I am also very interested in receiving information about other Teacher
Resource Centers.  I presently oversee the Education Dept. Slide Library
and Resource Room at the J. Paul Getty Museum.  Over the past seven
years the Resource Room has been developed to assist local classroom
teachers, museum educators and our own museum staff with
researching the Museum's collections, art/museum education and general
art history.  It has and will offer non-circulating access to reference
materials including books, periodicals, K-12 art curricula, videos,
cd-roms, and collection-based slide loan sets.  Areas of current
collection development are: museum-based lesson plans, university-level
art education syllabi and arts-related games and kits.  Next year, upon
opening of the new Getty Center, this small reference library will be
renamed the Teacher Resource Center.

The Teacher Resource Center at the Getty Center will be furnished with
a custom-designed modular table to encourage focussed study activity
for an individual or a group. It will also have computer workstations
allowing access to the Internet and other on-line searches.  A display
wall will provide presentation space for innovative posters, hands-on
kits and announcements of upcoming local and national arts events and
publications. The Teacher Resource Center will be in close proximity to
Education Dept. offices facilitating teacher-education staff consultations
during regularly scheduled hours.

Given our late '97 opening date I would still appreciate further
suggestions or observations on how to make future usage even more
useful and engaging.  I myself, from inquiries and/or site visits would
recommend contacting:

The Holocaust Museum
The Metropolitan Museum-Uris Library and Resource Center
The Seattle Art Museum

Please feel free to contact or forward information to myself and/or Carrie
Sutton, Education Specialist for School & Teacher programs and past
coordinator of the Resource Room.  We would both be interested in your
culled responses or perhaps arranging future collaborations.

Thank you in advance.

Martha Godfrey
Slide Librarian
Education Dept.
The J. Paul Getty Museum
17985 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA 90265-5799
(310)230-7151
(310)230-7076-fax
e-mail:[log in to unmask]

Carrie Sutton
Education Specialist, School and Teacher Programs
Education Dept.
The J. Paul Getty Museum
17985 Pacific Coast Highway
Mailbu, CA 90265-5799
(310)230-7153
(310)454-8156
e-mail:[log in to unmask]

>>> "Bruce Underwood, Education Specialist"
<[log in to unmask]> 11/20/96 07:13am >>>
The Smithsonian's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education is in
the
process of planning for the creation of a centralized Institutionwide
Teacher Resource Center. One of its main objectives is to provide
educators with direct access to the large collection of educational
materials offered at the Smithsonian. Another is to offer teachers with
the tools to best utilize museums (both the Smithsonian and their local
museums) as an useful educational resource.

I am currently in charge of conducting the initial research for the
project. So far, I have been able to identify a few museums that already
have a Teacher or Educator Resource Center (The Field Museum, New
York
Hall of Science, Dallas Art Museum) as well as the NASA's national
network of Regional Teacher Resource Centers. Does anyone have any
other
suggestions of where I might find additional museum-based Resource
Centers?

Maybe some of you have expertise in this area. Based on your
experience,
do you have any suggestions on what to do (or NOT do) when creating
a
Teacher Resource Center?

You can send your responses to me directly. My email address is
[log in to unmask] (the 0 is a zero).

Thank you for your help.

Bruce Underwood

Bruce Underwood               Ofc of Elem & Secondary Education
Education Specialist          A&I 1163, MRC 402
Smithsonian Institution       Washington, DC    20560
202/357-4542; 357-4908-fax    e-mail: [log in to unmask]