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Curriculum Materials Center Interest Group (CMCIG)
Projects

CMCIG is dedicated to projects which benefit Curriculum Materials Centers and their patrons. Projects below reflect current issues such as Praxis II Resources and CMC guidelines. Currently, we are beginning the process of creating a collection development policy for Curriculum Materials Centers. This topic will be the subject of our November business meeting at the 2003 ALAO conference in Dublin, Ohio.

Projects by Topic

Praxis Pathfinder (2002-03)

About the pathfinder | The Praxis II Pathfinder is an Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) Curriculum Materials Center Interest Group (CMCIG) collaborative service project. ALAO members recommend books, materials and web sites to help patrons prepare for the Praxis II tests (Principles of Learning and Teaching and some subject assessments/specialty area tests). A list of these resources will be compiled and forwarded to ALAO's webmasters for inclusion on the CMCIG web page. Students can refer to the Pathfinder as they prepare for the Praxis II tests.

Why develop a pathfinder? | Praxis II test scores are one School of Education and Allied Professions accountability measure.

They will be used by the state and federal departments of education to complete reports that will assess the quality of teacher preparation programs of all colleges and universities. The ODE yesterday filed statewide data for a federal report on the quality of teacher education, which is required by Title II of the Higher Education Act. The data are expected to reflect favorably on the 51 teacher education institutions in Ohio, which has long been a teacher supply state for schools throughout the U.S. (Retrieved October 12, 2001 from UD Campus News Digest).

The Pathfinder is a test preparation tool that has the potential to help patrons improve their test scores. CMCIG members have a common interest in this project and possess the cooperative expertise to identify appropriate, current resources. The CMCIG chair and Coordinating Committee will update and expand the information as it becomes available.

When will it be available? | The online Praxis II Resources Pathfinder is available now. Links are present on this page and the main CMCIG page.

How can I contribute? | An online contributor's form is available. Please make sure to fill out the form completely. Once the "submit" button is selected, contributions are automatically added to the database.

Questions concerning the pathfinder? | Please direct specific questions pertaining to the database to Ann Raney @ Ann.Raney@notes.udayton.edu.

Curriculum Materials Center Interest Group Listserv (2001)

Created to facilitate communication among CMCIG members and focusing upon issues pertaining to Curriculum Materials Centers, the CMCIG listserv is open to all ALAO members interested in education and curriculum materials. Moderated by Laura Brendon, Eisenhower National Clearinghouse.

Directory of Ohio Curriculum Materials Centers (2000)

Steve Aby (University of Akron) and Bill Meloy (Cleveland State University) with the assistance of Aimee deChambeau (University of Akron) developed an online form for institutions to submit their information/collection data. All 51 teacher preparation institutions are encouraged to participate.

CMC Standards and Guidelines | January 2003

In January 2003, standards and guidelines for Curriculum Materials Centers were officially adopted by ALA and ACRL. The following information is the CMCIG precursor to the official guidelines and were drafted in 1992. As noted in the authors and contributors section, members of CMCIG were a force behind the currently accepted CMC standards and guidelines.

CMC Guidelines (Draft) | 1992

Background Information | CMC Guidelines Draft

In 1992 ALAO CMCIG members--Betty Cleaver (Ohio State University), Marvin Hoffert (Mount Vernon Nazarene College), Gary Lare (University of Cincinnati), Betty Porter (Xavier University) and Shirley Vittum (Ohio State University) developed these CMC guidelines. The American Library Association's (ALA) CMC Guidelines/Standards Committee, co-chaired by Gary Lare, has incorporated some of the guidelines into a document they are compiling for ALA's approval.

The purpose of the Curriculum Materials Center (CMC) is to support the teacher education program and other professional education programs of institutions of higher learning. Location and organization of materials will vary among the institutions.

