Instructional Resources Center

Teacher Resources:

We have over 2,000 teacher activity books designed to help build lesson plans, containing tons of ideas for activities, bulletin boards, games, and more. Titles are grouped by general subject areas, i.e. Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Language Arts, Thematic Units, Art, Music, Finger Play, Computers, Study Skills, Assessment, etc. These very popular resources provide teachers with many creative and timesaving ideas to design lesson units. The Teacher Resources may be located using the online catalog and are for library use only.

Reference Sources:

The IRC maintains a small collection of reference titles relevant to teachers, school librarians, and students of children’s literature. Encyclopedias range from Britannica, Americana, World Book, Compton’s, and Child Craft. Bibliographies of recommended titles for children may be found in Children’s Catalog, Elementary School Library Collection, or Best Books for Children. Special sources include Encyclopedia of Education, Children’s Book Review Index, Major Authors and Illustrators for Children and Young Adults, Junior Plots, and Children’s Books in Print.

IRC General Collection:

Similar to teacher resources, but these books may be checked out.

Textbooks:

These K-12 textbooks cover all subjects and may be checked out. Some teacher editions and workbooks are also available.

State Adopted Textbooks:

The State Department of Education has placed all current textbooks from the state-adopted list on open reserve. These textbooks are considered state property and are available for library use only.

Juvenile Collection:

This collection includes fiction, nonfiction, and biography books for children, from birth through high school, in various formats, including board books and big books. Caldecott, Newbery, Coretta Scott King Award books are identified.

IRC Guides:

We have up-to-date instructional pathfinders available to help you find resources in the IRC. Subjects: award winning books, guidelines for local-area school district employees, and suggested resources for various educational subjects.

Journals:

We maintain a selection of teacher idea journals that contain suggestions for lesson plans. These are available in the Teacher Resources sections and are for library use only.

Ellison Die Cuts

The IRC has six (6) Ellison machines that can be used to cut out over 500 different shapes for displays and other instructional purposes. Any material such as foam paper, construction paper, or felt may be used. Patrons must provide their own supplies and present proper identification to use the dies. Delta State students, faculty, staff, and community members may check out Ellison Die Cuts six (6) at a time.

For our complete Ellison Die collection, check out our Ellison Die Brochure.

• DSU students, faculty, and staff may check out die cuts by presenting their Okra Kard.
• Community members, age 17 or older, may check out die cuts by presenting a valid state-issued ID (no other form of identification will be accepted).
• For safety reasons, you must be 17 years or older to operate the die cutters.

General Guidelines:

• Die cuts may be checked out for up to 2 hours.
• Die cuts may be renewed if another patron is not waiting to use them.
• If a patron doesn’t return the item(s) within 2 hours, the person will accrue fines at a rate of $.50 per hour.
• If a die cut or a machine is damaged, the patron is responsible for the cost of the die cut or machine at the time of damage.
• Fines and damage fees must be paid on an Okra Kard or guest card at the time of return.

Community Member Guidelines:

• Must abide by the general guidelines outlined above.
• The ID must belong to the person checking out the die cuts.
• In the case of children under the age of 17, the adult must remain with the child at all times (Refer to Library Services Policy Regarding the Presence of Children).
• As a safety precaution, you must be 17 or older to operate the die cutters.
• Valid, state-issued IDs will be held at the front desk until all materials have been returned.
• Any fines must be paid at the time of return using a guest card.

The IRC offers eight (8) Dell desktop computers to DSU students, faculty, staff, and community members. DSU students, faculty, and staff may gain computer access by entering their university username and password. Community members must register for computer access at the Reference or Serials Desk by presenting a valid driver’s license.

Need help finding materials in the IRC? Need a specific type of book? Browse our collection of Pathfinders (library guides). These guides have been created to assist you in finding information or resources in the

Instructional Resources Center. (More pathfinders coming soon).

Caldecott Award Books

Caldecott Honor Books

Coretta Scott King Award Books

Coretta Scott King Honor Books

Ezra Jack Keats Award Books

Newbery Award Books

Newbery Honor Books

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Books

The IRC has a Hewlett Packard Design Jet printer that will print banners and posters from the computer.  Publisher 2016 allows more versatility for size when creating your masterpiece.  Instructions are below the chart for both types of print outs: posters or banners.

                            Banners                               Posters