STEAMed Up At The Library

STEAMed Up At The Library: Using STEAM programs in the public library.

STEM or STEAM is not a trend, but a to way remember that children's education is important. When we teach children we don't focus on one way of learning but incorporate several methods. If you look up child development you will find that the theorists cannot agree on one singular method. Wait, what is STEM/STEAM you ask?

Science
Technology
Engineering
(Art)
Math

So, why is the Department of Education and others having our schools focus on STEM/STEAM?

As a nation we are failing to engage our children to become excited in mathematics and other areas, which will lead to a decline in college/university degrees, meaning that we will not be able to support ourselves as a nation. Further information about this can be found on the Department of Education's website, "Science, Technology, Engineering and Math: Education for Global Leadership."

What is the plan for STEM?

"The Committee on STEM Education (CoSTEM), comprised of 13 partner agencies—including all of the mission science agencies and the Department of Education—will facilitate a cohesive national strategy, with new and repurposed funds, to reorganize STEM education programs and increase the impact of federal investments in five areas: P-12 STEM instruction; increasing and sustaining public and youth engagement with STEM; improving the STEM experience of undergraduate students; better serving groups historically underrepresented in STEM fields; and designing graduate education for tomorrow's STEM workforce."

Why are librarians conducting STEM/STEAM programs?

First of all, it's fun! Hands on, up close learning, is a great way to learn and retain information. As librarians we have been making story time fun for decades with chants, dances, songs, and more. So why should we focus on incorporating science, technology, engineering, art, and math? I believe we should reach out to our community and promote learning. Learning is more than simply reading a book.

Yes, many teachers are using these subjects in school but libraries are not limited to school age children (or those who attend school). What about families who choose to home-school their children? Why not give one more reason for people to come into our libraries? And why not allow teens a chance to learn about the technology and media resources that are a part of their every day lives.

Why did I get all "STEAM"ed up? I watched a wonderful webinar entitled "STEAM in the Public Library: Programs & Services for Children" by Amy Koester and thought I would share. If you have an account with WebJunction you can watch it here or if you want the original (May 7, 2014) you can find it from Infopeople here. Although this webinar is a year old, I highly recommend it to librarians, teachers, or parents. A good webinar focusing on Teen STEM programs can be found on this link from Tech Soup, "Teens & Tech: Creating Successful STEM Programs in Libraries."

What if I have none to little money for programing?

Anyone who has helped with children and teen programs knows that recyclables can enhance a program. Don't feel that your program will make or break if you have the proper funding. If you do need funding reach out to the Friends of the Library, local companies, local organizations, or apply for grants (see links below).

There's too much pressure, I can't think of a program!

You wouldn't be the first to think this, but one of the great things about being a librarian- we share our knowledge. Search Pinterest (e.g. keywords "STEM" or "Engineering") or click on one of the links below. I have also shared links that were included in Amy Koester's webinar and a few I found myself.

Even if you don't choose to create a STEM or STEAM program, you can always enhance your current story times:

• Add a Non-Fiction Book
• Create a handout for Apps or learning websites
• Share new vocabulary words
• Show new tools that relate to your theme
• Ask questions! It doesn't cost anything but we can create engaged thinkers.

In the end the real goal is to inspire children and teens to think and create. If we are able to get them away from TV for a few hours, Epic Win!

Funding

Friends of the Library- check the one connected to your library or district.

Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grants- http://www.imls.gov/applicants/available_grants.aspx (for all grants)

• http://www.imls.gov/about/stem.aspx- Includes current STEM newsfeed, publication, and talking points.

STEM Grants.com- "STEMgrants.com provides info concerning: new STEM grant opportunities from federal agencies, state governments, foundations, and corporations.  It also identifies recent STEM grant winners, features news related to STEM funding trends,  provides updates on STEM initiatives and events, and offers insights on developing proposals in response to funding opportunities. STEMgrants.com also offers a free guide to those that sign up for its email list."

Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) by ALA- http://www.ala.org/yalsa/awardsandgrants/yalsaawardsgrants. Not STEM specific, but if you are a member to YALSA this is worth a look.

More Links

Code.org- "Our vision is that every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn computer science. We believe computer science and computer programming should be part of the core curriculum in education, alongside other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses, such as biology, physics, chemistry and algebra."

National STEM Video Game Challenge- "Inspired by the Educate to Innovate Campaign, President Obama’s initiative to promote a renewed focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education, the National STEM Video Game Challenge is a multi-year competition whose goal is to motivate interest in STEM learning among America’s youth by tapping into students’ natural passion for playing and making video games."

Robot Test Kitchen- "A group of Youth Services and Teen librarians. We believe that when imaginations play, learning happens. We aim to use simple robotics as a means to expand our learning experience for other new technologies. Our goal is to provide an entry point of simple robotics in a way Youth and Teen Librarians can understand."

Scratch- "With Scratch, you can program your own interactive stories, games, and animations — and share your creations with others in the online community. Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively — essential skills for life in the 21st century. Scratch is a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. It is provided free of charge. 

