to the School of Education, and has an outside entrance to a grassy courtyard . Patrons enter­ ing the TRC see K-1 2 instructional books shelved in Dewey Decimal order with a layout much l ike a school l ibrary media center. Post­ ers depicting chi ldren's l iterature and the lat­ est educational websites are located around the room. A Big Book tree, as well as audio books with plush an imals, is on display along with an Ell ison Machine, videos, COs and software. 1 3 In col laboration with faculty in the School of Education, the Director of the TRC provides tours to education classes each semester. While touring the Center, students observe a variety of resources available for use in their assignments. They are g iven a colorfu l bro­ chure of the TRC that lists the Center's hours, resources, and services. The brochure d irects them to the TRC website that provides addi­ tional information about the Center. These tours ensure that most of the teacher cand i­ dates are exposed to the Center early in their pre-service training. Students are also given a handout entitled "Net-Worthy Resources for Educators." This webliography helps guide students toward quality educational websites that they can use as teacher candidates and later in their teach­ ing careers. The brochure, the website, and the handout are visual reminders of what re­ sources and services the TRC can provide to pre-service teachers, thus helping to ensure that students move from l ibrary tourists to regular patrons of the facility. Displays Displays of TRC materials are changed throughout the year to ensure that patrons are informed about resources available in the Center. Themes for displays have included the Wright Brothers' Centennial , English as a Second Language, the Presidential Election, and seasonal themes. Colorful signage, post­ ers, and other materials enhance the visual appeal of the displays. Trade books that are used for class assign­ ments are also displayed throughout the year. For example, six sections of a Curriculum and Instruction class entitled Chi ldren's Literature and Instructional Media were taught i n Fall 2004. The faculty members teach ing these classes provided copies of their syl labi to the TRC. This enabled the staff to pull together a d isplay of assignment-related books before the students came to the Center. One of the showpieces of the TRC is the col­ lection of Award-Winning Materials. This area of the Center includes books that have re­ ceived the fol lowing awards: • Newbery Award • Caldecott Award • ALA Notables Education Libraries Volume 27, No. 1 Summer 2004 • YALSA's Best Books for Young Adults • Outstanding Science Trade Books • Other national awards such as the Cor­ etta Scott King Award , Michael Printz Award , Pura Belpre' and the Sibert Inter­ national Book Award • North Carol ina Chi ldren's Book Award • North Carol ina Battle of the Books By providing students with opportunities to view award-winning titles, they are able to learn some of the criteria for assessing qual ity books. Additionally, it provides students with visual appl ications of their course objectives. The TRC Director also prepares selective bib­ l iographies of materials available in the Cen­ ter. These bibl iographies are often prepared at the request of the faculty. For example, a professor in the Special ized Education Ser­ vices (SES) department requested a bibl iog­ raphy of "Books for Chi ldren and Young Adults About Individuals with Special Needs. " The books l isted in this bibl iography are on display for students to use for SES assign­ ments. Since the books are on d isplay year­ round, several students who are not SES ma­ jors have checked these titles out. Seeing is Believing American Library Association (ALA) defines information literacy as "the set of ski l ls needed to find, retrieve, analyze, and use informa­ tion"(ALA, 1 998). The 2000 NCATE stan­ dards specify that cand idates preparing to work in schools must be able to integrate in­ formation l iteracy into the P-1 2 curricu lum appropriately and effectively to support stu­ dent learning (NCATE, 2000). Given these standards, it is imperative that teacher preparation programs provide oppor­ tunities for their students to be exposed to a model school l ibrary media environment that effectively integrates information l iteracy. The Teaching Resources Center at U NCG provides a visual interpretation of a school l ibrary media center on a col lege campus. What better model for pre-service teachers to encourage resource-based teaching and per­ sonal professional growth than Curriculum Materials Centers? 1 4 Conclusion The relationship between school l ibrary media centers in K- 1 2 schools and curriculum mate­ rials centers in schools and colleges of educa­ tion has distinct parallels. Both have the role of encouraging resource-based instruction , encouragement of reading, and the effective use of technology in instruction . A review of Lare's works on the management of curricu­ lum materials centers indicate that school l i­ brary management texts are often cited as a program administration and management guide (Lare, 1 997, 2004). In the above case study, the parallels be­ tween elements of a typical school l ibrary me­ dia program that classroom teachers can ex­ pect to find in schools and the Teaching Re­ source Center at U NCG were a conscious choice . Organizing the CMC to assist pre­ service teachers in the same way that school l ibrary media centers wi l l assist them as they begin their careers as educators places the CMC in the center of the pre-service educa­ tion program. O'Hanlon notes in her research on l ibrary in­ struction in academic l ibraries that "Educators generally acknowledge that elementary and secondary school teachers profoundly influ­ ence pupils' attitudes toward learning and use of educational resources such as l ibraries" (O'Hanlon, 1 988, 34 ) . An important role for the curriculum materials center is to guide pre-service teachers to rely on the resources and services that curriculum materials centers and school l ibrary media programs offer. Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning Mission and Goals of the School Library Me­ dia Program The mission of the l ibrary media program is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and informa­ tion . This mission is accomplished: * by providing intel lectual and physical ac­ cess to materials in all formats * by providing instruction to foster compe­ tence and stimu late interest in read ing, viewing, and using information and ideas * by working with other educators to design learning strategies to meet the needs of individual students. Education Libraries Volume 27, No. 1 Summer 2004 References American Association of School Librari­ ans/Association for Educational Commu­ n ications and Technology. ( 1 998). Infor­ mation power: Building partnerships for learning. Chicago: American Library As­ sociation. American Library Association . (1 989). Presidential committee on information lit­ eracy: Final report. Chicago: American Li­ brary Association . Association of College and Research Librar­ ies. ( 1 993) . Model collection development policy. Chicago: American Library Asso­ ciation. Carr, Jo Ann, ed . The Nature, Function, and Value of the Curriculum Materials Center in Colleges of Education. (Ch icago, I l l . , American Library Association, 2001 . ) Henderson, M . , & Barron, B. ( 1 992, Winter). Expanding the role of the curriculum ma­ terials center: chal lenges for the 2 1 st cen­ tury. Education, 1 13, 254-255 . Ho , M . ( 1 985). Competencies of curricu lum materials center directors in teacher­ education institutions. Association for Educational Communication and Tech­ nology. Proceedings. Lare , G. ( 1 997). Acquiring and organizing cur­ riculum materials: A guide and directory of resources. Lanham, M D: Scarecrow. Lare, G. (2004 ). Acquiring and organizing cur­ riculum materials: A guide and directory of resources. (2nd ed.) . Lanham, MD: Scare­ crow. National Council for the Accred itation of Teacher Education. (2000). Unit Stan­ dards. Washington, D .C . , NCATE. O'Hanlon, N. ( 1 988, Summer). Up the down staircase: Establishing l ibrary instruction programs for teachers. Research Quar­ terly, 27, 528-534. Smith, C . , & Ingersol l , G. ( 1 984, Sept. ) . Audiovisual materials in U .S . schools: A national survey on availabi l ity and use. Educational Technology, 24(9), 36-38. Teclehaimanot, B . , & Patterson, A. ( 1 992, Feb.). The nature, function, and value of the curriculum materials center in colleges of education. Association for Educational Communication and Technology. Pro­ ceedings. 1 5