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The What and the How of the Syracuse Collection (SUPCE publication MS 21)
Stubblefield, Harold
Originally published in Lifelong Learning, April 1984, pp. 29-30
Harold W. Stubblefield is an Associate Professor of Adult Continuing Education in the College of Education at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA.
THE WHAT AND THE HOW OF THE SYRACUSE COLLECTION
Since the 1950s Syracuse University has provided leadership in the publication, collection and dissemination of adult education resource through the Syracuse University Publications in Continuing Education (SUPCE) and Syracuse University Resources for Educators of Adults (SUREA). This resource center is the only collection of its kind in the country. The materials provide a rich source for adult education practitioners and researchers. Alexander N. Charters, in a quarter century at Syracuse, has provided the leadership for the University’s becoming a prominent resource for publications and resources for educators of adults.
What Material Does SUPCE Contain?
SUPCE includes over 300 publications. Many of these were given to SUPCE by the Center for the Study of Liberal Education for Adults (CSLEA) and the American Foundation for Continuing Education. The SUPCE series includes: Notes, Essays, Reports and Occasional Papers of the Center for the Study of Liberal Education for Adults (CSLEA); Landmark and New Horizon series; William Pearson Tolley Medal series; Papers on Adult Education – University College (Blue Books); the American Foundation for Continuing Education (AFCE), formerly the American Foundation for Political Education; MSS series (Manuscripts and General); Research Reports; the International Handbook for Resources for Educators of Adults; the Syracuse University Centennial series; and Syracuse University-related publications. SUPCE prints and distributes materials produced or related to SUREA and is the distributing agent for some adult education organizations.
What Material Does SUREA Contain?
From the first, SUREA has brought together materials in a variety of formats. The materials range from books to audio tapes and recordings to personal papers to photographs.
The Collections
Books. An effort is made to acquire all significant books on adult/continuing education that are in the English language. The collection, which is historical and up to date, is processed under the Library of Congress system. The Paul Hoy Helms Collection in Liberal Adult Education, funded by the Fund for Adult Education, has been processed and a list compiled.
Pamphlet File. Hundreds of pamphlets are processed in the Pamphlet File. Acquisition listings, alphabetical by title and under Descriptive Subject Headings and by card catalogue under author, are available.
Periodical and Newsletters. Over one hundred periodicals and newsletters related to adult/continuing education are current, with many series complete. Newsletters are now in the pamphlet file.
Media-Nonprint. The media-nonprint collection contains over 300 audio tapes and audio recordings; video cassettes, video tapes, and films (8mm and 16mm) are included. In addition, a list of 400 adult education masters theses and doctoral dissertations in the United States have been compiled under Descriptive Subject Headings. Microfilms released before July 1, 1973 are available in Bird Library and since then a list is kept. Also available on video tapes is the complete Omnibus Series which was provided for national TV viewing by the Ford Foundation and the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). A film collection is being developed.
Oral History. The oral history collection is designed primarily for historical research. The items included are sound and video recordings which have been recorded since the early 1950’s and the Mentor series. It is housed as part of the Media Collection in Bird Library.
Archives and Manuscripts
The archives and manuscript collections are housed in the Arents Research Library. The adult and continuing education collection contains materials of more than 25 organizations and individuals. Among the organizations with materials in the archives are the American Association for Adult Education, Adult Education Association for the U.S.A. (now the American Association for Adult Continuing Education), Center for the Study of Liberal Education for Adults, American Foundation for Continuing Education, Fund for Adult Education, National Association for Public School Adult Educators, and the National University Extension Association. Shelf lists have been prepared and printed. The collection extends over 400 linear feet of shelf space.
The personal papers of Frank C. Laubach and documents of Laubach Literacy Inc. are housed at Syracuse. These materials were made available for research purposes in 1974.
The Syracuse University Archives, containing the records of the officers and history of Syracuse University and Alexander N. Charters, are also housed in the Arents Research Library.
Photograph Collection
Over 10,000 photographs of adult education activities are being processed.
How To Obtain Access
Educators of adults are welcome at any time to use the collections by Syracuse University Libraries. When available, carrel or other work area is provided by the librarian to out-of-town users. The circulating collections are available through interlibrary loan. Archives and manuscripts in the George E. Arents Research Library are governed by special access policies. Consult with the staff in Room 600, or write to the Head of the George E. Arents Research Library for Special Collections, 600 Bird Library, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, 13210. For an order form for SUPCE publications as available, write to Syracuse University Printing Services, 125 College Place, Syracuse, New York 13210.
To provide current information about SUREA, SU-AE Memos, which describe the collections, accessibility, publications and other matters, are issued occasionally. Several descriptive publications related to the collections have been published by SUPCE. For a copy of the Memos and other information about SUPCE, write to Dr. Alexander N. Charters, Professor of Adult Education, Syracuse University, New York 13210.
What Are the Plans for the Future?
SUREA continuously evaluates its services, reviews its objectives, and identifies and assesses the needs of selected constituencies. One results of this appraisal is the Associated Resource Centers in Adult Education (ARCAE), a group to promote networks and cooperative relationships among adult education resource centers nationally and internationally.
SUREA’s work is a pioneer and significant contribution. Its work will be enhanced as practitioners and researchers increasingly use the resources and contribute materials to the collection.