The Show Me Librarian-  Amy Koester's blog: "This blog is dedicated to exploring programs, services, and other topics in youth librarianship. I get lots of inspiration and ideas from fellow librarians out in the blogosphere, and my goal is to share details of my successes and learning moments in the hopes of adding to the vast pool of collective librarian knowledge. I'm a firm believer in the power of collaboration in this profession. We're a community of sharers, and I am thrilled to contribute."

STEM Collaborative- An idea list of programs and resources by grade. The STEM Collaborative was formed when four public television stations with a steadfast commitment to classroom and community education were awarded a Local Service Initiative grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to create innovative digital content in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) subject areas.

Tinker Group- "Tinker is a networking group for library staff who work–or want to work–with children, teens, and technology. We are interested in sharing programming ideas and providing an opportunity to work hands-on with technology."

Pin Addiction = Great Marketing

Back in April I posted a blog about Pinterest when my co-workers introduced me to it. After taking a look at the library's account, I decided I would like my own account. Since then I realized that posting to Pinterest is not only addicting but as a librarian it can be a marketing and self-promotion gold mine. Plus, it is a nice resume builder.

For example, I posted the following pin in June:

Since that time, you can see how many likes, repins, and comment it has created. This one pin might have brought people to look at my Pinterest account, but people started following the board it was posted in because of my hard work. I created the Paranormal Kind of Love- Teen/YA Readers board after my blog post of the same name. So from the beginning I had a nice list of books, however; if I wanted people to come back to my board I needed to continue to add new posts. 

• Tip*- My personal secret on finding books for selecting purchases is Barnes and Noble, but if I want to stay up-to-date with current books before they hit Barnes and Noble I use goodreads.com. Rapid City Public Library already has goodreads to help show their user reviews (which appear while viewing item records in our catalog).

Another thing I have learned from using Pinterest is that as great as blogs are they are a time consuming- unless you are someone who posts often. Which I personally find is not easy to do with two full-time jobs (librarian by day, devoted mother by night and weekends). I can pin 2-5 items a day and that seems to satisfy the Pinterest main websites categories to keep my account visible enough. Not to mention the crazy Twilight pin that started out silently, but averages 100 new repins a week. 

• Warning: Do NOT forget to select what kind of category your board should be listed under, that won't make the searches as affective. I learned this when I hardly had anyone looking at my boards.

Now that you see it from an individual point of view, let's look at things from a group/organization view point:

Pins + Public Interest = Followers. 

Basic principle but true. By working together the staff at RCPL went from the following numbers on April 5, 2012:

16 Boards

327 Pins

12 Likes

134 Followers

and 186 Following. 

To the current numbers (as of 11pm November 14, 2012):

35 Boards

1,009 Pins

48 Likes

441 Followers

and 257 Following.

• Tip*- Number of "Likes"? Not important. Number of "Following" does not need to be high to be impressive. 
• The truth that can be found in the statistics is how many new followers you have and WHO those followers are. If you have a Pinterest account, go ahead and see how many people you know. Now look and see how many are companies (libraries, groups, etc.) and how many people are unique users that you do not know (or affiliated with you in some manner). If you have any in the latter rather than the former, you are doing great. If not, try looking at this article on what website can help you better understand your Pinterest account. 

Let us not forget the important topic of self-promotion. Whether you are an individual user or a group using the same account, a successful Pinterest account can (in my opinion) only be seen as an asset. Pictures do circulate without the users caring where the original website the image was taken from (beware of malware, viruses, or inappropriate content). Yet, if you are using Pinterest for self-promotion you need to utilize where the pin's attached link takes the users.

For example, RCPL will post an image with a little information about the item. To give users the added value, RCPL staff does not link to a Google image search or a book store, we link directly to the catalog so that the users can place a hold on the item. People are very visually oriented, and as eBooks and downloadable audiobooks become even more popular a patron would like to see the below image, instead of just a name of the book and the author(s).

Tip*- Don't just pin to books or images- Be Creative!

• Share videos of a librarian reading a story or videos doing product comparisons.
• Honor your local businesses and show what they have to offer.
• Advertise events and programs that take the user to link that provide more information (Omaha Public Library has a wonderful board dedicated to this).
• Archive or present historical information that should be saved for future generations.
• And don't forget to search for other important companies/groups that are already on Pinterest: Consumer Reports, American Libraries Magazine- ALA, New York Public Library, SOS Inc Resources, and Coach, Inc. to name a few. Not only might they offer great pins to share, but give you a look as to what they are doing with their Pinterest account.

I am glad I have the opportunity to pin for Rapid City Public Libraries and the Black Hills Knowledge Network. Otherwise, I wouldn't have learn the above information. While the first year on the job is supposed to be the hardest I feel like I have learned much more. Perhaps something I can carry on through the rest of my life. This is just a hint to my next blog posting. I promise it won't take as long as it did for this one.

Please let me know of any comments, questions, and suggestions. I believe the best way to learn is through communication and shared experiences. Thanks for reading!

