CHAPTER 5


County-Wide Materials Centers

THE INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL MATERIALS CENTER cannot
 satisfy all the needs for instructional materials; therefore, a
central materials collection serving a group of schools is a satis-
factory answer. Usually, a central collection serves a county
school system. This system-wide materials center could supple-
ment the services provided in the individual schools with a film
library and a professional library. It could also include supple-
mentary and exhibit collections of filmstrips, slides, recordings,
sample copies of trade books, textbooks, and other materials and
equipment. Facilities for the production of graphic and photo-
graphic materials might be desirable to include in new building
plans for a county materials center.

 The physical facilities of the county materials center would
depend upon the kinds of services to be offered, the materials to
be housed, and the number of schools to be served.


 I. Location

 A county materials center should be located where it is con-
 venient for use by the instructional personnel teachers, ad-
 ministrators, and instructional supervisors. If there is a county
 school administrative building or buildings, it is desirable to
 have the materials center in this area.

 In general, the county materials center serves the staffs of all
 the schools in the same manner that the materials center in
 the individual school serves its staff and pupil personnel.

 Therefore, space similar to that in individual school materials
 centers is a requisite for the county materials center. The size
 of a center will be determined by the extent of the services
 to be offered, the volume of materials and equipment to be
 housed, and the number of schools and of instructional per-
 sonnel.