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Archives of
Association for Educational Communications
and Technology (AECT)
Processed by: Heather L. Moore
July 1997
37.5 lin. ft.
Administrative History | Scope and Content | Provenance | Series Descriptions
In 1923, the National Education Association established the Department of Visual Instruction (DVI), for the purpose of promoting "more effective communication in the classroom, through the use of a wider range of learning resources." H.B. Wilson served as DVI's first president. In 1923, DVI merged with the Visual Instruction Association of America (VIAA) and the National Academy of Visual Instruction (NAVI) to become the one dominant professional voice for the A-V movement in the nation.
During World War II, DVI worked toward the development and production of instructional audio-visual materials for military training. Shortly after the war, in 1945, the NEA established its Division of Audio-Visual Instructional Service, to "promote the establishment of new programs of audio-visual instruction and the expansion and development of existing programs on all levels of education throughout the nation."
In 1947, DVI underwent a name change, becoming the Department of Audio-Visual Instruction (DAVI). NEA provided DAVI with an executive secretary and full-time paid staff, giving the agency even more prestige and national exposure.
At DAVI's Atlantic City Convention in 1951, Dr. E. Winifred Crawford proposed the establishment of an Archives and History Committee and an Archives Library. The Archives was started to preserve valuable documents that record the beginnings and the development of the use of A-V materials in education, and to make such materials available for study. DAVI president Francis Noel appointed Dr. Crawford the first chair of the Archives Committee. In 1954, William F. Kruse replaced Crawford as DAVI archivist, and the DAVI Archives was established at the University of Iowa.
In 1971, DAVI changed its name to the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), and separated from NEA. The new name for this independent organization reflected a growing concern with the total educational experience from a "systems" or instructional technology viewpoint. Today, AECT continues to be a leader in educational technology, promoting the use of media and technology to enhance and improve learning.
The Archives of AECT span the period from 1912 to 1984, with the bulk of the material dating from 1940 to 1970. The collection contains correspondence, articles, minutes, reports, pamphlets, bound ledgers and scrapbooks, catalog cards, and audio-visual material (including audio cassettes, audio reels, slides, overheads, and more than 360 photographs). The collection deals largely with the history and operation of AECT before 1970 when it was the Department of Audio-Visual Instruction, as well as research into the use and effectiveness of audio-visual materials in education. A significant portion of the collection (9.5 lin. ft) deals with the use and production of training aids for the military during World War II. The Archives of AECT are divided into six series, with several subseries:
- Series 1: DAVI/AECT Archives and History General
- Subseries 1: Archives and History Committee
- Subseries 2: Archives and History Materials
- Subseries 3: Kruse Dissertation Sources
- Series 2: Correspondence
- Subseries 1: Officers' Correspondence
- Subseries 2: Alphabetical Correspondence
- Subseries 3: Chronological Correspondence
- Series 3: Committees
- Subseries 1: Executive Committee
- Subseries 2: Board of Directors
- Subseries 3: Other Committees
- Series 4: College and University A-V Department Information
- Series 5: Subject Files
- Series 6: Francis W. Noel - U.S. Naval Reserve Training Aids
- Subseries 1: Alphabetical Correspondence
- Subseries 2: Chronological Correspondence
- Subseries 3: Personal Materials and Correspondence
- Subseries 4: U.S. Naval Training Aids Materials
- Subseries 5: Audio Cassettes
The Archives of AECT were donated to the National Public Broadcasting Archives, University of Maryland Libraries by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology in August 1991, and by Robert deKeiffer in September 1992.
Series 1: DAVI/AECT Archives and History General, 1912-1984 (11.0 lin. ft.)
This series contains material which documents the history and operation of DAVI and the Archives and History Committee. William F. Kruse, DAVI Archivist, was responsible for collecting much of the information in this series.
- Subseries 1: Archives and History Committee, 1951-1984
This subseries contains material that relates specifically to the DAVI Archives and History Committee. Materials include committee history, meeting minutes, correspondence, memoranda, and reports. Much of the correspondence is that of William F. Kruse or Lee W. Cochran, both of whom served as DAVI Archivist. Folders are arranged chronologically.
- Subseries 2: Archives and History Materials, 1912-1983
This subseries contains material collected for the DAVI Archives as part of its initiative to actively pursue materials relating to the history and operation of DAVI, as well as material relating to the general history of audio-visual instruction. Included in this subseries are inventories of the DAVI Archives, a card catalog of material in the DAVI Archives, photographs of equipment in the DAVI Archives, negatives, transparency masters, slides, overheads, ledgers, and a scrapbook. Some of the more recent material pertains to AECT. Much of the material in this subseries was collected by William F. Kruse, DAVI Archivist. Folders are arranged topically, then chronologically.
- Subseries 3: Kruse Dissertation Sources, 1914-1967
This subseries contains materials compiled by William F. Kruse in the research and preparation of his dissertation on the history of audio-visual education. Much of the material appears to have copied from the DAVI Archives. Materials include minutes, reports, and correspondence. Folders are arranged chronologically. Kruse's work, The Projected Image: A History of Audio-Visual Education, is also included in this subseries. It is housed separately at the end of the collection due to its size (see box 26).
Series 2: Correspondence, 1913-1979, (9.5 lin. ft.)
This series contains the correspondence of DAVI officers and others associated with the organization. A majority of this material is official correspondence, although some is personal correspondence.
- Subseries 1: Officers' Correspondence, 1920-1977
This subseries contains the correspondence of Floyde E. Brooker, Dr. E. Winifred Crawford, and Robert C. Gerletti. Folders are arranged first by officer, then chronologically.
