SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
The Alexander N. Charters
Library of Resources for
Educators of Adults
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
The Alexander N. Charters
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Thanks to Alexander N. Charters, Syracuse University Library has what is today the largest and most comprehensive compilation of English-language materials in the field of adult and continuing education. The collections, consisting of manuscript, print, visual, and media materials, come from all over the world; they document the international history and development of the field (which includes literacy, human resource development, distance education, international development, andragogy, and more). The collections are used by adult education scholars and practitioners from all over the world. Materials are located throughout E. S. Bird Library (see below), and access to them is free and open to the public.
In 1948, after receiving his doctorate in adult education from the University of Chicago, Alexander N. Charters came to Syracuse University, serving as professor of adult education, dean of University College, and vice president for Continuing Education. He also participated in most of the professional organizations in the field and was instrumental in obtaining their records for the University. As early as 1949 Charters began to amass library materials. Since then the collections have continued to grow and today, the manuscripts alone occupy 900 feet of shelf space. Over the years support has come from the Fund for Adult Education, the U.S. government, and the Kellogg Foundation, as well as from individuals and corporate sponsors.
On October 23, 1998, the University Librarian, the Chancellor, and Syracuse University Library Associates held a ceremony to honor Charters and his wife, Margaret, Syracuse University professor emeritus of consumer studies, for their contributions to the Library. At that ceremony the collections were named "The Alexander N. Charters Library of Resources for Educators of Adults."
The following sections describe the origins of the Library's various components, and where they are housed. Please note that except for books and periodicals this material is not available through interlibrary loan.
Alexander Charters' website: Dr. Charters' home page, including biographical and family material, is located here.
• Online home page; faculty papers housed in University Archives; other papers housed in Special Collections Research Center.
Archival and manuscript collections: more than 50 collections
Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Charters and of the library in soliciting the papers of significant individuals and organizations, the library has more than 55 adult and continuing education manuscript collections. These include individuals (e.g. Malcolm S. Knowles, A. A. Liveright, Samuel C. Brightman, Cyril Houle, Jean Kordalewski) and organizations (e.g. the Adult Education Association of the U.S.A. [AEA/USA], Adult Education Research Conference [AERC], the Council on Continuing Education Unit [CCEU]).
• Housed in Special Collections Research Center. Detailed Descriptions of the Manuscript Collections are available online.
Dr. Charters' own library of adult education books formed the seeds of the library's substantial collection of books and monographs. Additional titles were purchased by University College and SU's main repository, the E.S. Bird Library. Recent contributors of books include William Rivera, Dilnawaz Siddiqui, and John Niemi.
• Housed in general (circulating) collection. Please refer to SUMMIT, our main catalog.
Clearinghouse of Resources for Educators of Adults (CREA): more than 1,300 items
The Clearinghouse Resources for Educators of Adults (CREA) began operation at Syracuse University in November 1975 as a state-wide program funded by a grant from the New York State Department of Education in Albany. Its purpose was to collect, catalog, house, and loan out adult education related material to administrators, teachers, students, and others in New York. The collection was administered first by Donald Holmwood and later by William Rivera. CREA operated until 1981.
• Housed in Special Collections Research Center. For a complete list of CREA materials, see the CREA finding aid.
ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult Education (ERIC-AE): more than 200 items
The ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult Education (ERIC/AE) at Syracuse University was an outgrowth of the Library of Continuing Education (LCE) but operated independently of LCE. It was administered first by Roger DeCrow and later Stanley Grabowski, with the help of assistant director Diane Ironside and education librarian B.J. Vaughn • Housed in Special Collections Research Center. For a complete list of ERIC Clearinghouse materials, see the ERIC finding aid.
Omnibus television series: kinescope recordings, 245 programs
Omnibus was an early educational television program produced by CBS and the Fund for Adult Education, who donated these kinescope recordings to the library. SUPCE publication MSS 24, "Omnibus Series - E.S. Bird Library," lists the recordings that comprise this collection.
• Housed in Media Services.
Pamphlets came from various sources, including donation, purchase, and transfer from other collections or institutions. Several SUPCE publications over the years (MSS 10, 13, 30, 42, 51 and 52) have listed the contents of the pamphlet collections, but the most up-to-date listing is the Continuing Education Pamphlet Files finding aid (below).
