The need for curriculum materials collections/centers is evident with the study of the development of education practices in the United States. "Keeping-school" was viewed with such disdain that anyone without training was believed to be able to teach - "Any farmer can teach" (Bowen, 1887, p. 14). As education became more important to the growth of the nation and its citizens, teacher preparation changed from mimicking how one was taught to being viewed as a science and requiring its own laboratories similar to science and medical laboratories.