Eclipse 2017 in Libraries: The Impact of Providing 2.1 Million Eclipse Glasses and Support to 7,100 Libraries Nationwide

With support from the Moore Foundation, Google, NASA, and the Research Corporation, we were able to distribute 2.1 million eclipse glasses (and an extensive booklet of eclipse information and outreach ideas) to approximately 7,100 public, school, tribal and military libraries throughout the U.S. This project was the single largest program to provide glasses and eclipse information to the public in the country for the 2017 total eclipse. The project used (and significantly enhanced) the existing STAR Library Network, set up and maintained by the National Center for Interactive Learning at the Space Science Institute (with support primarily from NSF and NASA.) We were able to provide glasses and information to a diverse set of institutions, including urban, rural, tribal, small-town, and large-city libraries, and were thus able to reach audiences not usually served by science outreach programs. Participating libraries were required to conduct a minimum number of events (in addition to the eclipse day event) and many partners from other national outreach projects worked with local libraries to put on educational events before or on the day of the eclipse. Here we summarize the history of the project, the various components and how they worked together, and the results of a post-eclipse survey of the librarians, which provided numbers, photographs, and reflections from the libraries and their patrons.

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