ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries Z&RL News ■ July/August 2003 / 469 . ACRL STANDARDS & GUIDELINES Guidelines for curriculum materials centers Approved by ACRL and ALA Jan u ary 2003 by th e EBSS A d hoc C urriculum M aterials Centers Standards/G uidelines C om m ittee Curriculum materials centers are essential to the instructional and research needs o f students and faculty in programs preparing educators for P -12 schools. These guidelines describe essential ele­ ments o f administration, services, and collections for curriculum materials centers in all university and college settings. These guidelines are intended for administra­ tors at all levels o f post-secondary education, par­ ticularly education deans or department chairs; li­ brary deans or directors; librarians responsible for curriculum materials centers; and accrediting and licensure agencies. D efinitions • P -1 2 refers to preschool through 12th grade. • Curriculum materials are educational resources th at provide curriculum and instructional expe­ riences for P—12 students. T hese m aterials are used by educators to develop curricula and les­ son plans and may also be used in actual instruc­ tional situations w ith P—12 students. These m ate­ rials also provide in form ation for those doing research. • Curriculum Materials Center (CMC) refers to a physical location of a curriculum materials collec­ tion. Curriculum materials centers are often housed in a main campus library, a branch library building, or in an academic building housing the campus education academic programs. • CM C users are education students and faculty, and may also include P -1 2 educators, other stu­ dents, and community members as defined by the CM C s mission. • Director refers to the librarian who has primary responsibility for the CM C: its facilities, adminis­ tration, collection, personnel, and services. A dm inistration Mission/ Goals The C M C should have a written mission statement with articulated goals that reflect these guidelines. • Collaboration— The mission statement, goal set­ ting, and planning should be jointly developed by the C M C director, an administrator from the unit to which the CM C administratively reports, and faculty representatives from the college or department of education. • Review—The mission statement and goals should be regularly reviewed and updated as needed. • Compliance— Goal setting should be in compli­ ance with this document of C M C guidelines and appropriate accreditation standards. Budget The CMC should have a budget that adequately addresses its need. • Funding responsibility—The C M C director and the administrator(s) responsible for budgeting the unit to which the C M C administratively reports should jointly plan the CM C budget. • Funding level—The CM C budget should be ad­ equate to ensure compliance with the state depart­ m ent o f education and other accrediting bodies’ standards, college/department of education program needs, as well as particular guidelines in this docu­ ment in the areas of collection, facilities, services, and personnel. It should be reflective o f the college of education or department of education enrollment. • Funding source—T he C M C budget should be funded as part of the unit under which the CM C is administered. This does not preclude additional funding from other units or sources. • Administration— T he CM C budget should be administered by the CM C director. 470 / C&RL News ■ July/August 2003 About the guidelines C u rricu lu m m aterials centers have been present in libraries and in d e partm ents or colleges o f e d u c a tio n as resources to s u p p o rt e d u ca to rs since the early p a rt o f th e tw e n tie th century. Calls for standards for C M C s have been m ade alm ost from those beginnings. Since these cen­ ters have developed from a variety o f origins and m ay serve m any different groups a nd needs, providing guidelines for such centers has been a challenge. In 1999, A C R L ’s E d u c a tio n a n d B ehav­ ioral Sciences S e c tio n (EBSS) su g g e ste d the f o r m a tio n o f a n ad h o c c o m m itte e to d e ­ v e lop sta n d a rd s o r g u id elin es fo r c u rric u lu m m a te ria ls cen ters. A n in fo rm a l survey o f sta te e d u c a tio n a g en c ie s a n d a c c re d itin g b o d ie s was c o n d u c te d by th e C u rric u lu m M a te ria ls C o m m itte e to d e te rm in e i f su c h sta n d a rd s alre ad y existed. N o n e w ere fo u n d . I n 2 0 0 0 th e c o m m itte e w as fo rm e d a n d c h a rg e d w ith “dev elo p in g p u b lis h e d sta n d a rd s o r g uidelines fo r c u rric u lu m m a te ria ls c e n te rs in th e areas