Directory of Historical Curriculum Collections

• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: CBN University LIbrary, Virginia Beach, VA 1988
• Subjects: Academic Libraries; Archives; Curriculum Guides; Educational History; Elementary Secondary Education; Library Associations; Library Collections; Library Networks; Questionnaires; Reading Materials; Textbooks

For years librarians discarded historical curriculum collections because they were not current, and because the libraries did not have adequate space to store them. Therefore, records of trends in subject content taught to generations of children and young people from kindergarten through grade 12 were unwittingly destroyed. In response to this problem, the Curriculum Materials Committee and the Problems of Access and Control of Education Materials Committee (both part of the American Library Association's Educational and Behavioral Sciences Section) appointed an ad hoc subcommittee to record who was maintaining historical curriculum collections. A survey was devised and mailed out in the winter of 1987 to approximately 85 locations appearing to have such collections. This directory includes those respondents (the vast majority of whom represent college and university libraries and archives) with collections dated prior to 1961. Children's literature is not included because other directories effectively cover that area. The 50 entries are arranged alphabetically under the 17 states represented and Canada. Each entry includes: (1) the institution's address, telephone number, contact person, and hours of operation; (2) a description of the collection; (3) database listings; (4) the classification system in use; (5) a summary of items actively sought and collected; (6) preservation practices; and (7) whether informational brochures are available. A cross reference index is provided. (SD)