College and Research Libraries 140 College & Research Libraries March 1984 A Marriage That Works: An Approach to Administrative Structure in Curriculum Centers Mary Jane Scherdin LITILE UNIFORMITY A review of curriculum libraries in aca- demic institutions across the United States leads one to a rapid realization that there is little uniformity in policies, ad- ministration, or even in titles. Learning ma- terials centers, instructional materials centers, or curriculum laboratories are other designa- tions for these specialized library centers that are administered either by the school of education, by the main campus library, or by both as a joint venture. Physical facilities, funding sources, and organizational structures are similarly dif- ferentiated. Some are housed in the main library and some in the education build- ing. Generally, resources are derived from the school of education, the library, or both. Most centers include the children's literature collection, textbooks, and curric- ulum guides for kindergarten through grade twelve. Additionally, some include all nonprint materials and equipment for the campus. Many have the audiovisual production area available for students. Because of their dual role in serving both the library and the school of education and by reason .of their various functions, cur- riculum centers present unique needs for organizational design. In addition to ad- ministering the myriad of elementary and secondary instructional materials used by prospective teachers, they support the ac- ademic needs of education faculty and provide specific services both to students and faculty for evaluating and updating materials in order to reflect new method- ologies in education. They may also make available facilities for preview, selection, demonstration, and evaluation of all types of audiovisual materials and equipment. Visits to curriculum centers have shown a diversity of administrative structures as well as a variety of policies and functions. Within the University of Wisconsin Sys- tem, seven curriculum centers are housed in, staffed by, and financially supported by the main campus library. Two are sup- ported and staffed by the College of Edu- cation and are housed in the education building. The first of these is the Univer- sity of Wisconsin-Madison, where the IMC catalogs through OCLC and thus its collection is highly accessible. The second campus is considering integrating the cen- ter into the library's services. Northern Illinois University's program is similar to the seven UW institutions mentioned above. The University of Michigan education center, called Instruction Strategy Ser- vices, has been funded jointly by the School of Education and Library Science since reorganization in 1979. Not only does it collect K-12 curricular materials and serve as a resource center for new technology, but the staff teaches audiovi- sual methods to all education students. The University of Texas at Austin's cur- ricuh1m center is housed in the education building and is not a part of the campus li- brary system. Materials are organized by department and not cataloged through OCLC, nor are they recorded in the union . card catalog of the main campus library. Currently the quality of curriculum cen- ters is an issue of increasing importance to both education faculty and library/media staff. Competition among colleges and universities to attract students in educa- tion, as well as strict accreditation proce- dures by theN ational Council for Accredi- Mary Jane Scherdin .is head, Learning Materials Center, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. tation of Teacher Education (NCATE), have caused increased concern in this re- gard. A need for high quality and efficient leadership is indicated even more strongly by today' s inflated costs combined with limited financial resources. Despite a study concluding that the administrative relationship of the center with other col- lege departments had no significant bear- ing on the effectiveness of functions or services, actual experience has proven the opposite. 1 Indeed, the University of Wis- consin-Whitewater has found that close cooperation or joint control between the center and the school of education can play a crucial role in the enhancement of services, the provision of professional consultants, the increase of funding, and the ongoing physical development of the facility. · After a brief historical view and a survey of the relevant literature, this article will present the innovative approach recently adopted at UW-Whitewater which fea- tures a joint administrative structure and shared staffing between the university li- brary and the college of education. HISTORY AND SURVEY OF LITERATURE Although the concept of the learning materials center dates back to the 1920s, there exists little research in the literature of library and information science which deals definitely with the issues of their or- ganization and management. Indeed, only a minimal amount of solid investiga- tion into all operational aspects of such centers has been undertaken. As recently as 1979, Kiewitt and Lehman conducted a survey of