of, b u t n o t l im ite d to , c o lle c tio n , services, m a n a g e m e n t, b u d g e t, p e rso n n e l, a n d facili­ t ie s . ” T h e s e g u id e lin e s w e re re v ie w e d b y th e A C R L S ta n d a rd s a n d A c c re d ita tio n C o m m it­ tee a n d a p p ro v e d by th e A C R L B o a rd o f D i­ re cto rs a t th e 2 0 0 3 ALA M id w in te r M e e tin g in P h ila d e lp h ia . EBSS A d h o c C u rric u lu m M a te ria ls C e n ­ ters S ta n d a rd s /G u id e lin e s C o m m itte e : A n n B ro w n s o n a n d G a ry L are , c o -c h a irs ; B e th B royles, J o h n H ic k o k , W illia m M eloy, E liza­ b e th R a u m , Y v o n n e R o u x , a n d D o r o t h y S c h leic h er, m em b e rs. Personnel The CM C staff should include a director and support staff sufficient to maintain the CM C and all services. • Director—T he C M C director should have a masters degree from an ALA-accredited program or equivalent and have preparation in curriculum, teach­ ing methodology, media, and technology. T he direc­ tor should be assigned no less than half time to the management o f the CM C. • Support staff-—T h e C M C should have suffi­ cient su p p o rt staff to m aintain the C M C and all its functions. T h e su p p o rt sta ff m ay consist o f paraprofessionals or clerical aides, w ith at least one being a pe rm a n en t staff m em ber, a nd gradu­ ate assistants and stu d e n t assistants. S u p p o rt staff should have sufficient training to provide a basic level o f assistance to C M C users or refer users, as appropriate. • Continuing education— The CM C director should have regular opportunities for continuing educa­ tion so that the C M C reflects current trends in cur­ riculum materials and technology. C ontinuing edu­ cation opportunities should extend to support staff as needed. Facilities The CMC should be a distinct facility that provides for effective use o f its resources. • Location— T he curriculum materials center should be located in proxim ity to the education holdings o f the college or university library or it should be in the building that houses the college/ departm ent o f education. T he location should be completely accessible as detailed in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). • Hours— T he C M C should, if housed in the col­ lege or university library, be open the hours o f that facility’s operation. If housed separately, or with the college/department o f education, it should be open enough hours to meet the needs of its users. Evening and weekend hours should be included, if needed. • Size— T h e size o f th e p u b lic area o f the facility should be adequate to com fortably hold all m aterials, associated e q u ip m e n t, user stu d y areas, a n d w o rk s ta tio n s . R oom fo r c o lle c tio n g ro w th s h o u ld be availab le. S ta ff w o rk sp ac e should be adequate to com plete w ork activities e ffic ie n tly a n d effectively, in c lu d in g tec h n ica l library functions, w hen necessary. • Seating—There should be enough seating in the C M C to allow users to w ork individually or collaboratively. Sufficient seating should be avail­ able to accommodate the students in an average­ sized class in the teacher education program. A vari­ ety o f seating types may be available, including, but not limited to, study tables, carrels, and lounge seat­ ing. I f the C M C will be used by small children, appropriately sized seating for them may also be available. • Maintenance—The facility should be maintained in such a way as to ensure the security and safety of materials, staff, and users. T here should be an ad­ equate num ber o f electrical connections and com­ puter ports to meet user and staff needs. • Classroom— T he C M C should have its own class­ room or have a convenient space available for formal C&RL News ■ July/August 2003 / 471 instruction. This classroom, or its equivalent, should have adequate seating for the average-sized class in the teacher education program . It should be e q u ip p e d w ith tec h n o lo g y a p p ro p ria te for dem onstration (and, if possible, hands-on prac­ tice) o f electronic and m edia resources. Publicity The C M C should have a plan fo r publicizing the CMC, its services, and its collection. Publicity should be directed toward all C M C user groups a nd should include both formal and informal means. • Web site— A Web site should be used to p u b ­ licize the C M C , and should be linked to and from the library site and the education site. T he Web site sh ould include, b u t n o t be lim ited to, the resources a nd services o f the C M C and links to a p p ropriate c u rriculum m aterials sites, such as