• Housed in Special Collections Research Center. For a complete list of pamphlets, see the Continuing Education Pamphlet Files finding aid.
Paul Hoy Helms Library in Liberal Adult Education: 700 items
Paul Helms, an SU graduate, was the vice-president of the Fund for Adult Education (FAE). This collection began with a $10,000 grant from the FAE, to be spent over 15 years. Dr. Olson developed a list of items to be purchased, which became part of the Library of Continuing Education (LCE); later this material was absorbed into the circulating collection of E.S. Bird Library, where it remains today. Although it no longer exists as a single entity, the Paul Hoy Helms Library is listed in its entirety in SUPCE publication MSS 20, "The Paul Hoy Helms Library in Liberal Adult Education,".
• Cataloged and in the general (circulating) collection. Please refer to SUMMIT, our main catalog.
Periodicals and journals: 30 titles, most of which are complete runs
Over the years the Library of Continuing Education, University College, and E.S. Bird Library have amassed a substantial collection of adult education-related journals. In 2005-2006 a concerted effort was made to fill in any gaps, with the result that the library now holds complete runs of most of these titles. The library continues to receive issues of most of those that are still in publication, either in hard copy or as part of a database package. SUPCE publication MSS 29, "Adult Education Periodicals and Newsletters - E.S. Bird Library," lists most of these titles.
• Housed in general (circulating) collection; some are also accessible through the library's databases. Please refer to SUMMIT, our main catalog. A list of titles is also available.
Photographs were accumulated from a number of sources, including the Fund for Adult Education, Dr. Alexander Charters, and items that came to the library as part of another collection. SUPCE publication MSS 46, "Photographs in Adult and Continuing Education," provides a list of subject headings for the photographs.
• Housed in Special Collections Research Center. For more information, see the Continuing Education Photographs finding aid.
Syracuse University Publications in Continuing Education (SUPCE): 400 titles
SUPCE began in 1969 with a grant from the Ford Foundation to fund the availability, distribution, and servicing of materials developed by two of its other grantees, the American Foundation for Continuing Education and the Center for the Study of Liberal Education for Adults. Later, material published or collected by University College and the Library of Continuing Education at SU were added to the collection, while Diane Ironside and Doris Chertow actively sought out material from across the university.
• Housed in Special Collections Research Center. Full text of selected titles are available online. For a complete list of SUPCE titles, see the SUPCE finding aid
Sound and video recordings: 400 sounds/100 video
The collection of audio and video recordings began as a project of University College to record the voices of important figures in adult education. It grew to include recordings from the University of Georgia's Mentor I and II programs and Gretchen Bersch's "Conversation on Lifelong Learning" project as well as Dr. Charters' own personal recollections and items donated by the Fund for Adult Education.
• Housed in Special Collections Research Center. For a complete list of sound and video recordings, see the Adult Education Audio and Video finding aid.
Theses and dissertations: on microfilm, 4,200 titles
Master's theses and doctoral dissertations from Syracuse University graduate students as well as from MA and PhD candidates from universities across the country have been collected over the years. Papers from other universities are in microfilm format. SUPCE publications MSS 11, "Abstracts of Dissertations and Theses: Syracuse University Graduates in Adult Education," and MSS 17, "Adult Education Masters' Theses and Doctoral Dissertations on Microfilm in S.U. Library," list most of these.
• Microfilm housed in Media Services; SU graduates writings housed in University Archives.
The Syracuse University Archives houses the archives of various Adult Education Initiatives at Syracuse University. These include the records of Syracuse University's graduate program in adult education at the School of Education (1952-91) as well as files on programs administered by Alexander Charters when he was vice-president for continuing education (1964-73).
- Army Comptrollership Program (School of Business Administration).
- Bureau of School Services (School of Education).
- Division of International Programs Abroad (formerly Foreign Studies Program).
- Division of Summer Sessions.
- East European Language Program.
- Extension programs
- International Management Development Department (School of Business Administration).
- Office of the Vice President for Continuing Education.
- University College.
For more information, please contact the University Archives. Additional information on these programs may also be found in Dr. Charters' papers housed in the Special Collections Research Center.
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