The Educational screen (c1922-c1956])

Page 4 The Educational Screen The Organization of a City Department of Visual Aids ARNOLD W. REITZE II N THIS article some of the more important phases | of organization are presented. It is concerned primarily with the physical lay-out of the department. Organization is dependent upon so many and such variable factors that it is impossible to set up any one method as superior to all others. Some of the ways in which organization methods vary in different cities are revealed, several methods for each phase of organiza- tion are discussed, whenever possible, and from the several methods presented must be selected the one which best meets any given situation. The Need of Organization A carefully organized department is necessary as a matter of efficiency, economy, and service. Mr. W. H. Dudley in the United States Bulletin on Organization for Visual Instruction states: "Visual instruction service to be worth- while requires careful organization and administration, the adoption of a definite edu- cational policy, a study of the needs of bor- rowers with a view to fitting the service to those needs, and unceasing attention to me- chanical detail." Mrs. Anna V. Dorris in her book Visual Instruction in the Public Schools also stresses the importance of organization. An organized department means economy in that the material is put in circulation and can therefore be used more extensively than if it is placed in one school. Visual aids can be used most effectively when the numerous details connected with the acquiring, up- keep, and study of the aids are removed from the shoulders of the teacher. When organizing a department, it is well to set up definite aims or objectives as a goal. Such aims and objectives will enable all to realize more fully the re- sponsibility and importance of the work of the de- partment. The aim may be in the form of a brief slogan or a detailed set of objectives. Editor's Note: This article is one of a series based on a Master's thesis prepared for New York University en- titled "The Organization, Functions, and Administration of a City Department of Visual Aids". A Visual Aids Center A visual aids center is a necessary adjunct of an organized department of visual aids. It is the nucleus around which is built up a systematic use of visual aids. Mrs. Dorris in her book states: "A centralized bureau either in a state or in a community seems to be one of the first steps toward effective educational results." The visual aids center varies in size, purpose, and location in different cities. Some visual aids centers are concerned primarily with booking various aids from commercial agencies. Other centers are con- cerned with the actual circulation of many types of aids. Such centers have need for some person in charge of the center and several clerks who can care for booking, checking, and shipping the various aids. Other centers conduct teacher training courses, pro- vide an opportunity for teachers to try out the aids, make up photographs and lantern slides, and perhaps have an educational museum. This type of center re- quires a staff of considerable size and also a large amount of floor space. The place used for the visual aids center varies from a single room in some school building to a separate building entirely devoted to the department of visual aids. A few departments maintain a number of centers throughout the city. It seems highly desirable for a well organized department to have a separate building. This building does not necessarily have to be new; an abandoned school building, which can be converted at a minimum cost to suit the needs of the department, is adequate at least until the department has been placed upon a solid foundation. Some of the rooms which might be included in such a building are: a direc- tor's office, a general office, a general file and ref- erence room, a conference and demonstration room, a typical classroom, a file room for mounted pictures, a file room for slides, a film storage room, a receiving and shipping room, a workshop, a storage room for exhibits, and a photographic room. An auditorium seating several hundred persons is also desirable. If a museum is established as part of the visual aids center, additional rooms will be needed.