teaching activities, standards, childrens literature, publishers, etc. • P rinted brochures/guides— C M C brochures/ guides should be available in the library public­ ity area, the c o lle g e /d e p a rtm e n t o f e d u c a tio n office area, and appropriate distance locations. • Informal campus contacts— T he C M C director should make use o f faculty liaison activities m en­ tioned in this d o cum ent to inform ally publicize the CMC. • School contacts— T he C M C should be p ro ­ m oted to appropriate personnel in local schools/ districts. Services Reference The CM C staff should provide reference service to its users. • Delivery o f service— Reference service should be available d uring all hours the C M C is open, a nd m ay include face-to-face, telephone, e-mail, o r o ther appropriate m ethods o f delivery. • S ta jf—C M C staff should be trained to conduct an effective reference interview. They should also have knowledge o f the C M C ’s collection and o f external resources in order to provide both ready- reference and in-depth research assistance. C M C stu­ dent assistants should be knowledgeable about the C M C collection and be trained to provide basic as­ sistance. A professional librarian located in an adja­ cent area may be called on if the curriculum materi­ als center is not otherwise staffed. Instruction The C M C should have a program for instruction in the use o f curriculum-related resources. • Collaboration— The instruction program should be developed in collaboration with education fac­ ulty, librarians and others, as appropriate. • Setting— In stru c tio n m ay take place w ithin the C M C , in the classroom, or in a virtual envi­ ronm ent. • Delivery— I n s tru c tio n sh o u ld in clu d e all a p p ro p ria te tec h n iq u es such as guides, lectures, W eb pages, tutorials, bibliographies, w orkshops, o rie n ta tio n s , to u rs, a n d p o in t o f need in s tru c ­ tion. • Content— Instruction should include research strategies and the selection and evaluation o f re­ sources, as well as the use o f the C M C collection and services, and instructional technology. Faculty liaison The CM C staff should seek out and maintain professional contact with teacher education instructional units and with individual faculty members. • Faculty contact— Faculty c o n ta c t sh o u ld be m a in ta in e d th ro u g h b o th form al a n d in fo rm a l m eans, in cluding, b u t n o t lim ite d to, telephone, e-m ail, a tte n d a n c e at facu lty m eetings, in s tru c ­ tio n sessions, a n d specialized p ro g ram m in g . • Accrediting bodies— C M C staff should prepare d o c u m entation for visiting accrediting organiza­ tions as needed and requested. • Collection development—In collaboration with faculty, C M C staff should develop the C M C col­ lection to m eet the instructional and curriculum materials research needs o f b o th faculty and stu ­ dents. Outreach The C M C should have a program fo r serving off-campus users. • Collaboration— T h e o ff-cam pus pro g ram should be developed in collaboration w ith off- campus faculty, librarians and others, as appro­ priate. • Users— O ff-cam pus users should include dis­ tan c e le a rn in g fa c u lty a n d s tu d e n ts , w h e th e r courses are offered in an off-campus classroom, th ro u g h teleconferencing, o n lin e , or by oth er means. O th e r off-campus users m ay include stu ­ den ts from o th er universities, P -1 2 educators, those who hom e-school, and o th er com m unity m em bers. • Services— Services offered should be equiva­ len t to services at the m ain cam pus a nd should include reference, instruction, and access to C M C materials. • Delivery— O ff-cam pus services sh o u ld be provided by various m eans, as appropriate. Elec­ tronic means are particularly well suited to off- cam pus situations and should be used to their best advantage. T hese include, b u t are n o t lim ­ ited to: W eb pages, C M C online catalog, online 472 / C&RL News ■ July/August 2003 C M C instruction, e-mail/mailing lists, online dis­ c u ssio n g ro u p s, a n d a c c e s s/su b sc rip tio n s to online databases. O th e r means should be used as appropriate and may include librarian visits to off-campus classrooms, interlibrary loan, docu­ m ent delivery, and agreements with other librar ies/CM Cs. Production The CM C may provide modem, high-quality equipment and supplies to meet user needs fo r production o f instruc­ tional materials. • E quipm ent—T he equipm ent provided for p roduction should allow users to create instruc­ tional materials similar to those currently being used in schools, utilizing b oth traditional and em erging technologies. T