The Curriculum Library supports the university's Education and Teacher Certification programs, including the methods and practicum courses, and the children's and young adult literature courses.
Development of the Curriculum Library collection is informed by the American Library Association's Freedom to Read statement, and the Association for College and Research Libraries Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic Libraries.
We endorse and are guided by the current statement regarding Academic Freedom, as stated in section 6.2 of the 2019-2023 Rindge Faculty Federation CBA: "There shall be no censorship of the Library collection." We simultaneously endorse and are guided by the university's views on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Finally, we strive to collect materials that reflect a diversity of viewpoints, including works created by, and representative of, marginalized and underrepresented groups.
The curriculum library contains resources appropriate for early childhood through secondary education. A representative selection of materials related to infancy through early childhood are also available. Some secondary materials may be appropriate for use at the college level and are available as resources for the larger college community.
The primary language of materials in the collection is English, although materials used to teach foreign languages or in bilingual/multicultural environments are also included. There are also some materials on teaching English to speakers of other languages.
The emphasis of the collection is on teaching materials of current significance. Some older items of historical or research value are retained.
Educational methods and approaches used in the United States are emphasized in the curriculum library collection. Materials related to New Hampshire and the greater New England region are collected. The curriculum library collects United States educational standards for all disciplines of elementary and secondary education.
Materials in the curriculum library should reflect cultural diversity and promote respect and appreciation for specific cultures and the global community. Juvenile literature that originates from countries other than the United States and that is representative of historically excluded and underrepresented groups is particularly sought for the collection.
Existing materials that are inappropriate for children (such as those that contain racist imagery, language, and ideas) may be retained for educational purposes. Here we are informed by the American Library Association Freedom to Read Statement that asserts that "it is in the public interest for publishers and librarians to make available the widest diversity of views and expressions, including those that are unorthodox, unpopular, or considered dangerous by the majority." At the same time, we understand that racially and culturally insensitive materials are harmful to children, do not adhere to our core values of anti-racism and social responsibility, and reinforce values attendant to systemic racism. Accordingly, selected juvenile literature titles are retained, but shelved in the main collection (PZ) so that they are still available for research purposes.
Textbooks in all curriculum subjects, grades K-12, may be selected. Emphasis in the textbook collection is on materials published within the last ten years, although some older texts may be kept for research value. College level textbooks are not collected.
The library attempts to collect a broad range of juvenile literature. Award winners, honor books, and notable books are collected comprehensively. Books appropriate to preschoolers through young adults are collected. This includes formats such as board books, and big books. Other examples of juvenile literature in the collection include children's classics, beginning-to-read books, picture books, wordless books, folk literature, fairy tales, mythology, fantasy, graphic novels, realistic fiction, historical fiction, and biography.
Factual works in a variety of academic disciplines are collected. Other materials address special populations, such as the gifted and talented, children with special needs, ADHD, physically disabled, and visually or hearing-impaired children. Materials on creative and critical thinking, learning styles and skills, and the use of children's literature in all areas of the curriculum are also included in the collection. The curriculum library will collect professional literature, standards, and publications produced by national educational organizations and associations.
Other materials collected may include those that deal with assessment, idea and activity books, sources about children's and young adult literature, teaching methods books, books on preparing lesson plans and assessing student performance, curriculum guides, and bibliographies of children's books.
Videos collected include adaptations of children's literature, entertainment, children's programs, educational programs, and videos used to inform instruction in a variety of areas.
Other non-book materials collected include sound recordings, kits, games, charts and pictures, manipulatives, and boxes of activities. A small selection of children's periodicals is available in the curriculum library on a non-circulating basis.