Teaching Materials Center

The Teaching Materials Center is a unique collection of materials to support the teacher education program at Illinois State University. The TMC provides education students with resources to enhance their educational experience and to prepare them for their careers as teachers. Included in the TMC collection are curriculum guides, elementary and high school textbooks and supporting materials in all subject areas, media of all types, and a model school library collection. A detailed description of TMC policies and collections is available.

Book Collections
  • Big Books

    • The TMC has a collection of over 50 big books. These over-sized picture books are useful to show the book illustrations when reading a story aloud to a group of children.
  • Fiction Books
    Fiction books for children and young adults are located in the TMC stacks and include many award winner titles. Books are shelved alphabetically by author name and circulate for two weeks.
  • Non-Fiction Books
    Non-fiction books are organized and shelved by Dewey classification subject call numbers. Within the specific subject call numbers you will find books with reading levels for P-12 readers. These books circulate for two weeks.
  • Opie Collection of Children's Literature
    • The Opie Collection is a collection of historical children's literature available on microfiche. The emphasis of the Opie Collection is on books published before 1850, and the collection includes early chapbooks, battledores, childrens's poetry, nursery rhymes, comics, chidren's magazines, "penny dreadfuls," and early picture books. Titles in the collection can be searched through the Milner Catalog  by limiting your search first with the "More Limits" button and selecting "Microforms" and clicking on "Set Limits". Then enter "Opie"in one search box and your topic in another search box. A print index arranged by Opie units is located with the Opie microfiche in onsite storage.
  • Picture Books

    • The TMC picture books are located in the TMC Easy area of the collection and can be checked out for one-week. The picture books are representative of an elementary school library collection and include many award-winning books.
  • Textbooks

    • The TMC textbook collection consists of elementary and secondary textbooks in all subject areas. Teacher's editions, student workbooks, and supplementary materials are included in this collection.
Non-book Collections
  • Artifacts Collection
    The Milner Library Educational Artifacts Collection is a large collection of loanable trunks on a wide variety of topics in the social studies and science areas. The trunks contain materials to enhance the classroom experience. The collection also includes mammal and bird taxidermic specimens.
  • Audio Materials (Records, CD's, Tapes)
    Audio materials located in the TMC cover a range of content and formats. The collection includes audio materials to supplement the music textbook series, musical genres, and books on tape. Audio formats in the TMC include compact discs, cassette tapes, and record albums.
  • CD ROM Computer Software

    • The TMC houses two Macintosh computers and a variety of interactive multimedia packages, most compatible with both Macintosh and a DOS-based PC. The available multimedia packages represent subject areas such as reading, art, music, science, and the social sciences. The computer software is for use in Milner Library only and does not circulate.
  • Dolls
    The TMC has five Hal's Pals dolls that display various disabilities. These large fabric dolls may be checked out for two weeks.
  • Fairy Tales in a Box
    Fairy Tales in a Box is a collection of small boxes containing nesting dolls, finger puppets, dolls, books, audiobooks, videos, and simple props for eight fairy tales. Fairy Tales in a Box can be used for any number of Readers Theatre activites. Each box has a two-week loan period.
  • Kits
    Kits are those materials that contain at least two types of media. Common combinations included in kits are books/cassette tapes and books/CDs
  • Multicultural Instruments
    Over 50 multicultural instruments can be checked out from the TMC collection. Regions and cultures represented in the collection are Africa, Japan, South America and Native American.
  • Puppets
    A large number of hand puppets are available in the TMC. Categories of puppets include fairy tale and book-related characters, animals, food and ethnic families.
  • Realia
    Realia includes such items as the parachute, math manipulatives, magnets, prisms, bean bag frogs, prepared slides of biological materials, a microscope and a tripod magnifier.
  • Videotapes and DVDs
    Videotapes and DVDs included in the TMC collection are primarily for use in classroom settings. Titles are available for use with many age groups and in numerous subject areas. Videos are located in the TMC stacks area and may be checked out for two weeks. These materials can be located by searching Milner Catalog.
Return to Subject Resources: Teaching Materials
Milner Library, Illinois State University
Page Contact: Julie Derden
Last Modified: 2008-11-10 08:18:24