The purpose of this national survey was to connect with librarians to determine: (1) What STEM programming is currently in place? How do libraries approach and implement these programs? (2) What obstacles prevent libraries from incorporating more STEM programming? (3) What kind of training and resources would be most helpful to librarians? Additionally, we sought the following information from STEM professionals, for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a Community of Practice: (4) What factors influence and enhance the success of Communities of Practice?
The Allegheny County Library Association will partner with ASSET, Inc. to provide professional development in principles of STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and inquiry-based practices to youth service librarians representing 45 libraries. Participating librarians will learn strategies to incorporate these concepts into the design and implementation of programming in a library setting. In addition to hosting a series of workshops over the grant period, the project will develop an online community of practice and specific training for library directors and trustees on the importance of incorporating STEM principles into library programming. Upon completion of this training, participating librarians will be better equipped to design and implement engaging STEM programming that will help students to supplement in-school STEM learning, which research suggests may lead students to pursue STEM-related careers.
The number of Latinos and Native Americans represented in library and information science professions is extremely low. The University of Arizona School of Information Resources and Library Science will address this inequity in its Connected Learning in Digital Heritage Curation project, which focuses on archives and special collections, medical librarianship, and public librarianship. The project will educate 24 culturally competent master’s degree students to serve Latino and Native American communities in the digital world. Students will gain hands-on experience working as graduate assistants with project partners: the University of Arizona Libraries, Center for Creative Photography, Arizona Health Sciences Library, Pima County Public Library, Arizona Historical Society, Arizona State Museum, Labriola National American Indian Data Center, American Indian Film Gallery, Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research and the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records.
The Urban Libraries Council (ULC) and the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) will conduct a fifteen-month project designed to increase resources, inspire innovation, and build national awareness of public libraries as leaders in summer learning. ULC and NSLA will increase knowledge of emerging models; deepen connections between library, summer learning, and school leaders; and help build national visibility with local government, school, and library leaders of the role and value of public libraries in summer learning. Project activities include: a national scan of research-based practices, including a survey, site visits, interviews, and a focus group; identification of emerging models that incorporate library-school partnerships as well as science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) learning, connected learning, and family learning; development of an online resource guide; and the building of a library-based peer learning network.
The Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME) will partner with the New Hampshire Department of Education, the American Library Association (ALA), the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), and others to engage in-service and pre-service school librarians and teachers in multiple settings in the use of curated open educational resources (OER) for Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teaching and learning. The project will include annual spring professional learning academies; semi-annual professional development symposia; and virtual support. Project outcomes include the development of new teaching and social learning practices; the creation and sharing of high quality standards-aligned instructional units and text sets focused on STEM inquiry; higher education courseware modules; and a replicable and scalable community of practice and professional learning network.
This University of Wisconsin System will conduct research to understand how the Madison Public Library (MPL) is building a production-oriented approach to literacy and learning through their maker-focused program, the Bubbler. On a national level, this project speaks to educational research communities, professionals, members of informal learning institutions, and organizers of designed makerspaces. At the local level, it addresses underserved populations in the Madison area and MPL in evaluating and developing the Bubbler. Findings will be shared through conference presentations, journal articles, and networks of library professionals.
The Expanding Children’s Interest through Experiential Learning (EXCITE) Project will target K-8th students in expanded learning programs to increase ongoing NASA STEM informal education opportunities for organizations that serve primarily underrepresented and underserved student populations. The AERO Institute will leverage existing collaborations to build capacity of participating organizations in NASA inspired STEM activities. Major partners include Navajo Nation in Arizona, the Beyond the Bell branch of the Los Angeles Unified School District, and the Region 8 of the California After School Program housed in the Ventura County of Education. In addition, the EXCITE Learning Project plans to work with libraries to broaden the scope and impact of NASA’s Education materials and opportunities within underrepresented and underserved local communities. AERO Education specialists will train educators and librarians using the Train-the-Trainer approach. The training sessions will be filmed and made available online via the AERO website and its network on YouTube so that educators and librarians can refresh their understanding as needed.
Due to geographical isolation, rural communities are often underserved by the informal STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education system. As part of its overall strategy to enhance learning in informal environments, the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program funds innovative resources for use in a variety of settings including rural communities. Thus, this project will help to develop rural libraries and librarians into STEM learning centers and facilitators who will use community assets providing new horizons for youth on career choices and adults on an enhanced STEM knowledge base. Through online professional development exercises, the library staff will enhance their knowledge, enabling them to develop and support new STEM learning mechanisms in their communities. In this project, 110 rural libraries will be chosen from applicants to obtain advanced knowledge of how to facilitate STEM learning. It is anticipated that the staff will change from being resource persons to facilitators of STEM knowledge transfer. The project is a collaboration between Dartmouth College, Dominican University, the Institute of Learning Innovation, Dawson, Media Group, and the Califa Group. The research questions address: a quantitative assessment of rural librarian's STEM efficacy and professional identity, and a determination of the efficacy and impact of multiple forms of professional development and learning tools on rural librarians' ability to participate in and facilitate informal STEM learning.
The Metropolitan Reference and Research Library Agency's National Digital Stewardship Residency in New York (NDSR-NY) addresses the library profession's lack of staff who are trained to successfully acquire, manage, and preserve digital materials. The three-year project builds on the pilot program (NSDR) developed by the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. It will support 10 students in gaining skills and experience to begin successful careers in digital stewardship; increase the number of skilled professionals; and help replicate the model residency program across the country. The NDSR-NY project will transform the landscape of certificate programs by using a blended approach that combines education with practical, hands-on work and by bringing together best practices to build a tested curriculum that teaches core competencies.