policies and practices in 187 cen- ters and recorded that ''a thorough search of the literature revealed little . . . infor- mation about the current status of curricu- lum laboratories or materials centers.''2 The primary sources for information are the reports (excellent, but not recent) by Elinor Ellis in 1969,3 Harlan R. Johnson in 1973, 4 Leota Nevil in 1975,5 and Bertha Boudreau in 1976.6 While these studies in- dicated a general agreement among cen- ters relating to their broader purposes and functions, there was no consensus regard- ing matters of administration and Research Notes 141 staffing-areas of concern vital to the es- tablishment of cooperative relation- ships-or to the effective promotion of es- sential and innovative services. This fac- tor, along with substantial variations in approaches to funding, collection devel- opment, housing, and hours of service among the institutions surveyed, made the formation of evaluative criteria con- cerning organizational design a difficult task and the accurate perception of gen- eral trends in development questionable. It is apparent that existing hierarchical structures have evolved to fit the mode of operation. Results of the Kiewitt-Lehman study showed that 71 percent of the cen- ters report to the library, while 26 percent report to the school of education. 7 Ellis found that 56 percent report to the library, 37 percent to the school of education; and 7 percent are joint ventures. 8 Concerning expenditures, the Kiewitt- Lehman study reported that 66 percent re- ceive their funds from the library, 22 per- cent from education, 7 percent from both, 4 percent from other sources, and 1 per- cent have no set budget allocation. Further results of the Kiewitt-Lehman study report that the director or adminis- trator of the center is usually a librarian (78 percent), with 17 percent of the centers su- pervised by education faculty. The major- ity (63 percent) were educated both as ali- brarian and a teacher; 25 percent had only teacher education training. Additionally, center directors indicated a strong interest in information about other centers and in sharing concern and new ideas. 9 Presently, staff members wishing to improve their programs must search diligently to collect ideas. STANDARDS The 1960 NCATE standards required the presence of a materials center as a qualification for full accreditation. Later, in 1977, the American Association of Col- leges for Teacher Education drafted its standards, which were adopted by NCATE and became effective January 1, 1979. Standard 5.2 states: "A materials and instructional media center for teacher education is maintained either as a part of the library, or as one or more separate 142 College & Research Libraries units, and supports the teacher education program." The standard further elabo- rates: "A program for the preparation of teachers includes the use of teacher- learning materials and instructional media in two important ways: prospective teach- ers are instructed in how to devise and use modern technologies in their teaching, and modern technologies are utilized by the faculty in teaching students .... In maintaining and developing the collection of such materials and media, the institu- tion gives serious consideration to the rec- ommendations of faculty members and appropriate national professional organi- zations. " 10 Ellis had indicated in 1969 the .problem of a lack of established core standards to be followed by administrators of teacher education programs in planning curricu- lum centers. 11 Today, despite the progress that has been made, criteria requisite for specific evaluative purposes are still not available. UW-WHITEWATER LMC The Learning Materials Center (LMC) at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, serving a total student population of ten thousand, including approximately 2,700 education students, has successfully . planned and implemented a new organi- zational design. This approach has re- sulted in increased usage, a commenda- tion by the NCA TE team in 1981, and a new enthusiasm among education faculty and students. An updated collection, bet- ter instructional and reference services to users, an attractive physical atmosphere, and more efficiently organized resources are additional by-products of the new ad- ministrative structure. The LMC at UW-Whitewater originated in 1963 as part of the library operation. The collection consisted of textbooks, profes- sional books and filmstrips. In 1965 it was moved to a new addition in the main cam- pus library (Andersen Library), which is in close proximity to the College of Educa- tion. Increased demands on the services of the center necessitated a greater variety of materials, both print and non-print. It was a natural growth to have colleges other than the College of Education ask for March 1984 audio-visual materials in their subject ar- eas. Thus, in December, 1966, the philoso- phy of the library at UW-Whitewater was broadened to say, "the library is an educa- tional service agency for all areas and de- partments . . . for all types of instructional aids." The LMC was the most logical area of the library