About Us
About Us
History
The Education and Behavioral Sciences Library opened at the start of the Fall Semester 2000 in its current location in 501 Paterno Library. Although materials in the fields of education and psychology have been collected since the 19th century, the move toward an education subject library began in 1991 when the College of Education asked the University Libraries to assume responsibility for the Curriculum Materials Center in 401 Rackley Building. The instructional materials, kits, and children's books in the CMC formed the heart of the hands-on teacher education materials section of the Education Library in its first incarnation. Education and psychology reference materials were moved to Rackley in 1999 during the renovation and expansion of Pattee Library. In the summer of 2000 all education and psychology materials from the Pattee stacks, current and bound journals from the West Pattee periodicals room, and all of the Rackley collections were united in 501 Paterno Library to create the new Education and Behavioral Sciences Library.
Librarian Pat Rice served as the acting head of the Education Library from 1991 to 1992 with Betty Arnold serving as the library assistant. Steven Herb became the head of the Education Library in 1992. Mary Ellen Litzinger, from the University Libraries' instructional program office, and Carol Wright, from the General Reference department, became Education Library faculty in 1995. Litzinger departed in 1997 and Arnold retired in 1998. Jenny Litz became the library supervisor in 1998 and Justina Osatohanmwen Osa brought the faculty back to three members when she came to Penn State in 1999. In 2006, Dr. Osa accepted a faculty position at Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia. In 2007, Karla Schmit and Dawn Amsberry (part-time) joined the library as additional faculty members. Eloise Ingram has been our library assistant since 1999.
In 2005, in a reorganization of the library, the Pennsylvania Center for the Book -- whose mission is to study, honor, celebrate, and promote books, reading, libraries, and literacy to the citizens and residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania -- became an official part of the Education and Behavioral Sciences Library. Jennifer Spence, Administrative Assistant; Caroline Wermuth, Outreach Coordinator; and Alan Jalowitz, map editor, work closely with the Education and Behavioral Sciences Library to carry out the work of the Center for the Book. In 2007, Karla Schmit became the assistant director.
Service Mission
The Education and Behavioral Sciences Library serves the research, instructional, and professional needs of students, faculty, staff, and administrators at Penn State in several colleges.
In the College of Education:
- Adult Education, Instructional Systems, and Workforce Education
- Counselor Education, Counseling Psychology, and Rehabilitation Services
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Education Policy Studies
- Educational and School Psychology and Special Education
In the College of Health and Human Development:
- Communication Disorders
- Human Development and Family Studies
In the College of the Liberal Arts:
- Psychology
Collections
The Education and Behavioral Sciences collections include holdings on the history, philosophy, research, theory, and established practices in education and the behavioral sciences. Major collections include periodicals, monographs shelved in the "BF" and "L" call numbers of the Library of Congress Classification System, all reference materials for psychology and education, as well as the "hands on" collections used in the preparation of teachers, trainers, counselors, school psychologists, educational psychologists, and administrators. Other collections include curricula and instructional materials such as textbooks; manipulatives, kits and games used in instructional settings; instructional multimedia, and children's literature.
Reference and Instructional Services
Reference service is provided via telephone (814-865-2842), in-person, or through electronic mail or face-to-face consultation with the appropriate subject specialist. Use the How Do I? section of this web site for more information on general topics of interest to people studying education and the behavioral sciences. Use the specific subject links on the left side of our web site to find detailed information within particular fields or subject disciplines. Classes or tutorials can be arranged by contacting the library subject specialist for the faculty member's or student's area of study.
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