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The vast diversity in and numbers of potential partners will be both a strength and a challenge for USEIN. The profiles of these potential partners which are provided below illustrate differences in these agencies’ purposes, clientele, geographic scope, services offered and available resources. Each of these potential partners, however, is a vital member of the education information community.
Libraries:
Libraries, in pursuit of their role as providers of education information, will be a strong component of the partnership of USEIN. School, public, academic and curriculum libraries all have a role as potential partners as they serve as intermediaries between USEIN and their clients in the education community. An understanding of the areas of the education community which each of these types of libraries serve is essential to the development of roles, responsibilities and incentives for library partners in USEIN.
School libraries:
The availability and support of school library media services varies from public to private schools, by grade level and by population served. According to the 1996 edition of the Digest of Education Statistics, in 1990-1991 95.8% of the 76,545 public schools had a school library media center. These libraries were staffed by 58,783 librarians and other professional staff and 41,480 library media aides for a staff to student ratio of 1 to 967. At the elementary public school level 96.9% of schools had libraries with 94.8% of secondary schools providing library media services to their students. At both the elementary and secondary levels the availability of a library media center tended to increase with the size of the public school. At the elementary level 92.1% of those schools with fewer than 300 students had a library media center contrasted with 99.7% of those schools with more than 1000 students. At the secondary level the percentages were 86.7% contrasted with 100%. (Table 409, p. 453) The economic status of students had a negligible impact on the availability of a school library media center. In those schools where less than 20% of children were eligible for free lunch, 95.8% of the schools had school library media centers, contrasted with 97% of the schools where 20-49% of the children were eligible and 94.6% in schools where more than 50% of the children were eligible for a free lunch. (Ingersoll, 1994, p. 14)
In 1990-1991 86.8% of the 21,431 private elementary and secondary schools had school library media centers staffed by 9,497 librarians and other professional staff and 4,341 library media center aides for a staff to student ratio of 1 to 492. In contrast with the public schools a private school at the secondary level is more likely to have a school library media center (94.1%) than will one at the elementary level (86.1%). However, the size of the school again serves as a correlate to the likelihood that a school library media center will be present. At the elementary level 84.0% of schools with less than 300 students have school library media centers versus 92.8% of those with 700-999 students. At the secondary level, 89.1% of schools with fewer than 300 students have school library media centers with 100% of those private secondary schools with more than 300 students providing school library media centers for their students. The orientation of the school also is related to the availability of a school library media center with 97.1% of Catholic private schools having school library media centers, 82.9% of other religious private schools with school library media centers and 76.8% of non-sectarian schools with school library media centers. (Ingersoll, 1994, p. 14)
The target audience for school library media centers are the students and staff of each school. However, the advent of technology has increased the coordination of activities at the district level as districts install electronic catalogs and database access for all schools in the district. School Library Journal’s report on expenditures for resources in school library media centers for 1995-1996 indicates that 84% of library media centers provide CD-ROMS, 60% of library media centers have online catalogs and 49% have web access. (Miller, 1997, p. 31) This increasing cooperative nature of the school library field is also reflected in the finding that 58% of library media centers are members of resource sharing networks. (Miller, 1997, p. 33)
The school library media specialist’s role in providing information services for teachers is reflected in the number of library media center staff who presented teacher in services. Of the 485 respondents in the sample of 630 who responded to questions about the LMC presenting teacher in service 37%present in services on telecommunications, 33% on web applications, 39% on online searching, 37% on CD-Rom use, and 38% on Internet use. (Miller, 1997, p.33) This role in providing in service will be important to the dissemination of information about USEIN and NLE to the K-12 teaching staff. However, the staffing levels of the survey respondents may be an impediment to the effectiveness of school library media specialists in this dissemination role. Most schools have only one staff position and report that the weekly hours spent in instructional planning with teachers ranges from 3.08 at the elementary level to 3.97 at the high school level. (Miller, 1997, p. 34-35)
Public libraries:
Of the 8,929 public libraries in the United States in 1993 (Digest of Education Statistics, 1996, Table 415, pa. 457) 76% reported that they had worked with schools in the previous 12 months. (Services and resources for children and young adults in public libraries, 1995, p. iv) Services available for adults who work with children are available in 56% of public libraries. (OERI, 1995, p. 33) These services include reference assistance (98%), interlibrary loans (98%), reading lists (83%) and parent teacher reference collections (58%). (Services and resources for children and young adults in public libraries, 1995, p. 35) Cooperative activities between the public library and the schools specifically for young adults include class visits (60%), interlibrary loans (58%) and visits from public librarians to schools (40%). (Services and resources for children and young adults in public libraries, 1995, p. 52) The key role which public libraries play in providing education information to adults and children is reflected by market research done by CommerceNet/Nielsen Media Research which indicates that 46% of those using "alternative points of access" [alternative is other than user’s home, school or office] to the Internet use public libraries for this service. (Byte, 1997, p. 19)
Academic libraries:
Of the 3,274 academic libraries identified by the Digest of Education Statistics (1996, Table 412, p. 455) in 1991-1992, 190 of these were profiled in the National Directory of Education Libraries and Collections (Christo. Meckler Corporation, 1990) and 261 were described in the fourth edition of the Directory of Curriculum Materials Centers. (Anderson. American Library Association, 1996) The institutions profiled in these two directories, neither of which is comprehensive, are primary potential partners for USEIN. A detailed review of their characteristics is needed in order to identify roles, responsibilities and incentives which will persuade these institutions to serve as USEIN partners.
