ESL Collections, University Libraries, and Internationalization

This research study examines the content, types of materials, locations, and library collection development policies concerning ESL (English as a second language) materials collections on university campuses in the United States and Canada. ESL learning materials are defined in this study as those materials supporting adult learners who are non-native speakers of English in a higher education setting. The purpose of this study is to describe the content and types of materials in these collections, to learn where these collections are typically housed on university campuses, to discover what collection development policies may inform the building of these collections, and to explore the potential significance of these collections for university libraries. The overriding question that informs this study is the following: Can involvement with ESL collections serve as a way for university libraries to participate in internationalization by supporting the language needs of international students?

Scottish Rite (Masonic Order) French Language Collection, 1787-1825, 1907, n.d.

The origins of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry can be traced to France around 1754, when a Chapter of Claremont was founded in Paris. Initially this chapter had seven degrees, but by 1758 there were twenty-five degrees, known as the Rite of Perfection. In 1761, Stephen Morin was appointed to introduce the Rite into the New World. He began with Kingston, Jamaica and San Domingo. Further establishments were made in New Orleans, LA(1763); Albany, NY (1767); Philadelphia, PA (1782); and Charleston, SC (1783). In order to improve the disorganized state of the degrees in Europe, “Grand Constitutions” were enacted in 1786. These Constitutions formally brought into existence the “Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite”. None of the degrees of the Scottish Rite would seem to have origins in Scotland. “Scottish” is translated from the French word “Ecossais”, which is found in some of the French titles of some of the degrees of the Rite of Perfection. It is possible that the Scottish connection is a result of the involvement of a Scotsman, Andrew Michael Ramsey, who may have devised some of the degrees.