ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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Hi, everyone.

Public libraries neither replicate the collections nor services of
science museum libraries, Their audiences are very different. Science
materials, especially journals, tend to be too expensive for public
libraries. Also, the Internet contains about 1% of all print
materials and search engines such as Google and AlltheWeb each index
less than 20% of Internet resources.

Even though the Exploratorium award-winning web site has over 14,000
pages, we recognize the value of our Learning Studio/Library.
Teachers depend on the resources of this library (10,000+ books,
journals, videos, DVDs, activity guides, etc.). They clamor for more
hours. The Learning Studio is an oasis of FREE resources staffed by a
professional librarian who can help them do research and request
materials not in the collection on interlibrary loan. They can check
out materials for 3 weeks. And, it is a place where they can meet and
network with other teachers. It has been an invaluable resource to
teachers and educators from all over the San Francisco Bay Area as
well as to educator members and alumni of our professional
development programs from all over the U.S. Museum staff are also
avid library users and supporters.

Due to California budget cuts, we lost state funding for this
resource, and were forced to make staff reductions. However, we chose
to keep the facility open during teacher use hours (3-5 pm weekdays
and reopening soon on Saturdays) .  We continue to support this
resource because of our belief in supporting teachers.

Science museums are uniquely positioned to be science resources to
their teacher communities and a library's collection allows teachers
to take science content from the museum back into the classroom
through curriculum planning.

We are also extending reach of the Learning Studio through our
Educator Online Network (EON)
http://www.exploratorium.edu/educate/index.html and a new project
with the National Science Digital Library (NSDL).

During a time when educators must do more with less, resources like
the Learning Studio offer them the help they need to do their jobs.
Check out the homepage at http://www.exploratorium.edu/ls/.

Another program of interest is the Center for Informal Learning and
Schools (CILS) <http://www.exploratorium.edu/cils/>, an international
collaboration between UC Santa Cruz, the Exploratorium in San
Francisco, and King's College London. CILS offers doctoral programs
that examine learning theory and practice from formal and informal
perspectives, a professional development program for museum-based
teacher educators exploring strategies for supporting formal
education systems, and postdoctoral research appointments.


Deb (not the Exploratorium librarian) Hunt

***
Glenn,
I think there are a number of things that work against
libraries in museums.

Back in the 1970's the Pacific Science Center where I
worked at the time, had a library and a librarian.  When
we looked at the cost for keeping the library materials
current and the cost of having a librarian and a number
of  volunteer helpers, the cost per person served was
very high with no notable income against that expense.

It makes little sense to replicate the services provided
by standard city libraries, and with the advent of Google
searches on the Internet, I haven't opened any of the
three encyclopedias I have in my office for years.

If there were any function that a museum library might
serve it would be in making curriculum materials
available to teachers for review.  Curriculum materials
though seem to be best used when a teacher workshop
is done on them.  But once again, might it not be better
to offer much of this material over the web?

Don't get me wrong, I love libraries... there is something
about them that is special, just as there is in seeing an
original piece of art or artifact at a museum that I could
see a picture of on the web.  I just think museums need
to look at what their core business is and where they
can afford to put their resources.

Dave Taylor


From: Glenn Walsh <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: Informal Science Education Network
Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 21:33:00 +0000
Subject: Re: being a resource for teachers
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The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science in Pittsburgh was
constructed, in 1939, specifically with a beautiful wood-paneled library
that was available, by appointment only, to teachers and other researchers.
The library was small, about 800 volumes; however, it is significant that a
library was included with the original building which, also, was small:
40,000 square feet. Regrettably, such a library was not considered a
priority with the 1991 construction of the much larger Carnegie Science
Center.

It seems that many of the newer science museums do not include any type of
library, for use by the public, with their facility. Why has something as
basic as a library been disregarded with new science museum construction?

Glenn A. Walsh
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Hello all,

We're exploring ways that we, as education staff at a Science Centre,
can be a more effective resource for teachers. I'm thinking in
particular of situations where teachers call or drop by with questions
about science content, appropriate activities, other resources etc. (as
opposed to print materials or packages that we create to supplement our
exhibits and programs).

Ideally, we'd have a fabulous library on site and a dedicated
question-answerer. But since resources do not permit this, I'd love to
know ways that educators at other science centres act as teacher
resources.

Hope that's not too obscure a question.

Sandra Eix, Ph.D.
Exhibit and Program Development
Science World British Columbia
Vancouver, BC



--
Deborah Hunt
CTL Senior Information Specialist
Exploratorium
3601 Lyon Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
Voice: 415-353-0485
Fax:   415-561-0370
mailto:[log in to unmask]

"A woman is like a tea bag; she never knows how strong she is until she's
in hot water."   Eleanor Roosevelt

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