A review of the geographic distribution of the libraries profiled in these publications is presented in Table 1. Data reviewing the types of institutions affiliated with these libraries, the enrollments served, the materials budget, staff and collection size are presented in Tables 2-7. The small number of professional staff which serve these programs is a factor which must be considered in developing roles, responsibilities and incentives for participation of these institutions in USEIN. The development of these incentives must also consider the differing foci of curriculum libraries and education libraries. This difference is reflected by the statistics presented in Anderson and Christo regarding other collection formats. Anderson obtained information on textbooks, tests and assessments and juvenile books in the curriculum libraries while Christo looked at collections of books and microforms.
Although academic libraries’ primary role is to serve the needs of the faculty, staff and students of that institution, many of these libraries have a strong history of cooperation and resource sharing. In 1992 the total number of loans provided to other libraries by the 3,274 academic libraries was 7,987,047. (Williams, 1994, p. 20) This tradition of resource sharing is expanding through such activities as the development of the Virtual Electronic Library shared Web-based catalog and cooperative purchasing of electronic resources by the libraries of the Consortium on Inter-institutional Cooperation. A challenge for USEIN will be to provide support that complements these existing cooperative resource sharing relationships.
Schools:
The elementary and secondary education program in the United States is composed of 14,772 school districts with 86,221 public schools which enroll 44,082,000 students. (Digest of Education Statistics, 1996, Tables 87-88, pp. 95-96) These schools are staffed by 4,907,996 individuals with classroom teachers comprising 53.8% of the total school staff. (Tables 82 & 84, pp. 90, 92) In addition a 1993 sample survey indicates that there are 26,093 private schools enrolling 4,836,442 students who are taught by 338,162 teachers. (Table 62, p. 73) In many schools the school library media specialist is the primary source of education information, however, the availability of the Internet in individual classrooms will allow teachers and students to locate education information without the mediation of the school library media specialist. Although only 14% of public school classrooms had Internet access in 1996, as this number increases direct linkage between the classroom and the resources of USEIN partners will bring teachers and students more closely into partnership with USEIN.(Heaviside, 1997)
Colleges and Universities:
In 1995-1996 there were 3,706 institutions of higher education including 2,244 four year institutions and 1,462 two year institutions. Private institutions of higher education numbered 2,051 with the remaining 1,655 colleges and universities being publicly funded. (Digest of Education Statistics, 1996, Table 236, p. 250) More than 1,200 of these institutions have education schools or departments, 500 of which are accredited by the National Council on the Accreditation of Teacher Education. (Drozdowski, 1997, p. 3)
Education faculty comprise 7.1% of the faculty in institutions of higher education. Of the 37,000 full time education faculty 48.9% are male, 51.1% are female. White non-Hispanic individuals constitute the greatest percentage of this teacher faculty at 84.7% with the percentages for other races and ethnicities at 9.4% for Blacks, 3.3% for Hispanics, 1.6% for Asians and 1.0% for American Indian. (Table 226, p. 238)
In 1993-1994 107,600 students were graduated from education programs with bachelor’s degrees, as well as 98,938 with master’s degrees and 6,908 doctoral degrees. The majority of the students who earned bachelor’s degrees received them in general teacher education, 61,017; academic or vocational teacher education, 34,428; or special education, 9,099. Master’s graduates’ degrees were in the areas of general teacher education, 22,877; academic or vocational teacher education, 16,106; counselor education, 12,217; education administration and supervision, 10,892; special education, 10,497; and curriculum and instruction, 8246. Doctoral’s degrees earned mirrored some of the emphases in the bachelor’s and master’s programs with 2,187 in education administration and supervision; 1,232 in general education; 832 in academic or vocational teacher education and 775 in curriculum and instruction. In comparison to bachelor’s and master’s degrees a relatively small percentage of doctoral degrees were awarded in the fields of general teacher education (402), counsellor education (364) and special education (194). (Digest of Education Statistics, 1996, Table 244, p. 260)
USEIN will need to meet the challenge of reaching these vast numbers of institutions, programs, students and faculty while making certain that USEIN’s programs meet their diverse needs. USEIN will have a major role to play in assisting faculty to assume the dual role of researcher and practitioner and to encourage a partnership between students and faculty that will carry forward into the students’ professional careers.
Libraries, schools and universities have traditionally served as the direct information providers to users as associations, publishers and other education information agencies have provided information to the end user through these agencies. The advent of publishing on the Internet and on demand will impact the information provision roles of both types of agencies. While libraries, schools and universities will continue to provide information directly to users, the ability of the user to connect directly to the information developer will require that libraries, schools and universities play a strong role as advocates for the development of information products; as teachers in the critical analysis of information and information sources; and as agents to connect users with information centers as well as with discrete pieces of information. As information advocates the professional staffs of these agencies will also need to dialog with the private sector and professional associations to identify where resources need to be created and improved. These professionals will also provide the intellectual capital for the creation of information resources by association and the private sector.
