Curriculum Lab Overview

The Curriculum Lab is a branch library of Anderson University's Thrift Library, housed within the College of Education in Johnston Hall, Room 215.

The purpose of the Curriculum Lab at Anderson University is to equip its students, faculty, and staff with the tools, resources, and support they need to excel in PK-12 educational settings. Rooted in the Christian values of our institution, the Curriculum Lab strives to provide access to a diverse and comprehensive collection of children's and young adult literature, curriculum materials, and instructional resources. The Curriculum Lab serves as a model school library and establishes habits for future professional collaboration between teachers, school librarians, and educational partners.

The Curriculum Lab collection is organized and catalogued separately from the integrated library system (ILS) used for Thrift Library's main collection. Curriculum Lab resources are organized according to the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) system and catalogued and circulated via the Follett Destiny Library Manager and Destiny Resource Manager ILS, systems that are commonly used in school libraries within and beyond South Carolina. The Destiny ILS may only be accessed by users with AU login credentials. Given the separate ILS, Curriculum Lab resources will not be sourced for interlibrary loans.

Return to Curriculum Lab homepage

The Curriculum Lab (also known as a Curriculum Materials Center*) was created when the Elementary Education major was added to Anderson College's academic program offerings in 1991. Dr. Joellen Harris, head of the newly formed Division of Education, immediately saw a need for a Curriculum Lab and collaborated with the library director, Kent Millwood, to establish one.

The Curriculum Lab was originally located in the Johnston Room on the second floor of the library, which was in Johnston Hall from 1956-2007.

With the opening of the new Thrift Library building in 2007, the Curriculum Lab was moved to a new home in a room on Thrift Library's second floor.

In 2017, the Lab's curricular materials and the library's children's and young adult books were moved back to Johnston Hall (now the home of the College of Education) to a room on the second floor.

The Curriculum Lab has historically been a joint effort of the College of Education and Thrift Library. The library held primary responsibility for the Curriculum Lab collections while collaborating with the Education department in the selection of materials. In its current location, the College of Education provides student employees to staff the Lab during its open hours.

In 2023, Dr. Melanie Croft was hired as the new Director of Library Services for Thrift Library. Given her experience with school libraries, she saw an opportunity to develop the Curriculum Lab into a model school library through which AU students will be better prepared to serve as PK-12 educators, school librarians, and literacy professionals.

In 2024, Thrift Library welcomed its first Education Librarian - Ms. Kasey Swords - dedicated to overseeing the Lab and working with students across both undergraduate and graduate Education programs. Ms. Swords was pivotal in moving the Curriculum Lab collections into the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) system and the Follett Destiny Library Manager and Destiny Resource Manager Integrated Library System, systems that are commonly used in school libraries within and beyond South Carolina. 

College of Education alumni and current students have expressed that the Curriculum Lab is a valuable resource in preparing them to work in K-12 schools but have noted the limitations of the space and available books and materials. In 2025, we hope to achieve our A Day fundraising project to renovate the Curriculum Lab into a school library format. This renovation will enable our future K-12 educators to successfully engage with their respective libraries as they work to advance student achievement across all subject areas. Click here to view the current state of the Curriculum Lab and the proposed renovation.

*From the Directory of Curriculum Materials Centers and Collections, 8th Edition:

Curriculum materials are defined as, "...educational resources that provide curriculum and instructional experiences for preschool through 12th grade (P-12) students. These materials are used by educators to develop curricula and lesson plans and may also be used in actual instructional situations with P-12 students. These materials also provide information for those conducting research."¹ Specific resources include textbooks, curriculum guides/courses of study, children's and young adult literature, professional materials, reference materials, P-12 and professional periodicals, media materials, instructional materials, tests, and web resources.

