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The Curriculum Library: What It Is And What It Contains

The Ella C. Ritchie Curriculum Library, located on the southwest side of the Upper Mezzanine (UM) of the Henry Whittemore Library, contains a special collection of instructional materials for curriculum planning and unit development in early childhood, primary, elementary, and secondary levels.  Because effective lesson or unit planning involves many levels of preparation, teachers should be made aware of all resources within Whittemore Library which may help them 1) to locate information for enriching their own understanding of the topics to
be presented to their students; 2) to locate information on methodology for presenting these topics; 3) to locate appropriate materials for use in the classroom. As materials in the Curriculum Library are primarily intended for use with students from pre-school through grade twelve, they may need to be supplemented by information available in the Reference Room or the main collection. This information is indexed on the OPAC computers. These are located on the first floor between the Circulation Desk and the Reference Room and in the Curriculum Library.  

At present, materials in the Curriculum Library include the following:

Textbooks

Textbooks:  a) a collection of elementary and secondary school textbooks with accompanying materials such as workbooks, manuals, etc., b) activity books such as Prop Box Play, Quick Poetry Activities, Awesome Experiments in Light & Sound, and 15 Primary Source Activities: American History which are, in effect, teacher’s manuals or handbooks; and  c) selected methods texts which are designed primarily as teacher’s manuals for a particular discipline or curricular area. Most methods texts, however, are in the main library collection. 

Curriculum Publications:  Courses of study, individual units, and similar aids for unit building and lesson planning, published by school systems or professional agencies, issued in book or pamphlet format. A supplementary collection of such publications on microfiche is located in Periodicals on the Upper Mezzanine. This is indexed in the Kraus Curriculum Development Library (Curric Lib Ref Z5814 C9K7) and is also available online at www.kcdlonline.com.

Juvenile Trade Books: Literature for Children and Adolescents (Pre-school through early adolescents):   Fiction and non-fiction for independent or supplementary reading, reading aloud, and storytelling. A collection of children’s books in languages other than English and a collection of juvenile books with cassettes are shelved separately. (See Floor Plan for location.) Big books, enlarged versions of children’s picture books to be shared by a group, are located outside the Curriculum Library. (See Floor Plan for location.) Juvenile books are indexed on the OPAC computers. The Xedia collection, a selection of children’s books, published before 1970, on microfiche, is housed in Periodicals. This collection is indexed in the Curriculum Library card catalog. Children’s books on microfiche may be identified by the word “XEDIA” stamped above the call number. NOTE: Books usually found in adult collections but suggested for young adults are not included in the Curriculum Library collection to avoid duplication of materials found in the main library collection. 

Classroom Kits: Manipulative devices, charts, reproductions of original documents, etc., packaged in kit form, designed a) for developing specific skills, b) as the beginning level in a sequential program within a specific curricular area; or c) as source materials for class discussion. 

Games: Commercially prepared games, puzzles, and simulations, etc. for use in various curricular areas. These may be found in the lower cabinets, Room UM16. 

Professional Reference Tools: A selection of encyclopedias, dictionaries, indexes, bibliographies, atlases, etc. useful for pre-service and in-service teachers.  Additional reference books and indexes particularly useful for teachers may be found in the Reference area on the first floor.  NOTE: Reference materials do not circulate. 

Vertical File: A collection of pamphlets, charts, and similar materials containing practical suggestions for classroom activities, remediation techniques, bulletin boards, crafts, etc. for use in grades k-12. 

CDs, Cassette Tapes & Records: A collection of CDs, cassette tapes and records containing folk tales, nursery rhymes, fables, stories, songs, dances and other activities for children. 

CD-ROMS: A small collection of educational CD-ROMS to supplement instruction for preschool through high school. 

Student Units: A small sampling of student prepared materials to be used as models for lesson planning and unit development. 

Magazines: A selective sampling of periodicals available for children and young adults. 

Publishers' Catalogs: A comprehensive collection of current publishers’ catalogs, price lists, descriptive brochures, flyers, scope and sequence charts, etc. relating to educational materials and supplies. NOTE: Publishers Catalogs do not circulate. 

Restricted Use Materials: Catalog cards marked Ask Librarian indicate materials which, because of high cost, are shelved in a secure area. These are available for circulation upon request. 

Test & Measurement Instruments:  Informal test and assessment instruments,
appropriate for use in classrooms K-12 may be located in the Curriculum Library by consulting the following headings in the Subject Catalog: ABILITY TESTING and EDUCATIONAL TESTS AND MEASUREMENTS.

Videos and DVDs: A small collection of VHS videocassettes and DVDs for use in early childhood through high school classrooms.


Borrowing Materials

All materials borrowed from the Curriculum Library must be charged and returned to the Main Circulation Desk of the Whittemore Library. The loan period is the same as that granted for the general library collection except for CD-ROMS which circulate for two weeks. PLEASE CHECK KITS, GAMES, AND SIMILAR ITEMS TO BE SURE THAT NO COMPONENTS ARE MISSING BEFORE CHARGING THEM OUT. If components are missing, please inform the librarian so that a record may be made and you will not be charged for the missing items. Be sure to replace all components properly in the kits, etc., before returning them. (N.B. In some cases, each component in a kit must be charged individually; such components are furnished with separate cards and pockets and a notation is made on the kit. Please check the directions before borrowing.)