to carry out this mission. In 1970, another addition was built to the library, and the LMC found its present home of over eleven thousand square feet on the ground floor immediately adjacent to Audiovisual Resources. The latter circu- lates audiovisual equipment and 16mm films while the LMC circulates all other audiovisual software for the campus. The LMC and Audiovisual Resources are two of the seven departments within Library/ Learning Resources at UW-Whitewater. Other departments are acquisitions, cata- loging, circulation, information and in- struction services, and documents andre- search collections. The heads of all seven departments report directly to the dean of Library /Learning Resources. Statistics indicate a high level of usage of the LMC during the early and mid-1970s, followed by a sharp decline. Subsequently the director was moved to another posi- tion within the library, and the LMC was made a part of Audiovisual Resources for a year. During the following year the LMC became the responsibility of the Circula- tion Department. Essentially the center was placed on hold and use dropped even more substantially. There were many complaints by students and faculty, and the College of Education departments be- gan developing satellite collections on their own in departmental offices. THE NEW ORGANIZATION In 1978 the dean of the College of Educa- tion approached the dean of Library/ Learning Resources and the vice- chancellor for Academic Affairs to seek a solution. A committee representing each department in the College of Education was formed and met during 1978-79. The committee recommended the fol- lowing objectives: a. Provide storage and circulation of ed- ucational materials, texts, and media. b. Offer opportunities to examine, uti- lize, and observe materials being used in small group settings through simulations and/or live demonstrations. c. Offer expertise to support College of Education faculty and students in locating and/ or developing instructional materials. d. Provide seminars and·workshops to examine and utilize new instructional ma- terials presented by educational experts or commercial representatives. e. Provide seminars and workshops to design and create instructional materials for classroom use as presented by educa- tional experts or commercial representa- tives. The committee also recommended that ultimate responsibility for management of the LMC should reside with the dean of Library/Learning Resources, but that the College of Education should assume a principal role in management of the LMC. · A supervisory committee representing all College of Education departments and Li- brary/Learning Resources should be es- tablished and charged with the tasks of · development and overview of academic and support services in the LMC as well as center management. Other recommendations included the phasing out of all departmental collections and satellite centers, yearly financial sup- port from each department of the College of Education and from the College of Edu- cation's annual budget, the transfer of current personnel (graduate assistants and work-study students) from depart- mental collections to the LMC, and staff- ing of the LMC with a full-time director and a half-time librarian. The committee asked that each department have its own separate area or pod within the LMC and that there be a delivery system from the li- brary to the education building. AGREEMENT ESTABLISHED These suggestions, with some modifica- tions, were incorporated into an agree- ment between the dean of the College of Education and the dean of Library/Learn- ing Resources which was signed and sent to the vice-chancellor for Academic Affairs in June 1979. Library/Learning Resources agreed to provide: a. one full-time professional librarian to Research Notes 143 supervise the operation of the LMC b. student help to provide assistance in the LMC c. an initial collection development allo- cation of five thousand dollars The College of Education agreed to pro- vide: a. one full-time faculty position b. 1.5 graduate assistants c. encouragement to its departments to designate a substantial part of library funds allocated to each department to pur- chase materials for the LMC It was also strongly recommended that the College of Education planning com- mittee continue to function, reporting to the two deans concerning organization of the center, and making recommendations regarding schedules, personnel, and pol- icy guidelines. It was recognized that this preliminary agreement would require modification as the actual implementation was undertaken, i.e., allocations for ser- vices, supplies, and capital, and would also require definition of relationships be- tween departments in the College of Edu- cation and Library/Learning Resources departments such as Acquisitions and Cataloging. However, it would be impor- tant to have the agreement put in writing. Circumstances and administrators do change, and a signed document is a sound basis for future action. IMPLEMENTATION OF PLAN Meanwhile the search had begun for a new director. Consistent with the sharing of responsibilities, the Search and Screen