Curriculum materials centers are specialized collections of curriculum materials with a defined physical location that support P-12 preservice teacher education within colleges and universities. These defined spaces may be a set area in the main library, a full-service branch library, or within a school of education. Curriculum materials centers (CMCs) may also be referred to as curriculum labs, instructional materials labs, curriculum resource centers, instructional materials centers, teaching materials centers, education resource commons, curriculum laboratories, learning resource centers, etc. ^2,3

Curriculum materials collections are defined as a set of curriculum materials that support the instructional and research needs of teacher education programs in higher education regardless of a specific physical location.

¹Association of College and Research Libraries, Education and Behavior Sciences Sections. Guidelines for Curriculum Materials Centers, June 21, 2018. 

²Association of College and Research Libraires, Education and Behavior Sciences Section. Directory of Curriculum Materials Centers and Collections. 7th 3d. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2015.

³Kohrman, Rita. Curriculum Materials Collections and Centers: Legacies from the Past, Visions of the Future. Edited by Rita Kohrman. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2012.

The Curriculum Lab is organized as a model school library. The collections are arranged according to the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) System with specialty collections shelved separately. The collections of the Curriculum Lab are listed below: 

Big Books are enlarged versions of children’s books designed for reading to groups of young children and support a shared book experience. 

Call Number: BIG ABC (First three letters of the author’s last name) 

Bilingual/foreign language materials collection's primary language is Spanish, as this is the most common secondary language taught and spoken in SC schools. This collection features two sub-collections: Fiction and Non-fiction. 

Call Number: FL ABC (first three letters of the author’s last name or Dewey numbers) 

Biographies and autobiographies are non-fiction books that tell the life story of a real person, focusing on their experiences, achievements, and impact on the world. 

Call Number: B ABC (First three letters of the subject's first or last name) 

Board books are typically made of heavy paper or cardboard, and are intended to be durable enough to withstand the wear and tear of babies and toddlers. 

Call Number: BB ABC (First three letters of the author’s last name) 

Easy Fiction (Picture Books) are typically designed for children ages two to eight and feature pictures as the essential part of storytelling. Fairytales, folklore, and poetry are not included in Easy Fiction and belong in Non-fiction (Dewey).  

Call Number: E ABC (First three letters of the author’s last name) 

Easy Readers feature simple language, short sentences, and a limited vocabulary to make them more accessible and build confidence in reading. Easy Readers are given a reading level by the publisher (unrelated to grade level or any other reading classification system).

Call Number: ER ABC (First three letters of the author’s last name) 

Juvenile Fiction (Chapter Books) consists of non-illustrated and illustrated stories in a variety of genres for children aged eight to twelve. 

Call Number: J ABC (First three letters of the author’s last name) 

Graphic Novels are a type of long-form storytelling, including fiction and non-fiction, that are created using sequential images with dialogue. This collection will encompass traditional graphic novels, comic books, and manga as needed and will all be shelved together. Be aware of intended audience when choosing graphic novels.  

Call Number: G ABC (First three letters of the author’s last name) 

Non-Fiction books are informative works designed to educate PK-12 readers about the world around them, covering a wide range of topics such as animals, history, science, geography, or physical and emotional health. 

Call Number: DDC# ABC (DDC=Dewey Decimal Classification number, ABC indicates the first three letters of the author’s last name) 

Professional teaching resources feature materials designed to contribute to the professional development of PK-12 educators, assisting in planning, delivering, and enhancing their instruction. This collection features a diverse range of materials, often not in book format.   

Call Number: PRO DDC ABC (DDC=Dewey Decimal Classification, ABC indicates the first three letters of the author’s last name) 

Classroom sets are teaching materials typically featuring multiple copies of the same resource, usually with a teacher’s guide. These sets will be cataloged and circulated as one item.  

Call Number: KIT ABC (First three letters of the author’s last name or item title) 

Kits are collections of materials in various subject areas that provide hands-on learning activities for students. The kits will be catalogued and circulated as one item. 

Call Number: KIT ABC (First three letters of the kit title) 

Young Adult Fiction consists of stories in a variety of formats for children aged roughly thirteen to eighteen. Young adult fiction will include titles meant for adults that are usually taught in high school curricula. 

