In college libraries, curriculum materials and juvenile literature collections typically support students who are majoring in Education. The Penn State Harrisburg Library's Curriculum Materials Collection (CMC) includes curriculum standards, school textbooks, activity guides, and other instructional materials for grades preK-12. The library's Juvenile Literature Collection (Juv) consists of supplementary fiction and nonfiction written for preK-12 audiences.
Teachers who want to try different methods in their classrooms can save money and preparation time by using CMC and Juv materials. Families and caregivers can also use them to reinforce or extend children's skills (especially during school vacations) or gain an understanding of what kids are learning in the classroom.
The CMC and Juv collections are located on the south side of the third floor of the Penn State Harrisburg campus library, in Middletown, Pa. The Library Map includes floor plans that show the locations of collections and service areas throughout the library. For driving directions to campus, see the Directions to the Library Web page.
We use the Library of Congress Classification system to group items together by subject. Use The CAT to find the location and call numbers of materials.
The CMC contains about 2,000 volumes, and the Juv collection includes over 17,000 volumes. The collections focus on current material for grades preK-12, supporting Penn State Harrisburg's degree programs in Early Childhood, Elementary, Secondary English, Secondary Math, Secondary Social Studies, ESL, Health, and Literacy Education. At this point, the CMC chiefly consists of teacher's and student's editions of textbooks. The Juv collection provides more award-winning books than popular series.
Other preK-12 resources are distributed throughout the library (see the Library Map for locations):
If you have further questions about the library's preK-12 resources, contact the reference desk or Bernadette A. Lear, behavioral sciences and education librarian (bal19@psu.edu, 717-948-6360).
Penn State Harrisburg Library has created several checklists of its holdings of award-winning books for children and young adults. Click on the links below for PDF documents containing lists of titles, authors, dates, and call numbers.
The American Library Association presents these awards each year in January. Depending on the library's budget, new award winners may not appear on our shelves for several months afterward. If the call number area in the checklist is blank, it means that Penn State Harrisburg did not own that title as of August 1, 2011 (the start of fall semester). You may search The CAT to borrow copies from other Penn State campuses, or to get up-to-date information.
At this time, the Penn State Harrisburg Library does not offer story times or other regular programming for children. Please contact your local public library for such activities.
Local teachers of grades 6-12 may schedule research visits for their classes, though we require several weeks' notice and various rules apply. Other programs are listed on the Library Calendar and the Penn State Harrisburg Events Calendar.
The CMC and Juv collections are open during the Penn State Harrisburg Library's normal operating hours. Customers who need help using the collections should visit the reference desk on the first floor of the library, or arrange a research appointment with Bernadette A. Lear, behavioral sciences and education librarian (bal19@psu.edu, 717-948-6360).
Since the primary purpose of the CMC and Juv collections is to help education students develop skills in selecting appropriate materials for children, we do not sort materials by award status or reading level. In support of Penn State University Libraries' policies on user privacy and the American Library Association's Code of Ethics, Freedom to Read Statement, and other intellectual freedom policies, we do not censor or restrict access to materials.
Most items may be borrowed as described in the Penn State University Libraries's Borrowing Privileges page. Since many CMC materials are "kits" containing multiple items, users should be prepared to carry heavy boxes and bags. We strongly encourage Penn State Harrisburg faculty to place items on reserve if they wish to use specific textbooks or literature for student assignments. For more information about borrowing and reserves, contact the library’s circulation desk (717-948-6070).
Penn State Harrisburg's CMC and Juv collections thrive on donations from faculty, students, publishers, teachers, and the public. We welcome all gifts of recent materials (usually 2000 and later), as long as they are in good condition and are not review-only copies that must be paid for or returned to the publisher. We especially need curriculum materials for arts and music, language arts, reading, and social studies. The Penn State Harrisburg Library will only retain a single copy of each item (no classroom sets or multiple copies).
Please consider donating to the library! Here’s why:
For more information about donations, contact Bernadette A. Lear, behavioral sciences and education librarian (bal19@psu.edu, 717-948-6360).
In addition to the Penn State Harrisburg Library's Curriculum Materials Collection, there are two other CMCs in south-central Pennsylvania:
For more information about the Penn State Harisburg Library's Curriculum Materials Collection and Juvenile Literature Collection, please contact:
Bernadette A. Lear (bal19@psu.edu, 717-948-6360)
Behavioral Sciences and Education Librarian
Penn State Harrisburg Library
351 Olmsted Drive
Middletown, PA 17057-4850