Collection

  1. Collection Characteristics
    1. The CMC collection shall be adequate to ensure compliance with the State Department of Education/National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) standards.
    2. The CMC collection shall be of a size and quality that will carry out the mission statement of the education department/college, especially the teacher preparation component
    3. All CMC materials shall be selected with consideration for the appropriate treatment of racial, ethnic, and cultural groups and the avoidance of gender stereotyping.
    4. Collection Categories:
      1. Children's/Young Adult Trade Books
        1. A varied collection shall be available, preferably in the CMC, because of the cross use of these books with other materials.
        2. This collection shall include fiction, nonfiction, picture books, folk and fairy tales, plays, and poetry.
        3. The collection shall be of a high quality, consistent with the recommendations of the standard reviewing tools.
          1. Award-winning books (Newbery, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King awards and others) shall be added annually.
          2. Current informational books, with a special emphasis on science, mathematics, and social studies, shall be purchased annually.
          3. Efforts shall be made to maintain a balanced collection based on the needs of the education students.
      2. Media and Instructional Materials
        1. This collection shall contain a variety of formats, with both traditional resources and new technologies represented.
        2. Materials shall represent a range of curriculum concepts, skills, topics, and trends in primary, middle, secondary and intervention specialist curriculums as well as professional education curriculum.
        3. This collection shall be added to annually with particular attention to new curriculum emphases, patterns and technologies.
      3. School Textbooks
        1. This collection shall reflect the texts used in the public schools in the region and schools in which the teacher education students receive field placements.
        2. Several publishers shall be represented for each grade level in the major curriculum areas, including English, social studies, language arts, science, mathematics, music, art, health, modern languages, and vocational education. The scope of curriculum areas may vary, however, according to the licensure programs within the institution's education unit.
        3. The collection shall be updated annually, reflecting new curriculum emphases and patterns.
        4. Textbooks which are ten years old shall be withdrawn annually unless their content is specialized and of current or historical value.
      4. Professional Education Collection
        1. This shall include professional teaching materials related to curriculum development and classroom management, including standards developed by professional education organizations (NCTE, IRA, NCTE, NCEC, NCTM).
        2. Special emphasis shall be placed on materials that relate to evaluation, production, and utilization of educational media and technology, as well as other curriculum materials and the use of children's and young adult literature and textbooks.
      5. Teaching Activities and Bulletin Board Books
        1. This collection shall represent all major curriculum areas.
        2. Materials shall be distributed among primary, middle, secondary, and intervention specialist as dictated by education student enrollment.
        3. This collection shall be added to annually with particular attention to new curriculum emphases and patterns.
      6. Reference Collection
        1. This collection shall be pertinent to the collections in pre-K through 12 school libraries and shall serve as referral for students in developing curriculum.
        2. This collection shall include materials related to teacher education, children's literature (author/illustrator biographies, reviews, bibliographies, indexes), educational media and technology (reviews, indexes, directories, bibliographies), and shall contain, but not be limited to encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, almanacs, and indexes.
        3. This collection shall include access to electronic databases, both in CD ROM and online formats.
      7. Periodicals
        1. This collection shall include professional education journals that provide teaching ideas and review curriculum materials, educational media, microcomputers in education, and children's and young adult literature.
        2. The collection shall also provide titles for children and young adults as indexed in the Children's Magazine Index.
      8. Curriculum Guides/Courses of Study/Units of Study
        1. These guides shall reflect those used in the institution's region as well as a representative collection from other areas.
        2. Major areas of the curriculum shall be represented with the scope reflecting the licensure programs of the institution's education unit.
        3. These guides shall reflect current trends in education and be acquired annually.
      9. (See addendum for collection quantity guidelines for the above categories.)
  2. Collection Development Policy
    1. The CMC shall have a written collection development policy reflecting its mission of supporting the teacher preparation and professional education programs.
    2. The CMC director and members of the education faculty shall develop the collection development policy cooperatively.
  3. Selection Policy
    1. The CMC shall a written selection policy, citing the scope of the collection and the criteria and procedures both for the selection and the de-selection of the collection as well as the guidelines for dealing with challenges.
    2. The selection policy shall be developed in conjunction with the education department/college.
  4. Collection Access
    • Materials in the CMC shall be displayed in a manner that is both attractive and accessible. Shelves designed for media materials shall be used. The entire collection shall be available to CMC users.
  5. Cataloging/Classification of CMC Materials
    • All resources in the CMC shall be cataloged and classified according to a nationally accepted classification scheme.
  6. Bibliographic Access and Control
    • Easy assess to the collection shall be provided by a paper or electronic catalog.
  7. Circulation Policy
    • The CMC shall have a written circulation policy reflecting the needs of education students and faculty.
  8. Inventory of Collection
    • A system of inventory control shall be in place, with some part of the process accomplished annually.
  9. Collection Maintenance
    • All CMC materials and equipment shall be regularly maintained and repaired, with systematic replacement of outdated and worn-out items.
  10. Collection Promotion
    • Accessibility to the CMC collection shall be enhanced through the use of brochures, guides, and bibliographies prepared by the CMC staff. This shall include promotion of new materials, equipment, and services.
  11. Equipment Accessibility
    1. Equipment in the CMC shall reflect state of the art technology in education and current practices.
    2. Equipment shall be available in sufficient numbers so that CMC users are provided access to using, viewing, and listening to collection materials.
    3. Loaning of equipment is optional and shall be controlled by a written loan policy.

Services

  1. Production of Instructional Materials
    • The CMC shall contain equipment and supplies for users to produce their own instructional materials.
  2. Instruction in Media Production and Equipment Operation
    • The CMC shall have a plan for instruction in production techniques and equipment use. Inservice education programs shall be devised for CMC staff, faculty, and students. Training shall include hands-on work with all the equipment and computers available in the CMC.
  3. Reference Services to Collection
    • Reference service shall include assisting the user with location of appropriate resources and assistance in defining research problems or search strategies. Reference service shall extend to materials outside the CMC.
  4. Collection Instruction/Tours/Workshops
    1. A plan shall be in place for introducing all teacher education students and new faculty to the CMC by way of class or personal orientation tours.
    2. Faculty may schedule workshops to focus on orientation to the CMC, selection and evaluation of resources, and special curriculum areas or reference sources.
    3. The CMC shall consider bringing in outside resources, such as educational leaders and authors, to offer presentations for the educational students and staff.