Call Number: Y ABC (First three letters of author’s last name) 

Users can view the short videos below to learn how to navigate Destiny Discover, the Curriculum Lab's catalog.

The video below will show users the search tools available within Destiny Discover.
 

The video below will familiarize users with Destiny Discover Collections and how they can use this resource in their research or classrooms.

Discus, South Carolina's Virtual Library, is a collection of subscription databases with an array of resources ranging from books and magazines to maps and videos. This collection of databases provides high-quality publications in an easy to navigate format for students and teachers alike. Discus allows PK-12 students to safely search for up-to-date information without sifting through advertisements and non-educational results found in search engines such as Google. 

The South Carolina State Library manages and administers Discus in cooperation with the state’s school, college, and public libraries. As an AU student, you have access to Discus resources through the Thrift Library Databases A-Z list with your AU credentials. In the future, you can gain access to Discus professionally through your school's librarian or personally through your local public library. Just a note, the Discus login information changes each year on August 1, so you will need to ask your school or public library for the new login each year. 

AU and Thrift Library also provide access to databases to support student and faculty research. These databases are also available through Thrift Library's Databases A-Z list and are accessible with your AU credentials. 

See the table below for some amazing teaching resources available to you through Discus and Thrift Library. These will be invaluable to you in your future classrooms. The list is organized by subject.

Discus and Thrift Library offer several resources that support test and career preparation as well as tutoring:

Learning Express Library contains skill building resources for K-12 students, college, and adult students and also features college admission test prep resources. Resources in Spanish are also available. 

Mometrix eLibrary* offers study guides, flash cards, and practice questions for common K-12 assessments, college admissions and placement tests, graduate and professional exams, Praxis and other state certification exams, and more. 

Tutor.com features real-time personalized tutoring sessions 24/7 for English and Spanish speakers. Connect with a tutor on a variety of subjects, test prep assistance, writing and math review, or parent coaching. 

*Only available through Thrift Library

Whether in your personal life or working with students, you need something that can help you recommend books based on genre, reading level, interests, and more. Your school or public librarian is always an excellent resource, but if you need another resource, check out these databases:

Book Review Index* includes more than 50 million book reviews, allowing users to conduct research in numerous disciplines.

Books and Authors* allows you to browse authors, titles, or genres to discover today's popular fiction and non-fiction titles, as well as the classics of yesterday. If you're wondering what to read next, check here first!

NoveList K-8 Plus is a great resource for helping teachers, school librarians, and kids find the next great fiction or non-fiction read.

NoveList is a database designed to help adult and young adult users find the next great read. 

Teen BookCloud helps students (and their educators and parents) in grades 7-12 find amazing reads.

*Only available through Thrift Library.

The following resources provide access to eBooks online. These cover a wide variety of topics and purposes.

You may need access to a high-quality online encyclopedia during your time as a student or you may want to structure future lessons around using an encyclopedia for your own students. You have several options available to you through Discus and Thrift Library:

Britannica Animal Kingdom allows students to discover facts about animals through videos, photos, and fun learning materials. 

Britannica Escolar (Spanish) includes Spanish-language encyclopedia articles, images, and interactive materials for early readers of Spanish.

Britannica ImageQuest Jr. features more than 50,000 images and videos for elementary and middle school students and teachers. 

Britannica Library is a reference resource that includes access to two homepages: Britannica Kids for children and young adults and Britannica Reference Center for older students and adults. 

Britannica Moderna (Spanish) is a reference resource that includes articles, images, a dictionary, an atlas, and timelines all in Spanish.

Britannica School is a reference source, geared toward K-12 students, including encyclopedia articles, magazines and journals, videos, maps, dictionary and thesaurus entries. 

Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia* is an online encyclopedia containing over 25,000 records.

