scholarly journals STEAM Learning in Public Libraries: A “Guide on the Side” Approach for Inclusive Learning

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Brooks Mitchell ◽  
Claire Ratcliffe ◽  
Keliann LaConte
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Math Skills ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Inclusive Learning ◽  
Library Program ◽  
Modeling Clay

Children and their families are practicing STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) skills through a library program. Hand-crank generators and LED bulbs are set out on each of the tables, along with two types of dough—conductive play dough and insulating modeling clay.

scholarly journals It’s Not Just for Public Libraries: An Academic Library’s Journey to Become a PA Forward Star Library

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 70-74
Author(s):  
Christina J. Steffy
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Learning Commons ◽  
Library Program

Over 200 libraries across the commonwealth participate in the Pennsylvania Library Association (PaLA) PA Forward Star Libraries program. Only five of those are academic libraries. While it may seem like PA Forward initiatives and its Star Library program are only for public libraries, academic libraries offer an array of programs related to the literacies. This article describes how the Seraph Foundation Learning Commons at Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences supported each of the five basic literacies with current and new programming to earn silver star status.

scholarly journals Out of the Pickle: Promoting Food Science and STEM in Public Libraries

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 102-114
Author(s):  
Dawn States
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Statistical Information ◽  
Food Science ◽  
Science Program ◽  
School Students ◽  
Stem Programs ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
And Mathematics

This article explores the popularity of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) movement and provides related statistical information as well as a projection of the future importance and impact of STEM. This article summarizes the significance and need for STEM both locally and nationally, focusing food science in public libraries to increase and maintain interest among secondary school students. This article furnishes an overview of how a food science program was implemented at Martin Library and how this same programming is scalable for any size library. In addition, this article provides an overview of how libraries across the nation and Martin library are providing vital STEM programs to communities. 

scholarly journals Stretching STEM: Using Picturebooks to Connect STEM and Literacy

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Mary-Kate Sableski
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Stem Fields ◽  
Critical Fields ◽  
Interest In Science ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Integral Component ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Library Programming ◽  
Minorities In Stem

STEM is an integral component to today’s library programming, engaging children in active, hands-on experiences and building interest in these critical fields. There is a documented dearth of representation across women and minorities in STEM fields, and programming in public libraries can help to close this gap by fostering an early interest in science, technology, engineering, and math in all children, regardless of their background or access to STEM curriculum in school.

scholarly journals STEM Buddies EN by Z. Soufan

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raven Germain
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Logical Organization ◽  
Fantasy Novels ◽  
Multiple Question ◽  
Second Year ◽  
The University ◽  
Google Play

Soufan, Ziad. STEM Buddies EN. Project Hikaya, 2018. Vers. 1.1.2. Google Play Store, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.stem_buddies.en This educational application uses a combination of multimedia elements such as video, audio, and text to create an engaging and interactive storytelling experience that teaches children about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) topics. The app consists of three parts: an animated story, a short quiz, and downloadable colouring pages. Upon opening the app, the user is prompted to watch the animation first, with learning objectives presented for the chosen topic. After the short, subtitled, five-minute video, in which the viewer has the opportunity to pause and rewind, the user is then directed to either the quiz or the colouring pages, which reflect the material presented in the video. This intuitive and logical organization ensures that the informative video is a precursor for the interactive activities and consequently enables learning through reflection and repetition. Through accessible language, the current module, “Water Cycle,” seamlessly integrates an original, engaging story and memorable characters with pedagogical elements that explain how rain forms (evaporation, condensation, precipitation), the importance of water, and the problems associated with the lack of rain. The simple, five-question quiz contains multiple question types and uses audio, text, and pictures to provide children with multiple avenues for identification and learning. Through the quiz, children are required to make intelligent decisions regarding what they have learned. Feedback is given in the form of gamification, with correct answers being positively reinforced by the attainment of gold stars, and completion of the quiz resulting in a personalized certificate of achievement for that module. A myriad of colouring pages, available for use within the app or for individual download, reflect familiar themes and characters and continue to provide some interactivity after the module has been completed. Available in English and Arabic, this new, free application currently only contains one subject module, with more scheduled to be released in the future. With superior graphic design, no ads, and no in-app purchases, the possibility for distractions and unintended purchases are removed. Despite these desirable features, the video and narrative itself could be more interactive on the textual and visual level by incorporating hotspots for touching, swiping, and exploring. I would recommend it for use in public libraries and by teachers in elementary schools for children aged 5 to 9. Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Raven Germain Raven Germain is a second year MLIS student at the University of Alberta with a love of children’s literature. When not studying, she enjoys travelling, playing piano, and immersing herself in fantasy novels.

scholarly journals Cutting through the Fog: Government Information, Librarians, and the Forty-Fifth Presidency

2018 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kian A. Flynn ◽  
Cassandra J. Hartnett
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
First Century ◽  
Government Information ◽  
Educational Programming ◽  
The Public ◽  
Existing Structures ◽  
Turbulent Times ◽  
Library Program ◽  
The Government ◽  
Use Of Social Media

The presidential election of 2016 and the ensuing forty-fifth presidential administration have been marked by an increasingly polarized electorate, concerns about “fake news,” and a greater use of social media. President Trump and his administration have utilized the increased disintermediation of information consumption by communicating directly to the public and going around the “experts.” These phenomena raise issues for government information librarians concerned with the production, distribution, consumption, and preservation of government information, and impact the public’s understanding of—and trust in—government information. The government information issues we see today are not entirely new, as past governmental obfuscation has been well documented, but confronting these issues in the twenty-first century poses unique challenges. Fortunately, individuals, institutions, and libraries across the country are responding to this unique moment with a host of innovative solutions that promise to keep Americans informed in these turbulent times. Current engagement around these issues is reflected in educational programming at universities and public libraries, citizen actions such as the Data Rescue movement, and hybrid projects such as the End of Term Archive. The Government Publishing Office (GPO) is due for modernization, and statutory reform of 44 U.S.C., chapter 19, is being debated by the Committee on House Administration, library associations, and the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) community. To meet the long-term needs of our users, librarians should advocate for the strengthening of existing structures for federal information such as the FDLP, LOCKSS-USDOCS, and the Hathi Trust Digital Library. Future initiatives must ensure that official legal processes remain in place to protect government information, while leaving room for creative nongovernmental collaborations as well.

