The educational screen (c1922-c1956])

Page 198 The Educational Screen Organisation of Educational Film Libraries. Prior to the organization of the Educational Film Library Association, the writer served as chairman of a com- mittee which represented approximately one hun- dred institutions maintaining film libraries that are serving as depositories for government films. Table II. Organization of Film Lending Libraries by Edu- cational Institutions. 1910-42 Table II gives the date of organization of 104 of these hbraries. Of the 25 film libraries organized prior to 1935, 16 were film libraries in extension divisions of state universities and colleges. Seventy-nine film lend- ing libraries have been organized since 1935, 33 by state universities and colleges, 31 by teachers colleges, and 11 by private universities and colleges. Available in- formation suggests that there has been a proportionate increase in the number of film libraries organized by public schools since 1935. Utilisation of Classroom Films. The number of film subjects owned by the film lending libraries varies from less than fifty to over two thousand. The practice of these libraries is to buy one print of a subject and later purchase the duplicate prints needed to meet requests, The public school libraries, on the other hand, own a smaller number of titles and more duplicate prints per title. School libraries usually duplicate prints before the library reaches one hundred titles; whereas, the film lending library will seldom duplicate prints until the library has three hundred or more titles. There is likewise a wide variation among the film lending libraries and the city libraries with respect to the number of duplicates of each title. One city with a population of over three million and with 213 sound projectors in the schools frequently buys twenty dupli- cate prints and may buy up to forty duplicate prints of the most popular subjects. At the present time most of the cities and villages with a population of under 50,000 rely on educational film lending libraries for classroom films. In one state, schools in cities and villages with populations under 50,- 000 own a total of 698 sound projectors. If these schools were to make the same intensive use of class- room films as is made in the city mentioned above the film libraries in that state would need from 60 to 140 duplicate prints of the more widely used class- room films. Most of the 104 film lending libraries buy one and two prints of each subject. A limited number buy four or five prints and not more than three purchase up to ten duplicate prints of any given subject. Prediction of Trends in Audio-Visual Instruction During the Decade Following the War Purchase of Equipment by Schools. At the con- clusion of the war a substantial number of over twenty thousand projectors owned by the military forces will probably be made available for civilian use. These projectors, which before the war listed at over $400, have been purchased by the government for ap- proximately $200 per projector and will probably have a salvage value of less than $100. To meet government requests during the last two years, equipment manufacturers have developed mass production methods. It is reported that following the war a 16mm. sound projector, suitable for classroom use, will be designed which can be sold for around $150. There is also the possibility that the equipment originally designed for the projection of "Soundies" in night clubs and taverns may be adapted for class- room use. This would mean a self-contained unit with projector, amplifier, speaker, and translucent screen, which would permit the showing of motion pictures in a classroom equipped with ordinary window shades. The schools now own approximately fifteen thous- and sound projectors. There are approximately one million elementary and secondary school teachers in the nation. On the basis of the evidence presented above, it seems reasonable to predict that within the first decade following the war the ratio of teachers to projectors will reach ten to one, and schools will own over one hundred thousand 16mm. sound pro- jectors. Production of Classroom Films. Both theatrical and non-theatrical producers are engaged in the production of training films for the military services. At the end of the war, some of these companies will organize de- partments for the production of educational films. At the present time, the major producer of 16mm edu- cational sound films is Erpi Classroom Films, Inc. An incomplete study of titles and number of prints owned by libraries indicates that of the one hundred most common titles, over ninety will be Erpi subjects. Theatrical shorts are now available to schools through the Teaching Film Custodians. Erpi films cost $45 per reel and the theatrical shorts may be leased for $25 per reel. A comparison of the twenty most popular subjects released by Erpi and Teaching Film Custodians since 1939 reveals that schools are purchasing several times as many prints of Erpi films as they are of Teaching Film Custodians films. While some of the non- theatrical producers of industrial films have prepared films for school use, only a limited number of libraries have purchased prints. This evidence clearly indicates that teachers are most interested in films which correlate closely with courses of study. Does the film provide potential learning experiences which will contribute to the achievement of course objectives? This is the first criterion applied by teachers in the selection of films. Grierson points out in an article on the need of films for teaching citizenship, "It is not the technical perfection of the film that matters, nor even the vanity of its maker, but what happens to that public mind."* It is unlikely that all producers will be able to main- tain the educational staff necessary for the preparation "Grierson, John. "The Documentary Idea—1942.' October 1942. 3:7-8. Films News,