Committee consisted of members from the Library/Learning Resources faculty as well as the College of Education Planning Committee. The new director began work in July 1979. Immediate tasks included moving four departmental collections; the audio- visual instructional lab; and the children's collection, which had been housed in the campus school. New staff had to be trained and existing resources reorgan- ized. The College of Education Advisory Committee (as the planning committee was now called) began meeting regularly again to facilitate these tasks. Among their 144 College & Research Libraries concerns was defining the new role of the committee now that the planning of the LMC had been accomplished. It was de- cided that the group would be advisory in nature but would help set policies and guide the LMC' s growth. Input from each department would be given to the director of the LMC and in turn information would be shared with departments regarding new developments in the center. Under strong leadership from the chair, and with excellent representation from each department, the committee has functioned well and continues to help the LMC become a more integral part of the College of Education. Surveys, flow charts, suggested hours of service, new ideas, and counsel are among the contri- butions of committee members. They also sponsored two successful open houses. Conversely, the members learned about Library/Learning Resources policies and helped explain to their department col- leagues why, for example, it was impracti- cal to maintain their separate collections or pods in the LMC, and why all materials could not be cataloged during the first six weeks. Advisory Committee meetings are usu- ally held monthly and are attended by the LMC director and frequently by one or both deans. The involvement of the two deans was, and continues to be, crucial in the successful implementation of this joint program. Planned for the coming year is the selec- tion of a month and a theme by each de- partment in the College of Education, and the setting up of displays, miniwork- shops, and programs around that theme. This is to be coordinated through the rep- resentatives on the Advisory Committee. Enthusiasm is already high. One of the key ingredients to success has been the professional position filled by College of Education faculty. Currently this liaison position is held by two half- time faculty members. One person, who has been in the position since the begin- ning of the renovation, is a member of the Secondary Education Department, and in addition to the LMC duties also teaches a curriculum course and supervises student teachers. The other half-time person, from March 1984 the Elementary Education Department, teaches reading methods and children's literature courses and also supervises stu- dent teachers. It can readily be seen that both have excellent backgrounds to serve LMC goals . In times of extreme resource and budget constraints, a statewide as well as local campus goal is to retrain existing faculty, when possible, to meet new needs. There- fQre, both liaison staffers have had the op- portunity to take library I media courses paid for through University of Wisconsin System grants for faculty retraining and renewal. They have also acquired skills through in-service work with local library professionals. A total of five people have filled this liai- son position at various times, some of them on a quarter-time basis. The absolute necessity of continuity and at least half- time participation cannot be overempha- sized. However, it is recognized that this goal is difficult to accomplish as class schedules change from semester to semes- ter, faculty members retire, and positions are frozen. Liaison staff bring expertise in educa- tion, particularly in classroom methods to the LMC staff. Education students who are actually working in a classroom situa- tion, as well as those who are in methods classes, gain from the theoretical and prac- tical knowledge of these staff members. Additionally they promote awareness of the LMC among their colleagues in the College of Education. Since they mingle with these staff and students daily, they are in a unique position to ''spread the word" about new materials, services, hours, etc., of the LMC. Likewise, because of their intimate knowledge of instructional programs, the liaison staff are good sources of recom- mendations for collection development, including updating and weeding. They also encourage donations by College of Education faculty, particularly in the areas of new textbooks and curriculum guides. It is difficult to overstate the value of the informal contact brought by the liaison staff. Student use is encouraged through tours and classes held in LMC. Tours are usually conducted by a liaison staff mem- ber. Previous to the tour, plans are made with the class instructor regarding areas to · be emphasized and follow-up assign- ments to be given. The LMC staff member points out relevant materials during each tour on the basis of this discussion. Results: Students have expressed amaze- ment at the holdings of the LMC and re- gret not knowing about these