scholarly journals Basic Project Management for Weeding Government Documents Collections

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Celina McDonald
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
Government Documents ◽  
Library Program ◽  
The Government

For as long as academic libraries have participated in the federal depository library program, there has been an inherent conflict between their academic and depository mandates. While state and public libraries are tasked with serving the greater public, academic libraries have an imperative to meet the specific needs of their institutions. As institutional priorities have evolved and new needs emerged, many academic depositories have come to face pressures of staffing and physical space that lead to the desire to downsize their physical government documents holdings in favor of digital surrogates. Because the government documents received through the federal depository library program are not the libraries’ property, withdrawing these materials is a time consuming, labor intensive, costly, and complicated undertaking.

A study to evaluate the digitization level of Korean libraries (part I)

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 314-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Younghee Noh
Keyword(s):  
Digital Library ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Smart Devices ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Wide Margin ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Library Resources ◽  
Library Program ◽  
Reference Service

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discover and enumerate the elements of the digital library and measure how much an individual library was equipped with the characteristics of the digital library accordingly. Design/methodology/approach – For this purpose several steps were taken. First, research on the characteristics and the representative services of the digital library were comprehensively reviewed. Second, examples of the library services that were being considered for the next generation digital library were investigated to compare with the conventional library services. Third, the elements of the conventional and the digital libraries initially extracted were examined by ten experts. These experts were composed of researchers and professors specializing in digital libraries, and career librarians who had worked in the digital library field for at least ten years. The elements were verified through discussions with them. Fourth, 19 university libraries, 16 public libraries, and 17 special libraries were selected in accordance with the verified elements of the conventional and the digital libraries to measure the digitization level of the libraries. Findings – The following is a summary of the evaluation of the first eight evaluation items, which are covered in Part 1 of this study. The remaining five items will be covered in Part 2. First, the digitization level of the acquisition element and classification and cataloguing was significantly high. Second, book collections excluding “digital video,” reference service, library program service, and space service showed significantly conventional characteristics. Third, in the element of circulation services, the item of lending books offline and returning the books scored 92.64 and the item of lending-returning with use of smart devices and social media obtained significantly low scores. Also, the average in using the book return desk for the circulation service was 81.39, much higher than using the automatic book return machine, which scored 18.61, by a wide margin. Fourth, in the element of user services, the digital item of providing support for mobile services related to the library resources demonstrated higher scores than the conventional item, but other items showed more conventional characteristics. In particular, the item of duplication services for material scored 94.99, but other items such as support for publication/bookbinding services using digital publication tools and devices obtained significantly low scores. Originality/value – This study is first study in the world to measure the level of digitization of the library. Therefore, hereafter, each library will be able to measure and determine its digital position based on these elements. Up to now, some research was performed in pursuit of extracting the elements of a library but it has relied solely on literature review. Comprehensive research had never been performed as in this study.

scholarly journals Building Upon the STEM Movement: Programming Recommendations for Library Professionals

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette Shtivelband ◽  
Lauren Riendeau ◽  
Robert Jakubowski
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Free Choice ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Stem Learning ◽  
Stem Programs ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Children's Librarians ◽  
Free Choice Learning ◽  
And Mathematics

A growing body of evidence is showing that youth develop their interests in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through participation in activities across the informal and free-choice learning environments found in libraries.1 Many libraries have joined a national movement in which libraries deliver STEM programming to youth.2 Public libraries are a place for STEM learning,3 and children’s librarians are uniquely positioned to promote a love of STEM learning among youth through such programs. The benefits of STEM programming in public libraries are promising.4 For example, participating youth can become proficient in key STEM content and skills, such as critical thinking and engineering design processes.It is critical to youth and community success that these existing STEM programs continue to grow and expand. Public libraries are an ideal location for these programs. They provide a familiar and trusted learning environment for diverse and underserved families.5 Providing children’s librarians with a “six strand” framework will help guide the successful expansion of these fun and engaging STEM programs.6 This article provides specific recommendations and resources to help prepare and support librarians feel in adopting and implementing STEM in their programming.

The relationships between the expenditures and resources of public libraries and children’s and young adults’ use: An exploratory analysis of Institute of Museum and Library Services public library statistics data

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 307-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soohyung Joo ◽  
Maria Cahill
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Library Use ◽  
Library Resources ◽  
Library Program ◽  
Children And Young Adults ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Material Circulation

Children’s librarians have long recognized the value of libraries for the development of children and adolescents and have championed for appropriate funding to support programs and services targeted to children, adolescents, and families. Using data from the Institute of Museum and Library Services National Public Library Survey, this study examined the relationships between the expenditures and resources of public libraries and children’s and young adults’ use. Three groups of variables were chosen from the dataset to represent expenditures, resources, and children’s and young adults’ library use respectively. Correlation analysis results reveal that most of the expenditures and resources variables were significantly correlated with children’s and young adults’ library use in libraries of all sizes. Further, analyses of material circulation and program attendance rates reveal that children’s materials account for more than one-third of total library material circulations and 70% of public library program participants attend programs designed for children. The findings of this study provide empirical evidence to support the investment in library resources and services for children and young adults and are discussed in light of expansion of library services and programming focused on informal learning.

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