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The publishing , distribution and preservation of Australian educational curriculum materials is a complex area. The format and type of printed curriculum materials vary greatly - eg. study guides, course notes, exam papers, textbooks, workbooks, promotional literature, lecture notes...all these comprise published documentation to support and further the education process.
Institutions from government or private sectors involved in education activities cover a wide range of subjects and levels. Disciplines are constantly changing their nature and focus as new trends rise and old practices fall.
New technology has made it much easier for educational associations, institutions and teachers to produce their own curriculum materials and resources using desktop publishing, graphics generation and in house database production.
These factors, allied with the enormous volume of curriculum material produced around the country, impact significantly on libraries concerned with preserving the state and national imprint.
With this in mind and within the positive climate of rationalisation of collecting policies and practices between libraries, the National Library decided to survey the field and review its policy on collecting educational curriculum materials.
Surveys by questionnaire targeted the two key groups involved, namely publishers of curriculum material, and, secondly, collecting and preservation agencies.
The questionnaires aimed to elicit information on -
The questionnaires were trialled in December 1994 and the final versions were mailed in January 1995 to a sample of 435 educational institutions and organisations which were considered representative of the two key groups of publishers and collectors . The sample covered a broad spectrum of the education sector including universities, TAFE, state education departments, national bodies and teaching associations. It also included institutions such as galleries, zoos and museums with public education programs as well as private agencies and organisations which provide courses and tuition in a wide range of professions such as nanny schools, funeral directors etc. Commercial publishers were not included in the survey as under the Legal Deposit provisions of the Copyright Act their output and its preservation are better documented.
The response rates to both the publisher and collection questionnaires were very good- the collection questionnaire received a response rate of 68%, and the publisher questionnaire had a return rate of 60.7%.
Main themes to emerge from the survey included -
As a result of the survey the National Library has re-written its policy for education curriculum materials as part of the Collection Development Policy.
Education Curriculum Materials
This includes material such as the publications of major commercial publishers, teaching material produced at all levels of government, course material produced by specific teaching institutions both primary and secondary, adult education materials, tertiary sector and TAFE publications, school project information, pamphlets and promotional literature designed for school visits to places such as museums, galleries, national parks and zoological gardens.
The Library will comprehensively collect the publishing output of commercial publishers and university presses specialising in educational materials, such as Macmillan Education Australia, HarperSchools, and Jacaranda Wiley. The Library will also comprehensively collect the publications of Federal government bodies, and national organisations and associations active in educational matters. Research papers and items of general interest and applicability, published by tertiary institutions or specific departments within them, will be collected comprehensively.
The Library will not generally collect primary and secondary educational material published by state government bodies or by non-government educational authorities, or material from local organisations and associations. It will not collect TAFE, tertiary or other post-secondary educational materials where these are produced by individual teaching departments and relate to courses or units specific to that institution only. Such materials include school and post-secondary examination papers, study notes, teaching aids, resource material and course guides.
Educational material from any source dealing with a national issue in education, or of a topical interest to the Library will be selectively acquired if it is considered to contribute to an understanding of the history and development of Australian education and society. For example, educational and curriculum materials on topics such as AIDS, indigenous peoples of Australia, debate on the monarchy and the republic, will be collected.
The guidelines for selection outlined above will be applied to multi-media kits, microforms,and electronic publications, including networked information . A selection of school project, pamphlet and promotional material will be made according to the guidelines for ephemera.
The results of the survey indicated an acceptance of comprehensive collecting at the state level by State libraries. This was supported by a general, but by no means comprehensive, indication of depositing by publishers at the state level. The supply of material by publishers to special libraries or other institutions is uneven. The pattern of preservation is further endangered by an apparent widespread discard practice amongst publishers and non-heritage collecting libraries and institutions. Individual state libraries may wish to consider co-operative preservation arrangements and possibly collecting agreements between the various sectors at the state level.
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA, Canberra, ACT 2600,
AUSTRALIA, ABN: 28 346 858 075
Telephone + 61 2 6262 1111; Facsimile +61 2
6257 1703; TTY: 1800 026 372