Foreword


PLANNING MATERIALS CENTERS has been designed as a
 guide for helping architects, administrators, supervisors,
teachers, and school materials personnel determine essential
facilities for housing instructional materials and equipment ade-
quate for the instructional program of the total school.
 This bulletin is published so that school personnel and archi-
tects can find answers to such questions as:
 1. What materials and equipment should be located in a
 central place?
 2. What types of activities will occur in this center?
 3. How large should the materials center be?
 4. What specifications are suggested for the equipment?
 In addition to including suggestions for solving many prob-
lems, Planning Materials Centers contains sketches of equipment,
suggested floor plans, specifications for space and equipment, a
bibliography, and an index.
 Designing quarters for a materials center from space not
originally intended for these facilities requires ingenuity and
planning in terms of available resources. Since each renovation
is unique, this Guide does not contain a section on remodeled
quarters. However, in planning for remodeled quarters those
concerned should consider the recommendations for adequate
quarters and equipment as outlined in this Guide for new build-
ings in the same type school. In their plans, then, they can imple-
ment and adapt these recommendations in terms of the space
and other facilities that are available in the remodeled quarters.
 The Guide has been divided into separate sections for ele-
mentary, secondary, and twelve-grade materials centers so that
persons using it will have no difficulty in distinguishing recom-
mendations for each type of center. The layouts are samples
only, showing ways to use space of particular shapes for the sizes
and types of schools specified. The placement of doors serves only
to orient other adjoining rooms and service areas; the placement