From Pedagogical Museum to Instructional Material Center: Education Libraries at Teacher Training Institutions, 1890s to 1970s

Oct 15, 2026

The paper examines the historical development of education libraries within teacher training institutions from the 1890s to the 1970s, explaining how shifts in educational practice and technology shaped their evolution. It presents three phases: early curriculum laboratories for creating educational materials, standardized curriculum-supported curriculum materials centers for previewing resources, and later audio-visual transformations into multi-format instructional hubs. The study traces institutional motivations and broader education trends behind these changes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Studying Education Libraries

From Pedagogical Museum to Instructional Material Center: Education Libraries at Teacher Training Institutions, 1890s to 1970s By Ramirose Attebury and Michael Kroth Abstract The development of education libraries cannot be understood outside the context of education history. Changes in educational practices and technology spurred three phases of development in the history of education libraries. Early examples, often called curriculum laboratories, developed as spaces to create educational materials where limited numbers existed. As standardized curriculum grew, common laboratories gave way to curriculum materials centers, which housed materials so that future teachers could preview them. The rise of audio-visual equipment transformed education libraries once again into centers housing a variety of instructional materials. This paper traces the development of education libraries through these three phases. Introduction As Sputnik launched into space on October 4, 1957, concerns about how the event would affect libraries were probably not at the forefront of people’s minds. But as the realization dawned that the Soviet Union had accomplished something that the United States had not, public scrutiny of the nation’s educational system manifested itself into very real changes for educational institutions and the libraries that served them. At the University of Idaho, retired education professor Terry Armstrong recalled the impact the satellite’s launch had on the institution’s College of Education (personal communication, January 9, 2009). He noted that the event provided the impetus to expand the college’s physical presence on campus, eventually resulting in a brand new building devoted solely to the discipline of education. Included in this building was space dedicated for a specialized education library, one that contained current curriculum materials, audiovisual equipment, space-related materials from NASA, and special education materials. The University of Idaho’s College of Education was not alone in its quest to ensure that teachersin-training had access to the latest print and AV equipment that they would likely encounter as they took their first professional positions. Nationwide, specialized education libraries rushed to ensure they were part of the solution to solving the nation’s educational woes. In 1957 a survey of 306 teacher education institutions in the United States revealed that 140, or 46%, included a library devoted to curriculum and instructional materials (Flandro, 1957) . Twelve years later a similar survey of 331 teacher education institutions showed that 304, or 92%, had these types of libraries and an additional 6% could identify another entity on campus that provided their services (Ellis, 1969) . Clearly the numbers reveal a considerable dedication to the growth and development of education libraries during the 1960s. Based on these numbers it might be tempting to identify the 1960s as the watershed period for the expansion of education libraries. That the 1960 National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education standards mentioned education libraries as a requirement for accreditation lends support to this assumption (Nevil, 1975). Nevertheless, the jump in numbers seen in the 1960s does not reveal the entire story of how these special libraries came to form an integral part of teacher preparation programs. Certainly, education reforms inspired by Cold War fears prompted the development of new libraries and the updating of existing libraries. Still, the fact that nearly half of all teacher education institutions had education libraries prior to the launch of Sputnik indicates that motivations for their creation existed well before global hostilities began to threaten American security. This paper seeks to describe not only the expansion of American education libraries during the 1960s, but also to identify some key points that lead to their development prior to that decade.

FAQs

What three phases does the paper use to explain the development of education libraries?

It describes three phases: curriculum laboratories for creating materials, curriculum materials centers for housing resources for future teachers, and later audio-visual enabled libraries that became centers for diverse instructional materials.

How did Sputnik influence education libraries according to the introduction?

The introduction links Sputnik’s launch to increased public scrutiny and educational reform pressure, which in turn encouraged institutions to expand facilities, including specialized education libraries with current curriculum and AV resources.

What sources does the paper consider when studying education libraries?

The paper highlights education and library literature profiling specific libraries, national-scale dissertations analyzing creation and services, and advice literature recommending how to create and administer these libraries.

Oct 15, 2026

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