he equipm ent should be kept updated, well m aintained, and in suffi­ cient quantity to meet typical dem and levels. • Supplies— Supplies necessary for production o f instructional materials should be provided to users, either for free or on a cost-recovery basis and in sufficient quantity to meet demands. • Assistance— C M C staff should provide ideas and basic assistance to users, although the re­ sponsibility for creating the m aterials remains w ith the users. Collection General characteristics The C M C collection supports the college or university’s education curriculum with an organized collection o f current and high-quality educational materials created fo r use with children from preschool through grade 12, and adult education materials, when appropriate. • Selection— The selection o f curriculum ma­ terials should be the responsibility o f a profes­ sional librarian specifically charged with build­ ing the curriculum materials collection. • Collection development policy—The CM C should have a w ritten collection development policy, as described in the policy section o f these guide­ lines. • Organization— The C M C collection should be organized in accordance w ith current national standards and practices, as described in the ac­ cess section o f these guidelines. • Location— All o f the collection should be available in the CMC. • S ize— T h e size o f th e C M C c o lle c tio n sh ould be sufficient to m eet the needs o f its users, as well as to ensure compliance w ith the state departm ent o f education’s standards. • Format—These resources should represent a variety o f formats including print, non-print, and electronic. • Funding level— Funding level for collection materials should reflect the enrollm ent o f edu­ cation majors and pre-service teachers in com ­ parison to other majors w ithin the institution. Collection categories The C M C should collect materials in a variety o f catego­ ries, including, but not limited to, textbooks, curriculum guides, childrens literature, professional literature, reference materials, education periodicals, media materials, educa­ tional tests and measures, and Web sites. • Textbooks— C urrent textbooks in all m ajor curricular subjects and in levels P -1 2 should be collected. Several publishers sh ould be repre­ sented for each grade level in m ajor curriculum areas. T his collection may reflect the texts used in the public schools in the region, and schools in which the teacher education students receive field placements. T he scope and depth o f each s u b je c t a rea s h o u ld d e p e n d u p o n each institution’s needs. • Curriculum guides/courses o f study— Curriculum guides, preschool through grade 12, should be collected annually on the local, state, and national levels. All m ajor curriculum areas should be rep­ resented, w ith emphasis on the certification pro­ grams o f the c o llege/departm ent o f education o f the institution. • Childrens and young adult literature— This col­ lection should include fiction, nonfiction, pic­ ture books, folk and fairy tales, plays, and poetry appropriate for preschool through grade 12. The collection should be consistent w ith the recom ­ m endations o f standard reviewing tools and in­ clude annual acquisition o f award books, such as Caldecott, Newbery, and C oretta Scott King. • Teaching activity materials— Professional teach­ ing materials th at provide ideas and activities for lesson p la n n in g a nd c u rric u la r d e v elo p m en t should be collected. All m ajor curriculum areas and grade levels should be represented in accor­ dance w ith the needs o f the college/department o f education. • Reference materials— C urrent reference mate­ rials, in p rin t and electronic formats, should be acquired. These include materials related to other resources in the C M C (children’s literature in ­ dexes and bibliographies, educational software directories, etc.), as well as reference works in­ tended for use by children and young adults. • P -1 2 magazines— Magazines intended for use by children and young adults should be included. Professional education periodicals th at provide teaching ideas and review curriculum materials, educational media, and children’s and young adult literature may also be represented. C&RL News ■ July/August 2003 / 473 • Media materials— A variety o f form ats, in b o th tra d itio n a l a n d em e rg in g tec h n o lo g ie s, should be acquired annually. A range o f curricu­ lum concepts, skills, topics, and trends in P -1 2 curricula should be represented. M aterials col­ lected may include instructional games, posters, k its , t r a n s p a r e n c ie s , m o d e ls, f la