materials previously. Faculty have written such comments as, "To say we had a successful experience would be understating the sit- uation.'' In addition, an attractive atmosphere was created by the installation of carpet, a children's corner featuring a rainbow mu- ral and batik clouds, and comfortable fur- niture in a periodical reading area. Many students come to study in the LMC even when they don't plan to use its collection. JOINT VENTURE IS SUCCESSFUL Active participation and a new enthusi- asm were forthcoming from College of Ed- ucation faculty as they saw positive changes occurring in the LMC. Their atti- tude became ''This is our center to make as vital and valuable as we can." A by- product has been increased understand- ing and respect between College of Educa- tion and Library/Learning Resources faculty. Increased usage in terms of circulation has been 150 percent over a five-year pe- riod. Actual figures are Year 1978-79 1979-80 1980-81 1981-82 1982-83 Circulation 13,387 18,111 25,683 28,340 33,468 The NCATE commendation of the LMC, which came after the team's visit to UW-Whitewater in early 1981, reads as follows: Resources of the learning center were compre- hensive, both in print and non-print material. Equipment was modem and well-maintained. The leadership and service provided by the ad- ministration and staff of the learning materials center were found to constitute a particular pro- gram strength. Research Notes 145 No doubt the attitude of the LMC staff has been one of the important ingredients in the success of this joint venture. More- over, without the continued support and financial commitment of both deans, the revitalized program would never have be- come a reality. The last four years have not been with- out their frustrations. Overcoming normal staff resistance to change is one element that needs to be considered. Involving the staff in planning and decision-making processes is important. Because of the additional time and diffi- culty in cataloging audiovisual and curric- ular materials, a strong commitment needs to be made by Library/Learning Re- sources and specifically the Cataloging Department. This support is necessary so these materials have the same accessibility as the traditional book collection. The dean of the College of Education ap- points the liaison staff to serve in the LMC. Selection procedures are enhanced if both the LMC director and the Advisory Committee have input in the assignment. This helps insure a good match. Further- more, the liaison position needs to be filled by a full-time person (or two half- time persons) on as permanent a basis as possible. Communication is important. It has been beneficial for each department in the College of Education to hold one of their faculty meetings in the LMC once a year and to discuss plans and needs with the LMC director. A recent recommendation of the Advisory Committee is that the LMC be represented in the College of Edu- cation administrative staff meetings, espe- cially when matters related to the LMC are discussed. Visibility is needed among those who allocate resources. This is ac- complished in Library/Learning Re- sources by the LMC director being a de- partment head. SUMMARY The LMC has become a vital part of the instructional program and a source of sat- isfaction to users through emphasizing the following: 1. knowledgeable staff available for ref- erence help and orientation 146 College & Research Libraries 2. up-to-date materials and equipment 3. a well-organized, fully cataloged, and accessible collection 4. sufficient hours and adequate staff- ing to serve student needs 5. an attractive, inviting, and comfort- able atmosphere for study 6. close communication between LMC staff and College of Education faculty 7. active participation by College of Ed- ucation faculty in the LMC program and collection 8. written policies that clarify the goals of the LMC and the responsibilities of each administrative unit in carrying them out The key elements of the program are the location of the center in the library, staff- ing by both the College of Education and Library/Learning Resources, joint fund- ing, and an advisory committee made up of representatives from each department in the College of Education. Other departments, such as music and art, may find this same concept useful in planning and administering centers to meet their special needs. The ideas pre- sented here can be used by any depart- ment or college that has specialized mate- rials. March 1984 Librarians are experienced in the organi- zation and acquisition of materials and in user services. On the other hand, teaching faculty have a wealth of knowledge in their respective subject fields. Members of the teaching faculty can participate with li- brarians in building the collection and thus develop an interest in making the center the best it can be. With some re- training in library skills, teachers can also perform reference and orientation ser- vices for students and colleagues. The heightened awareness caused by these ac- tivities will naturally lead to improved use of the center. The combined efforts of the librarians and teaching faculty-using the best tal- ents of each-can result in a superior con- tribution to the instructional program. This approach has proven effective, and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewa- ter's Learning Materials Center continues to move forward. It is the belief of the au- thor that Library/Learning Resources and the College of Education have truly en- tered into a marriage that works. REFERENCES 1. Donald Sidney MacVean, "A Study of Curriculum Laboratories in Midwestern Teacher-Training Institutions" (Ph.D . diss., Univ. of Michigan, 1958), p.146. 