Management, Budget, and Support

  1. Planning and Goal Setting
    1. Because of the vital role the CMC plays in the teacher education and professional education program, the CMC director, the administrator from the unit in which the CMC is placed, and education faculty representatives, shall carry out planning and goal setting jointly.
    2. CMC goals and objectives shall be contained in a written document and be reviewed and updated on a regular basis. < guidelines. these with compliance in be shall setting Goal C.>
  2. Evaluation
    1. The CMC shall devise a method for regularly evaluating its collection and services. This can be accomplished through focus groups, surveys, questionnaires, or other methods.
    2. Periodic reports shall be developed showing progress toward the stated goals and objectives.
    3. Education faculty and students shall assist in the evaluation process.
  3. Budget Planning
    • The CMC director and the administrator responsible for budgeting the unit in which the CMC is housed shall jointly plan the CMC budget.
  4. Funding Level
    1. The CMC budget shall be adequate to ensure compliance with the State Department of Education/NCATE standards.
    2. The CMC budget shall be sufficient to meet the needs of the teacher education and professional education programs.
    3. The CMC budget shall provide sufficient funds to meet the minimum CMC personnel staffing level guidelines (see Personnel , II.) as well as additional staff and program demands.
    4. After a CMC has acquired the minimum collection of materials (see Collection, I. and Addendum) and equipment (see Collection , XI.) the annual expenditures for the collection materials and equipment shall be as follows:
      • FTE Table
  5. Funding Source
    • The CMC shall be funded as part of the unit under which the CMC is administered. This does not preclude additional funding from other units.
  6. Budget Administration
    1. The CMC director shall administer the CMC budget.

Personnel

  1. Director
    1. The CMC director shall have a minimum of a master's degree in library media or library science with preparation in curriculum, library and information science, management, teaching methodology, and media and technology.
    2. The CMC director shall be assigned no less than half-time to the management of the CMC.
    3. The position of director of the CMC shall carry faculty rank.
    4. The CMC director shall regularly participate in continuing education so that the CMC program reflects current trends in curriculum materials and technology.
  2. Support Staff
    • The CMC staff shall include, in addition to the director, at least one full-time technician/assistant/clerical aid. Additional staffing, professional or clerical/ technical, shall depend on size of the CMC program (size of facility, number and scope of labs, amount of internal processing of materials, and equipment, etc.) and teacher education enrollment.
  3. Student Assistants
    • Sufficient undergraduate student assistants/graduate assistants shall be provided to assure appropriate coverage of service desks, adequate shelving of materials, shelf reading, and other clerical duties.

Facilities

  1. Hours
    • During the regular academic term, the CMC shall be open an appropriate number of daytime hours to meet the needs of students enrolled in day classes. In addition, the CMC is open evenings and some weekend hours to provide service for students involved in weekday field experiences and those inservice teachers enrolled in evening classes. Appropriate summer hours shall be provided to meet the needs of summer education programs.
  2. Accessibility
    1. Facilities shall be easily accessed with furnishings appropriately placed to allow for efficient traffic flow and large enough to meet the needs of the CMC program for use of materials, equipment, and production.
    2. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, special accommodations shall be made for students and staff with disabilities.
  3. Size and Environment
    1. Appropriate space and seating shall be provided for large group, small group and independent activities, with adequate lighting and acoustical treatment for public use and staff support functions.
    2. There shall be adequate work space provided for equipment maintenance and repair, storage, and the processing of CMC materials.
  4. State Department of Education
    • The CMC facility shall be adequate to ensure compliance with the State Department of Education standards

Addendum

Collection Quantities
Children and Young Adult - 4 titles for each full-time equivalent
Textbooks – 5 volumes for each fill-time equivalent
Media/Instructional Materials – 5 titles for each full-time equivalent
Teaching Activities and Bulletin Board Books – 4 titles for each full-time equivalent
Curriculum Guides/Courses of Study/Unit of Study – 5 titles for each full-time equivalent

CMCIG Directory | First edition and history (1993, 1988)

The online CMCIG directory was predated by several print editions. In 1988, Tess Midkiff (Shawnee State LIbrary) and Annette Lamb (College of Education, University of Toledo) began gathering data for the first edition, "Ohio Curriculum Centers: a comprehensive directory and statistical overview of curriculum materials centers in Ohio." This directory was published in 1989. Information was updated by Sally Walters, CMCIG Chair 1989-1990, for a second edition. A third edition "Directory of Ohio Curriculum materials centers," was update in 1993 by Mary Cummings (Shawnee State Library).