EMTS History (imagemap)

The MLA Educational Media & Technologies Section: A Twenty-Five Year History

Building Up Speed

Exactly ten years ago the technology of the media scene had altered enough to change the direction of our group. "Health Sciences Audiovisual Section" no longer applied to the learning resource facilities of our membership, nor did it apply to our section. The rapid development of interactive computer-based learning added a new format to media collections across the globe. Now, as the digital world expands to offer more technologically advanced methods of education, we can look back and realize that the name change was almost prophetic. On May 22, 1988 at the New Orleans annual business meeting the name was formally changed to "Educational Media & Technologies Section."

The development of the EMTS listserv by Charles Greenberg in the fall of 1993 made communication to our membership speedy and efficient. [Our listserv (EMTS@listserv.arizona.edu) is now administered by Dave Piper]. With the listserv EMTS activities could receive instant attention and response. One of those activities was the beginning of an on-line newsletter in 1996. The ease of listserv use also brought about the re emergence of the core list.

In 1994 Bill Karnoscak and Marlene Smith took on the responsibility of the new core list. As returns drifted in, it was determined that "core" list might be presumptuous and a name change was in order. The "Highly Recommended AV and Computer-Based Learning Survey" results were posted to a web-site at: (http://www.med.umkc.edu/media_center2emts.html). In 1996 Marlene took over the committee and continues to add survey results along with titles from the Learning Resource Center exhibit on an annual basis.

The EMTS Learning Resource Center seems like its been around for a long time because just the words alone reflect what EMTS is all about. Once again, Charles Greenberg was responsible for the first LRC in 1994 (see Sidebar: The EMTS Learning Centers Through Time) and it continues to flourish under his committee chairship. The LRC is certainly one of the more popular exhibits at the annual meeting. The spring 1994 EMTS Newsletter announced it as an "exciting new initiative offering a hands-on demonstration/discovery laboratory for MLA members to preview state-of-the-art computer-based instruction."

The May 1995 issue of the EMTS Newsletter announced another contribution by Charles Greenberg (chair 1994-95). He produced our first web-site with lists of officers, annual reports, programs, publications and other activities. In 1997 Eric Schnell took over our web-site at: (http://bones.med.ohio-state.edu/emts/emts.html). As the web-site grows it has become an archival source for our newsletters and records, current EMTS and MLA activities, as well as a link to related information and resources.