t p ic tu r e s , videorecordings, sou n d recordings, c o m puter- based instructional materials, and miscellaneous in s t r u c t i o n a l m a te ria ls s u c h as p u p p e ts , manipulatives, rock collections, etc. • Tests— Educational tests and measures that sup­ port education courses may be collected. • Web sites—The CM C Web site should include links to the vast array o f online resources available to teaching professionals for lesson planning and cur­ ricular development. Collection development policy The CMC should provide a written collection development policy that guides the selection and acquisition o f materials. • Mission statement—The policy should reflect and support the mission o f the curriculum materials center. • Users—The policy should include a statement concerning those served by the curriculum materi­ als center and the extent o f that service. • Collaboration— The policy should be developed in collaboration with the education faculty. • Objectives—The policy should identify the scope and objectives of the collection. • Format—The policy should identify the for­ mats in which materials are to be collected. • Tools and criteria—The policy should identify selection tools, criteria, and processes to be used in choosing materials. • Categories and balance—The policy should set forth the categories in which materials will be col­ lected, such as textbooks, media materials, periodi­ cals, etc., and give guidance for allocating budget resources among the categories. • Compliance—The policy should address com­ pliance with state standards and appropriate treat­ ment of gender, racial, ethnic, and cultural issues. The policy may address maintenance of a collection o f less appropriate materials for research and teach­ ing purposes • Maintenance and weeding—The policy should ad­ dress regular m aintenance o f the collection and weeding, as appropriate. Access—Physical Organization The CMC collection should be displayed in an organized man­ ner that makes it easily accessible to users. • Arrangement—The collection should be arranged in the C M C in a systematic pattern with some materials inter-shelved while others are shelved as distinct collections within the CMC. • Access—The collection should be organized in such a way as to make it physically and easily acces­ sible and ADA compliant. All collection materials, except reserve or historic, should be openly avail­ able rather than remotely stored. • Storage—T he shelving should be appropriate for the various types, sizes, and shapes o f materials and sufficient to accommodate all items. • Signage—Adequate and appropriate signage should be clearly posted and visible to direct CM C users to the various areas o f the collection. Processing The CMC collection should be processed to promote easy access. • Preservation— The collection items should be processed with appropriate reinforcement so that the items are preserved for m ultiple circulation transactions, yet convenient enough for easy access. • Integrity o f unit—Packaging of multiple-piece units should be sturdy and easily maintained to keep the various pieces intact; the multiple-piece contain­ ers should be labeled with numbers and types of items contained within; when appropriate, individual pieces should be marked with identifying call num ­ bers so that they can be readily returned to their appropriate container when separated. • Item labeling—Collection items should be clearly and consistently labeled to promote easy retrieval from shelving areas. • Security—T h eft detection devices should be used whenever possible. Circulation policy The CMC should provide a written circulation policy. • User groups—The policy should identify the vari­ ous user groups served, noting restrictions and privi­ leges for each group. • Circulation periods—The policy should identify circulation periods and restrictions for each type of material. • Penalties—The policy should state the penalties, if any, that are imposed. • Other policies—The policy should state other regu­ lations, including, but not limited to, those concern­ ing holds, recalls, interlibrary loan policies, and dis­ tance learning students. • Automation— T he policy should support or en­ courage use of an automated circulation system. Equipment The CMC should provide updated, appropriate equipment in close proximity to the CMC non-print materials and in suffi­ cient numbers to meet the needs o f users to access all o f the various non-print materials available in the collection. 