Floyde E. Brooker served as Executive Secretary of DAVI from 1955 to 1958. Before that, he acted as Director of Visual Aids for the U.S. Office of Education. As Director of Audio-Visuals for the Mutual Security Agency, Brooker helped establish training and production programs in several foreign countries. His files include much international material generated during his time at the Mutual Security Agency.
For over forty years, Dr. E. Winifred Crawford experimented in the educational use of audio-visual materials. Much of the material in the Crawford files is from the twenty-five years she served as director of audio-visual education in the Montclair, New Jersey schools. Crawford was also active in DAVI. She was a national delegate of DAVI and acted as regional president of Zone II. She was a member of the executive committee of DAVI's Metropolitan Branch and was on the editorial and television committees. Crawford was influential in prompting the development of the DAVI Archives.
Robert C. Gerletti served as president of DAVI from 1970-1971. His files contain materials collected during this period.
- Subseries 2: Alphabetical Correspondence, 1913-1979
This subseries contains the correspondence of DAVI officers and others associated with the organization. DAVI officers represented in this subseries include: Anna L. Hyer (executive secretary, 1958-1969), Howard Hitchens (executive secretary, 1969-?), Paul C. Reed (president, 1941-1942), W. Gayle Starnes (president, 1942-1943), Camilla Best (president, 1944-1945), James D. Finn (president, 1944-1945), and Wesley C. Meierhenry (president, 1967-1968). The folders are arranged alphabetically by DAVI correspondent, then chronologically.
- Subseries 3: Chronological Correspondence, 1937-1960
This subseries contains general DAVI correspondence, arranged chronologically by year. The early correspondence is general DAVI business. It includes some executive committee correspondence, minutes, constitutions, and by-laws. It provides an overview of the important issues and people in DAVI at the time. A majority of the later correspondence is William F. Kruse correspondence.
Series 3: Committees, 1947-1978 (2.5 lin. ft.)
This series documents the activities of DAVI committees. Materials include correspondence, memoranda, minutes, and meeting agenda.
- Subseries 1: Executive Committee, 1947-1970
This subseries documents the activities of the DAVI Executive Committee. Materials include minutes and meeting agenda. Folders are arranged chronologically.
- Subseries 2: Board of Directors, 1954-1978
This subseries documents the activities of the DAVI Board of Directors. It consists mainly of meeting minutes. Folders are arranged chronologically.
- Subseries 3: Other Committees, 1954-1969
This subseries documents the activities of various DAVI committees. Among those committees represented are the committee on legislation, the membership committee, the nominating committee, the constitutional revision committee, and other miscellaneous committees. Some executive committee material is included in the miscellaneous committees folders. Folders are arranged first by committee, then chronologically.
Series 4: College and University A-V Department Information, 1955-1957 (1.5 lin. ft.)
In 1955 and 1957, DAVI conducted a survey of the nation's college and university audio-visual departments. The results of the survey were compiled into a ten volume series of binders. Topics include: administrative forms and procedures, handbooks and teachers manuals, catalogs, newsletters and bibliographies, campus surveys and progress reports, research and project reports, "how to do it" materials, a-v course outlines, production facilities and production releases, and adult education. Folders are arranged by volume number.
Series 5: Subject Files, 1915-1972 (3.5 lin. ft.)
This series contains general materials relating to instructional technology. Topics include: articles on research in a-v instruction, the Film Council of America, the history of sound and the history of projection, international materials, and the National Audio-Visual Association. See box inventory for complete list of folder titles. Folders are arranged alphabetically.
Series 6: Francis W. Noel - U.S. Naval Reserve Training Aids, 1939-1979 (9.5 lin. ft.)
This series contains the papers of Francis W. Noel, who served as Director of Utilization of the Training Aids Section of the U.S. Navy during World War II. The Navy made extensive use of training aids during the war in order to increase the efficiency of armed forces training. World War II is credited with giving the audio-visual education movement its broad scale start toward public support and educational acceptance. The bulk of the material in this series is from World War II. However, this series also contains some personal Noel material from the 1970's. The later material largely documents the history of the training aids program of the U.S. Navy.
- Subseries 1: Alphabetical Correspondence, 1942-1977
This subseries contains official Navy correspondence of Francis W. Noel, arranged alphabetically by correspondent. Notable correspondents include Charles Hoban (DAVI president from 1932 to 1934, and head of U.S. Army Training Aids during the war), Floyde Brooker (DAVI executive secretary from 1955 to 1958), Lee Cochran (DAVI president from 1954 to 1955), Robert deKieffer (DAVI president from 1957 to 1958), and Charles Schuller (DAVI president from 1958 to 1959).
- Subseries 2: Chronological Correspondence, 1942-1944
This subseries contains official Navy correspondence of Francis W. Noel, arranged chronologically.
- Subseries 3: Personal Materials and Correspondence, 1941-1979
This subseries contains personal correspondence of Francis W. Noel, both from during the war and from the 1970's. This subseries also contains material concerning the history of the training aids program of the U.S. Navy, including a Spring 1970 article from the newsletter of the Audio-Visual Education Association of California and notes from interviews with Francis W. Noel. Also included are materials relating to an instructional media course that Noel taught in the 1970's. Folders are arranged chronologically.
- Subseries 4: U.S. Naval Training Aids Materials, 1939-1948
This subseries contains general material from the training aids program of the U.S. Navy, including bulletins, journals, manuals, training department photographs, and other training aids material. Included is a series of almost 150 U.S. Navy training department photographs from 1945. Folders are arranged first by topic (bulletins, motion pictures, instructor training, training aids, training department photographs, manuals), then chronologically.
- Subseries 5: Audio Cassettes
This subseries contains eighteen audio cassettes.
A complete guide in Adobe Acrobat (*.pdf) format can be downloaded here