2. Eva L. Kiewitt and Lois J. Lehman, Curriculum Materials Centers: A Suroey of Their Policies and Prac- tices (Bloomington: Indiana Univ., 1979; ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 194110), p.1. 3. Elinor Ellis, The Role of the Curriculum lAboratory in the Preparation of Quality Teachers (Tallahassee: Florida A&M Univ ., 1969; ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 031457). 4. Harlan R. Johnson, The Curriculum Materials Center: A Study of Policies and Practices in Selected Cen- ters (Flagstaff: Northern Arizona Univ., 1973; ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 081449). 5. Leota Nevil, A Suroey of Curriculum lAboratories in Selected Colleges in Pennsylvania (Wilkes-Barre, Pa .: Wilkes College, 1975; ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 112 909). 6. Bertha Boudreau, Selected Curriculum Materials Centers: Organization and Seroices (Bloomington: In- diana Univ ., 1976; ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 148 400) . 7. Kiewitt and Lehman, Curriculum Materials Centers, p .2-3. 8. Ellis, The Role of the Curriculum lAboratory, p.47. 9. Kiewitt and Lehman, Curriculum Materials Centers, p.2-3. 10. Standards for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (Washington, D. C. : National Council for Accredi- tation of Teacher Education, 1977) p.10 . 11. Ellis, The Role of the Curriculum lAboratory, p.47. BIBLIOGRAPHY Boudreau, Bertha. Selected Curriculum Materials Centers : Organization and Services . Bloomington: Indi- ana Univ ., 1976. ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 148 400. Research Notes 147 Burlingame, Dwight Francis. A Comparative Study of Organizational Characteristics Used in Learning Re- sources Centers and Traditionally Organized Library and Audio-Visual Service Facilities in Four Minnesota and Wisconsin Senior Colleges. Bethesda, Md.: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 101 686, 1974. Church, John G . Administration of Instructional Materials Organizations. Belmont, Calif.: Fearon Pub- lishers, 1970. Corbacho, Henry Francis . "An Analysis of the Administrative Organization of Selected System In- structional Materials Center Programs." Ph.D. diss., Detroit: Wayne State Univ., 1963. Ellis, Elinor. The Role of the Curriculum LAboratory in the Preparation of Quality Teachers. Tallahassee: Flor- ida A&M Univ., 1969. ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 031457. Gallinger, Janice. Educational Media Selection Centers and the Academic Library. Plymouth, N.H.: Plym- outh State College, 1974. ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 095 838. Houlihan, Bettyjean. "The University Curriculum Library: Evaluate, Update, and Renovate." Curric- ulum Review 17:361-63 (Dec. 1978). James, Marian Lucia. "The Curriculum Laboratory in Teacher Education Institutions." Ph.D. diss ., Univ . of Connecticut, 1969. Johnson, Harlan R. The Curriculum Materials Center: A Study of Policies and Practices in Selected Centers. Flagstaff: Northern Arizona Univ. , 1973. ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 081449. Kerr, Lucille E. Material Centers: A Dream of Their Future. Park Forest, Ill.: Governors State Univ., 1979. ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 188 635. Kiewitt, Eva L., and Lehman, Lois J. Curriculum Materials Centers: A Survey of Their Policies and Practices. Bloomington: Indiana Univ., 1979. ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 194110. MacVean, Donald Sidney." A Study of Curriculum Laboratories in Midwestern Teacher-Training In- stitutions." Ph .D . dissertation, Univ . of Michigan, 1958. Nevil, Leota. A Survey of Curriculum lAboratories in Selected Colleges in Pennsylvania. Wilkes-Barre, Pa.: Wilkes College, 1975 . ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 112 909. Standards for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. Washington, D.C.: National Council for Accredita- tion of Teacher Education, 1977. GRovoung J~, Retrospective GR~ng bookseller 8 145 Palisade Street, Dobbs Ferry, New York 10522 • (914) 693-6116 From McGraw-Hill ... good news for every budget-conscious librarian The whole of today's science and technology covered in a single compact volume! McGraw-Hill CONCISE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY By the Staff of the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology • Sybil P. Parker, Editor in Chief 2,200 pages, 1 ,600 illustrations; $76.00 until 6/30/84, $89.50 thereafter H ere's good news for every librarian! 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