Professional Associations:
The Encyclopedia of Associations database lists 6,290 educational associations of which 337 focus on elementary education and 1,532 on higher education. (1995) Each of these national, regional, state and local associations are potential partners for USEIN. However, the primary focus of USEIN should be to include the major associations for the teaching staff and librarians at all levels of education. Brief profiles of fourteen of these major associations are presented below.
The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of the American Library Association, is a 11,000 member association which represents librarians in institutions of higher education. Within ACRL the Education and Behavioral Sciences Section (EBSS) has a primary focus on the serving the needs of education and curriculum libraries and librarians. This 1,500 member section’s goals of assisting librarians in developing education library services and facilities, of providing a means of communication on professional issues, of reviewing and recommending improvements in information access in education, of supporting the professional development needs of education and curriculum librarians and of advocating for education libraries can complement and support the work of USEIN. (EBSS, 1995, p. 5)
The Special Libraries Association includes the Education Division which represents 240 members who work for special and academic libraries serving the fields of education, library education, and special librarianship. Their objective of facilitating communication among librarians in the education subject area will also support and inform the work of USEIN. (Galler, p. 10)
The American Association of School Librarians represents 7,600 elementary and school library media specialists. One of their major objectives is to provide information on the need for and role of the school library media center to educational and public groups. The work of ACRL, SLA, and AASL is complemented by the 5,000 member Association for Educational Communications and Technology which focuses on the improvement of education through communications media for instruction.
Major associations in higher education includes the American Association for Higher Education with 8.500 members. AAHE is an organization which focuses on critical issues in higher education as well as promoting school college collaboration. The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and the National Council on the Accreditation of Teacher Education are the major associations concerned with the professional development and preparation of those who staff our elementary and secondary schools. The 21,000 members of the American Educational Research Association seek to improve education through the promotion, development and application of educational research.
Subject oriented associations focus on the needs of both practitioners in these areas as well as the professional education for these subjects. School administrators and those involved in their education may be members either of the National Association of Elementary School Principals or the National Association of Secondary School Principals. The International Reading Association, the Music Educators National Conference, the National Association for Art Education, National Council for the Social Studies, the National Council of Teachers of English, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and the National Science Teachers Association are among the largest of the discipline based associations for elementary and secondary education as well as for those interested in professional education and research in these disciplines. These organizations promote the teaching of their specific subjects through publications, seminars and conferences. They have also taken a leadership role in the development of standards for K-12 education in their specific disciplines.
Publishers
A profile of the membership of the Educational Press Association of America (EdPress) provides some perspective on the private sector information providers who are potential members of USEIN. EdPress, as the professional association of the educational publishing community, offers personal memberships to self-employed individuals as well as to individuals from the publishing companies who elect to join as individuals; organizational memberships are offered to associations, non-profits and publishing organizations with nine or fewer employees; corporate memberships are offered to for profit publishing organizations with ten or more employees and affiliate memberships which are open to individuals, organizations or companies which provide supporting or allied services. The membership profile for 1997 includes 36% individuals, 38% organizations and 26% corporations. Targeted audiences for the publications from EdPress members include parents/educators (42.2%) and children (13.25). (J. Hendrie personal communication, December 5, 1997)
Other Organizations:
Other organizations which are potential partners in USEIN are public elementary and secondary education agencies as well as federally and privately funded education related organizations. The ERIC directory of education-related information centers (1996) profiles 450 centers that provide reference and referral services, online searches, publications, information dissemination, technical assistance, information synthesis and audio-visual materials to the education community. Although many of these agencies are concentrated in the Washington, D.C. area, the availability of their services by remote means provides a more geographically distributed system of information than would otherwise be possible. The Mid-Atlantic region is home to 193 of these agencies with the remainder in the Midwest (69); the Mountain/Plains States (15); New England (23); the Southeast (85); the Southwest (21) and the West (40). Services which are most frequently provided by these centers are information dissemination (143); training (108); conferences and meetings (100); publications (100); curriculum guides (97); consultant services (93); reference/referral (83) and research (75).
Another profile of education information providers is presented in the Education Resource Organizations Directory which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education State Resources database. This directory contained 2054 organizational records when updated on August 21, 1997. There is some overlap with organizations which have been profiled elsewhere in this paper as this directory includes entries for associations and libraries as well as for clearinghouses, comprehensive regional assistance centers, desegregation assistance centers, disability and business technical assistance centers, parent resource centers, regional education laboratories, regional resource centers, regional technology consortia programs, state guaranty agencies, and state arts agencies. These agencies have differing geographic scopes for service with 550 serving clients nation wide, 107 regional agencies and 1395 state agencies. The most frequently provided services are library services (745); online search services (720); technical assistance (469); research (331); referrals (323); search strategy consultation (272); training seminars and workshops (229); and meetings and conferences (202).
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[Incentives For Collaboration]