World Almanac for Kids features videos, key facts and statistics, science projects, and reference guides suitable for Grades 6-9.

World Almanac for Kids Elementary features key facts and statistics, maps, videos, and more suitable for Grades 2-6.

*Only available through Thrift Library.

The following databases provide you with scholarly, peer-reviewed articles and other resources needed for research specifically in education and related topics. Basic versions of some of these databases are provided by Discus, while upgraded versions and/or other databases are provided by Thrift Library:

Academic Search Premier** is a comprehensive database of academic journals.

Education Database** includes full-text journals and dissertations supporting research on the theory and practice of education. 

Education Source Ultimate*** includes access to journal articles, conference papers, and videos on topics in education. 

Educator's Reference Complete*** includes periodicals covering education from preschool to college in every educational specialty.

ERIC (Education Resource Information Center)* provides access to educational literature and resources.

PsycINFO (APA)*** provides citations to millions of psychology articles, book chapters, books, and dissertations.

Psychology*** helps you find authoritative content supporting research in all fields of psychology.

Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection*** covers almost 500 scholarly full-text journals.

Professional Development Collection* is a highly specialized database of full-text information especially for educators, professional librarians, and education researchers. 

SAGE Journals*** provides access to more than 1,000 journals across a range of disciplines. 

Teacher Reference Center provides indexing and abstracts for 280 periodicals with topics including assessment, best practices, continuing education, pedagogical research, curriculum development, and more. 

*Basic version available via Discus.

**Upgrade to basic Discus version available through Thrift Library.

***Only available through Thrift Library.

The South Carolina State Education Standards outline the academic expectations for students in the state from kindergarten through high school. They are designed to ensure that students acquire essential skills and knowledge to be successful in college, career, and civic life. The standards are periodically reviewed and updated to reflect current research, best practices in teaching, and the evolving needs of students. Teachers are encouraged to integrate critical thinking, problem-solving, and real-world applications into their instructional practices to help students meet these expectations. The Curriculum Lab collects materials that support and supplement the state education standards located at SC Education Standards.

The Department of Education's Office of Instructional Materials is tasked, by the Instructional Materials Adoption regulation (43-70), to adopt the resources used for instruction in the public schools of South Carolina. The Instructional Materials Advisory Committee advises the State Board of Education (SBE) by meeting annually to formulate recommendations, funding priorities for new materials, contract extensions, and the new adoption calendar. The Committee consists of public school teachers, district administrators, and laypersons. Members of the public are also invited to review proposed instructional materials virtually and to submit comments for review by the Advisory Committee. 

Office of Instructional Materials

Comprehensive Listings of State Adopted and Supplemental Instructional Materials

The Curriculum Lab no longer collects physical textbooks, but virtual review is available for educators and members of the public at the link below:

Virtual Public Review

Textbooks are also available for review by schools and district staff during a state-wide caravan of presentations by participating publishers. The intent of the caravan is to allow participating districts and schools equal time with publishers to ensure high quality instructional materials are available for the classroom. 

Textbook Caravan Information

Reconsideration Information for the State of SC

On July 26, 2024, the State Board of Education's Regulation 43-170 became effective. The Regulation establishes consistent definitions and a two-prong threshold test for local educators and boards to determine if materials available to students in public schools are (1) age and developmentally appropriate and (2) educationally suitable and aligned with the purpose of South Carolina’s instructional program. It furthermore creates a uniform process for local school boards to review and hold public hearings on complaints raised within its district and establishes an appellate process to the State Board of Education. You can find information for these procedures and a list of the materials removed from use in public schools.

Uniform Procedure for Selection or Reconsideration of Instructional Materials

Materials Reviewed

Materials Pending Review

How Regulation 43-170 Affects the Curriculum Lab

Resources for the Curriculum Lab are selected to support the curricula of the College of Education at an appropriate level, consistent with its mission and collection development policy. However, selections may include resources that are unsuitable for use in the PK-12 classroom, even though neither the University nor the library may agree with or endorse the philosophies or positions contained within those resources. The inclusion of these resources in the Curriculum Lab collection is intended to support the professional development of preservice and practicing educators and will be clearly labeled and flagged in the Destiny catalog to inform users that they may not be used within PK-12 classrooms.