SUGGESTIONS FOR ADDING TO THE COLLECTION ARE WELCOME. PLEASE PLACE
YOUR REQUESTS IN THE SUGGESTION BOOK LOCATED ON THE SHELF LIST
CABINET IN UM - 16.

Locating Materials in the Ella C. Ritchie Curriculum Library

The following is a brief overview of the methods used to arrange materials in the Curriculum Library. For specific locations, please consult the map on the last page. 

Reference Books are arranged according to the Library of Congress Classification
System. These are identified by the phrase “Curric Lib Ref” preceding the call number.  These materials are indexed in the OPAC computers as well as in the Curriculum Library card catalog. 

Fiction and Non-fiction for Children and Adolescents may be identified by the letter “j” above the call number. Fiction is arranged alphabetically by author; non-fiction is arranged by the Dewey Decimal Classification. Complete author, title, and subject entries for these materials are indexed in the OPAC computers as well as in the Curriculum Library card catalog.  NOTE: Juvenile books that are oversized can be identified with the term “FOLIO” at the end of the call number. They are located on shelves against the wall near the non-fiction books.  (See Floor Plan for location)
Juvenile books with cassettes can be identified with the term “BK/CAS” at the end of the call number. They are located on a rack against the wall near the fiction books. (See Floor Plan for location).  Big books are located on racks in hall outside the Curriculum Librarian’s office (UM-17). (See Floor Plan for location). 

Vertical File Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject, for example: BOOK
REPORTS, BULLETIN BOARDS, READING - DIFFICULTIES. For a complete list of
subject headings currently in use, look in the small card files marked “VERTICAL FILE” located on the Vertical File cabinets. 

Publishers’ Catalogs and Related Materials are arranged alphabetically by publisher in
the file cabinets marked “Publishers’ Catalogs”. 

Student Units are arranged alphabetically (1) by curriculum area (subject) and (2) by title within the subject, for example: SOCIAL STUDIES - EARLY CHILDHOOD: Map and Globe Skills. These are located in first drawer of file cabinet containing curriculum guides in the Curriculum Library (UM-16).

CDs, Cassettes and Records are arranged in general categories such as SONGS, POETRY AND NURSERY RHYMES, etc. These categories have been grouped by a color coded system. They are indexed in the OPAC computers and the Curriculum Library card catalog and may be identified by the phrase “Curric Lib Brows Coll Record (Cassette, CD)”. 

Classification Scheme of Textbook Materials and Sample Call Numbers

Textbooks, Kits, Games, Videos and Related Instructional Materials as well as Curriculum Guides are arranged according to a special classification scheme developed to demonstrate curricular relationships among these items. Section I, following, is an outline of this classification scheme; Section II is an explanation of the call numbers which identify these materials.

I. OUTLINE OF CLASSIFICATION SCHEDULE FOR TEXTS AND RELATED INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS 

Note: Subdivisions within these general areas may be determined by consulting the shelf list card catalog or charts posted near the shelf areas housing these materials. 

A: General Materials 
Texts, manuals, kits and other materials which are interdisciplinary in nature and intended for use in several curricular areas.

B: (Currently unassigned)

C: Early Childhood and Kindergarten 
Note: Many of these materials may also be included within specific subject areas and given a grade level designation.  (See II: Call Numbers)

D: Materials for Special Purposes 
Texts, manuals, kits, and other items for specialized use in adult education, with the handicapped, the gifted, etc. Additional materials have also been included in specific subject areas with a coding indicating the special purpose for which they were designed, for example, H.21:D.5 - American History for the learning disabled.

E: Reading and Language Arts

F: Foreign Languages and English as a Second Language

G: Guidance Services 
This category includes study skills, use of the library, etc., as well as social guidance.

H: Social Studies

I: (Currently unassigned)

J: “j” Fiction and non-fiction for children and adolescents

K: Mathematics

L: (Currently unassigned)

M: Music

N: Art

O: (Currently unassigned)

P: (Currently unassigned)

Q: (Currently unassigned)

R: Health, Physical Education, and Safety

S: Science

T: Vocational Education 
Consumer and homemaking education; TO indicates occupational education in Home Economics

U: (Currently unassigned)

V to X: (Not applicable)

Y: (Currently unassigned)

Z: Lists of instructional resources (Curriculum Guides only)


II. CALL NUMBERS FOR TEXTS, CURRICULUM GUIDES, AND RELATED INSTRUCTIONAL
MATERIAL

All materials in this category are arranged within the above curricular areas by call number, alphabetically and numerically, line by line.

A. Book Materials: Sample Call Number 

Additional notations used for call numbers, Line 3 (grade level and audience designation) include the following:

Materials which may be used interchangeably within a specified grade level are differentiated by Bk. 1, 2, 3, etc. or a, b, c, etc., depending upon the publisher’s coding, as the final line of the call number.

Materials for special purposes, shelved within a specific subject area, have an additional symbol added to Line 1, the classification designation.
Examples:
E.2:D.5        Reading for the learning disabled
H.2:D.9        World History for the gifted

B. Non-Book Materials: Sample Call Numbers 

Non-book materials are coded according to the form of the materials. The designation appears as part of the third line of the call number.

Examples:

C. Curriculum Guides: Sample Call Number

Note:  The sample call number applies only guides housed in the Curriculum Library.  Guides on microfiche have different control numbers which may be determined by consulting the indices to these guides.

Example:

When removing the guides from the file cabinets for consultation, please leave the corresponding file folders in correct sequence in the cabinets.