474 / C&RL News ■ July/August 2003 •Appropriateness—Appropriate equipment should be provided so all types o f non-print media in the C M C collection can be accessed. • Quantity—A sufficient quantity o f equipment should be maintained to meet typical demand levels. • Location— T he equipm ent should be in close proximity to the C M C non-print media collection so that access is convenient. • Maintenance—T h e equipm ent should be regu­ larly m ain tain ed a nd kept in good w orking c on­ d itio n , w ith a budget and technical su p p o rt to ensure this. • Updating—T he equipm ent should be regularly updated to meet the needs o f new technologies. Access— Bibliographic Cataloging The CM C collection should be cataloged in accordance with current national standards, including fu ll subject access. • Description and subjects—The physical description o f items should follow currently accepted models (i.e., AACR2R) to include uniform information (title, author, etc.) and subject headings. • Classification— The call numbers on items should follow a nationally accepted classification scheme (e.g., Dewey, LC); the choice o f scheme and call numbers can be tailored to fit the C M C s needs. The C M C collection should be cataloged in a timely fash­ ion, with sufficient levels o f support. • Cataloger support—Because C M C materials often require longer cataloging time, a model timetable a nd dedicated tim e/librarian should be provided for cataloging. • Equipment supplies— Sufficient equipm ent and supplies for cataloging a nd processing should be maintained. Indexing Bibliographic and holdings information about the CM C collec­ tion should exist on the same retrieval mechanism as other library materials. • Electronic a nd remote access—T he C M C (and its parent institution) should have, or strive to have, electronic and remote access to the collection, with sufficient terminals in the CM C. • Indexes for uncataloged itejns—The C M C shall have indexes, preferably electronic, to access non-cata loged items (e.g., curriculum guides on microfiche, etc.). Evaluation The C M C should have a plan in place fo r evaluating the achievement o f its mission and goals. • Plan— T he plan should focus on how well the C M C is meeting its goals and objectives relative to its collection, administration, facilities, and service. • Frequency— T he evaluation should take place on a periodic basis. • Methodology— T he m ethod used could be ac­ com plished through focus groups, surveys, ques­ tionnaires, or other evaluation strategies and should include participation by all user groups. (See Appen­ dix I) • Resources— A variety o f published m aterials related to the m anagem ent o f C M C s are available and should be c o n sulted regularly. (See A ppen­ dix II) • Results— T he results o f the evaluation should be recorded and used in reviewing the viability of the current goals and objectives w ith changes being made where appropriate. A ppendix I Adequate and appropriate documentation is vitally im portant to evaluation o f the C M C. Following are examples o f types o f docum entation that may be gathered to show compliance w ith the guidelines: budget reports, calendars, collection development policy, floor plans, inventories, policies and proce­ dures, publication examples (handouts/bibliogra­ phies/pathfinders), publicity materials, schedules, statistics: reference statistics, user statistics, usage sta­ tistics, W eb sites. A pp en dix II Bibliography o f resources th at are recom m ended for consultation by C M C directors. Curriculum materials center collection development policy. Developed by two joint subcommittees o f the Prob­ lems o f Access and Control o f Education Materials Committee, Beth G. Anderson, chair, and Curricu­ lum Materials Committee, Virginia Nordstrom, chair, o f the Education and Behavioral Sciences Section. Chicago, IL: Association o f College and Research Libraries, American Library Association, 1993. Directory o f curriculum materials centers (electronic re­ source). Compiled by the Curriculum Materials C en­ ters Directory Revision Ad H oc Com m ittee o f the Education and Behavioral Sciences Section; edited by Fred Olive. 5th ed. Chicago, IL: Association of College and Research Libraries, American Library Association, 2001. h ttp ://a c rl.te lu sy s.c o m /c m c / index.html. A guide to the management o f curriculum materials centers fo r the 21st century: The promise and the challenge. Prepared by the Ad H o c M a nagem ent o f C u r­ riculum M aterials C om m ittee, E ducation a nd Be­ havioral Sciences Section; edited by Jo A nn C arr. Chicago, IL: Association o f College and Research Libraries, Am erican L ibrary Association, 2001. Gary Lare. Acquiring a n d organizing curriculum materials. Lanham, M D : Scarecrow Press, 1997. ■ http://acrl.telusys.com/cmc/