Educational screen & audio-visual guide (c1956-1971])

Educational Fitm Library^sociation EFLA 14th Annual Conference "Making The Most of Our Resources" The Educational Fihn Library Association was incorporated in April, 1943. At that time EFLA was under the wing of the American Film Center, which in turn was sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation. L. C. Larson, who was working with the American Film Center during a leave of absence from Indiana University, was EFL.Vs first President. Others on the early Board of Directors included Edgar Dale, Marguerite Kirk, L C. Boerlin, Patricia Blair, James Kinder, and Bruce Findlay. EFLA's purpose, as stated in its constitution, is "To promote the production, distribution, and utilization of audio-visual aids suitable for classroom, assembly, or forum use by educational and adult groups." The official purpose, as stated above, is obviously general enough to cover a great variety of activities. However, EFL.'\ has always attempted to carry on a program which will fulfill two main requirements: First, one which will be of practical value to the EFLA membership; and secondly, one which does not duplicate activities which can be more effectively undertaken by some other organization. Since EFL.\'s members are primarily film librarians, audio-visual directors, and those in charge of film programs in all kinds of institutions and organizations, the emphasis has been on providing them with services which will aid them in providing information, selecting materials, and administering film libraries and film programs. Among these services are Film Evaluations, publication of the EFLA Bulletin, compilation of selected film lists, publication of the EFLA REDBOOK OF AUDIO-VISUAL EQUIPMENT, film damage insurance. Film Can Guides, annual and regional Conferences, and various special projects. Best known of the EFLA services is the Evaluation Project. The first EFLA Evaluations were published in 1946, using a form designed by Edgar Dale. Originally the Evaluations appeared on 8'/2 x 11 sheets; since 1948, however, they have been printed on 3x5 cards punched for use in a standard library file. Over 3200 different 16mm films have been evaluated, and members receive forty new cards each month during the school year. The cards are also used by some members as catalog cards, accession cards, and to distribute to individual schools instead of printing a catalog of the central film library. Cards may be obtained by members, singly, in yearly sets, or in quantity, to fit their own needs. EFLA has about fifty Evaluation Committees located at EFLA member institutions in all parts of the country. The Committees indicate what kinds of films they are particularly interested in, and new releases are assigned to them. Producers cooperate by sending preview prints of new films to the Committees, and most producers hold Service Memberships in EFLA so that they receive copies of all the Evaluations as they are issued. Evaluations are prepared according to a set of standards which has been evolved during EFLA's long experience in this activity. Recently UNESCO wished to issue instructions for film evaluation on an international basis, and asked EFLA to prepare a Manual on the subject. This was done, and the Manual has been published in English, French, and Spanish. Membership in EFLA is of several different kinds. There are Constituent, Service, Personal, International, and SubMembers. By far the greatest number are Constituent members. These are nonprofit, educational institutions or organizations, and among them are schools, colleges. universities, public libraries, art galleries, museums, labor organizations, religious groups, and national and local organizations of all kinds. Service members are commercial organizations, chiefly producers and distributors of 16mm films. Personal members are individuals who are interested in the 16mm field. International members are the official government organizations in other countries which are primarily concerned with films or with audiovisual education. Sub-members are additional memberships within an organization which already holds^a Constituent or Service Membership. It should be noted that, with the exception of Personal Members, all these categories are for organizations rather than individuals. Only the official representatives of Constituent Members may vote or hold office in EFLA. The Board of Directors consists of nine members, of which three are elected each year to serve three years. The Board then elects the officers of the Association from its own membership. Present officers are: President: Erwin C. Welke, Head, Audio-Visual Extension Service, University of Minnesota; Vice-President: Mrs. Wanda Daniel, Department of Instruction, Board of Education, Crosse Point, Michigan; Secretary: Mrs. Carol Hale, Director, Audio-Visual Aids Service, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.; Executive Secretary and Treasurer: Emily S. Jones. (L to R) Emily Jones, Executive Seaetary; Garrett P. Weathers; Erwin G. Wellce, President; Wanda Daniel, Vice President; Elliott Kane. Other Board Members (three new members will be elected in June): Mrs. Muriel Javelin, Boston Public Library; Elliott H. Kone, Audio-Visual Center, Yale University; F. Edgar Lane, Instructional Materials Center, Dade County Schools, Miami, Florida; Austin Olney, AudioVisual Center, University of New Hampshire; Miss Cecile Starr (she became Mrs. Aram Boyajian on June 3), Garrett R. Weathers, Director of Audio-Visual Education, South Bend, Ind., City Schools. EFLA's goals for the immediate future are to increase and improve its present services, to expand the Evaluation project as much as possible (and possibly to evaluate filmstrips and recordings as well as films), to cooperate with other groups in such wide-scale activities as those of the Audio-Visual Commission on Public Information, and to develop new projects to fit the needs of its members. One project which is in preparation is a Manual on Film Library Administration, to be published in the fall. EFLA's unique position as the only organization to cut EdScreen & AV Guide — July, 1 957 331