Thrift Library opposes general censorship of library resources. The library does recognize the right of individuals to question the inclusion of resources in the collections if they have concerns about their validity or appropriateness, but objections based on moral, religious, political or other grounds will not automatically result in the exclusion of resources. Individuals that would like the library to reconsider the inclusion of one or more library resources in its collections should contact the Director of Library Services.

Your local public library is a treasure trove of resources, now and in your future careers as educators. While at AU, use the public library for all your personal reading, research, and entertainment needs. In your future career, look to the local public library for teaching resources and form a partnership with your local librarians, who are often more than ready and willing to support you and your students in learning. 

Locally, AU students are able to get a card for the Anderson County Library System, which has nine locations to serve the community. As a part of the SCLends Consortium, Anderson County Library shares resources with 20 county libraries in SC, allowing cardholders access to more than 2.75 million items! Check out this list to see what types of items you can access with your public library card:

• Books (children's, teen, adult fiction and non-fiction in all formats: physical, electronic, and audiobooks)
• Streaming services like kanopy, IndieFlix, Qello Concerts, Classica, and more!
• The LEAP Station is a collection beyond the books featuring musical instruments, sports equipment, games, science kits, cooking kits, toys, tablets, and much more!
• The Seed Library allows cardholders to check out up to five seed packets at a time to grow their gardens. No returns necessary-the seeds and harvest are yours to keep!

Cardholders of Anderson County Library System are also able to get a reciprocal borrowing card for neighboring counties in the Upstate as well: Abbeville, Greenville, Oconee, and Pickens. You can use your reciprocal card to check out physical items. 

Your local public library also hosts learning opportunities for children and adults including author visits, STEM programs, book clubs, art programs and contests, gaming clubs, and much more. Most importantly, the public library usually hosts an amazing summer reading program. Many public schools, especially elementary schools, often try to create their own summer reading programs; however, look to the public library to partner with for summer reading. They often have a specific budget for summer reading and host specialty events, performers, and more. This is a great resource to point your students and families toward for summer learning and fun.

Local Public Libraries

• Abbeville County Library*
• Anderson County Library System*
• Greenville County Library System*
• Laurens County Public Library
• Oconee County Public Library*
• Pickens County Library System*

*Participates in reciprocal borrowing.

South Carolina State Library

The South Carolina State Library (SCSL) serves as the primary resource center for information and library services for the state of South Carolina and provides support and coordination for the state's public library system. The State Library is open to the public. SC residents age 18 and over are eligible to apply for a free library card and may borrow circulating materials from our collections and access our electronic resources.

The State Library also administers the South Carolina Talking Book Services (SCTBS) program, which provides library materials in alternative formats, such as audiobooks, large print books, and braille, to individuals who are blind, visually impaired, or print-disabled. An excellent resource available for students with special physical needs, Talking Book Services brings materials in these various formats straight to the homes of its users or are available for digital use. 

The Curriculum Lab provides other resources that may be useful for preservice teachers:

• Bulletin board paper
• Ellison Die-Cut Machine and Die-Cut Shapes
• Small-scale lamination machines

If you need other resources, check out the AU Makerspace, located at Chiquola on Main Street in Anderson, and the Electric City Creative Makerspace at the Anderson County Library. 

Here are several other Education Research Guides that will be helpful to you in your time at AU and beyond:

Education Research: This guide provides information on using Thrift Library, navigating helpful resources, and citations. 

SC Educator Preparation: This guide helps future educators navigate SC Curriculum standards, certification, job hunting, and more!

Children's & Young Adult Literature: This guide gathers information about literature for young people, how to evaluate it, and how to use it in the classroom. Coming soon!