For more information:

10 Amazing Pinterest Tools To Help You Get The Best Out Of It by smashinghub.com.

http://smashinghub.com/10-amazing-pinterest-tools.htm

20 Ways Libraries Are Using Pinterest Right Now by edudemic.com.

http://edudemic.com/2012/03/20-ways-libraries-are-using-pinterest-right-now/

In Defense of Pinterest by Wired.com

http://www.wired.com/design/2012/10/st_thompson/

Pinterest and Academia

Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) webcast 9/18/12. http://www.slideshare.net/joseph.murphy/pinterest-for-academic-libraries-webcast-murphy-acrl

Pinterest for Business- "We are cataloging and archiving everything we can find that will help grow your business with Pinterest."

http://pinterest.com/pinterestbiz/

Pinterest for Business (Pinterest Board for statistics)

http://pinterest.com/pinterestbiz/pinterest-statistics/

Use Pinterest to Promote Your Programs And Services by Library Journal.

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2012/02/industry-news/use-pinterest-to-promote-your-programs-and-services/

Loud @ Your Library: Programs, Creative Promoting, and Family Nights

I have been working on an idea to provide inexpensive or free entertainment for family night at the library - a time where people of various ages can get together to learn and play new games; a night when people can be “Loud @ Your Library” with a four week rotation that includes the following types of family game nights:

1) “Board games @ Your Library,” where everyone plays board games like: Sorry, Monopoly, Chutes and Ladders, etc. , based on the National Gaming Day @ your Library (November 12, this year; see: http://www.ilovelibraries.org/gaming/ ). More information is listed below under children’s programming ideas.

2) “Card night @ Your Library” with a focus of peer based style of teaching: each on teach one. The adults teach other adults, the children teach other children. This includes games such as: Gin, Euchre, War, Go Fish, and for toddlers, a matching card game. (Poker is not recommended since gambling or other issues might arise). Other quiet paper games are possible, like Tic-Tac-Toe or even popular games such as Magic: The Gathering. This week can have groups separated by skill levels, allowing parents time to spend with their children or with other local adults.

3) “Playground night @ Your Library”: here, the main focus is games that require movement but not many additional resources such as: Red Light/Green Light, Mother May I?,  Simon Says, etc. Local cultural or social groups could be included to teach hand clapping, cheerleading, or stepping to the patrons. Red Rover might not be acceptable, but Four Square, Hopscotch, and Double Dutch or jumping ropes could be considered.

4) “Video Game Night @ Your Library”: an employee or patron may bring in an appropriate video game that is meant for multiple players to enjoy moving and teamwork such as: Wii’s Mario Party. The audience would be toddlers to adults. The initial outcome would vary, depending on how well the night was planned and organized and if enough people were interested in participating. Librarians should be prepared for problems that cannot be avoided: arguing (need rules of use for video game night), people leaving children and not staying (under a certain age, child must be accompanied by an adult), and other problems that relate to local community that the library already might already be trying to address.

Expected outcome: this type of program could provide a night when families can laugh and enjoy time together, a time for patrons to make new friends, an increase in the number of people who return on an non-game night, a chance for the library to inform the community of other ways the library can benefit the patron, and the community could feel closer through learning old favorites and new games that stitch cultures and generations together.

Success would be measured not only in the number of people who show up for the event but also if the amount of materials being checked out rises or if there is an increase in memberships. Marketing is very important to the success of this program.

Four innovative ideas for children’s programming.

1) Same Story/Different Story. Read The Three Little Pigs and then read The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka. Or read Little Red Riding Hood  and then Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood by Mike Artell. There are many variations to the same story, usually from different cultures. A great way to discuss the differences and understanding that there are different points of views.

2) Board @ the Library. Where everyone plays board games like: Sorry, Monopoly, Chutes and Ladders, etc. , based on the National Gaming Day @ your Library (November 12, this year; see: http://www.ilovelibraries.org/gaming/ ). Or playing card games with a focus of peers as teachers: each on teach one. The adults teach other adults, the children teach other children. This includes games such as: Gin, Euchre, War, Go Fish, and for toddlers, a matching card game. (Poker is not recommended since gambling or other issues might arise). Other quiet paper games are possible, like Tic-Tac-Toe or even popular games such as Magic: The Gathering.

3) LOL @ the Library. The main focus is games that require movement but not many additional resources such as: Red Light/Green Light, Mother May I?,  Simon Says, etc. Local cultural or social groups could be included to teach hand clapping, cheerleading, or stepping to the patrons. Red Rover might not be acceptable, but Four Square, Hopscotch, and Double Dutch or jumping ropes could be considered.

 4) Pirate Party. Especially good for “Talk Like a Pirate Day” (September 19 this year; see: http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html). Bring out the pirate and buccaneers books (and movies) and get ready for some fun.

Three creative ideas for promoting a library and/or children services.

1) Create an icon that will grab attention and place in local community- at church, daycares, grocery stores, and local attractions that parents and children visit. Children are able to understand that the double arches for McDonalds symbolizes the location and fond memories before they can say the word “McDonalds”. By creating an icon (preferably with some information “See you @ Your Library”) will draw curiosity as well as provide memories and acknowledgement.

2) A survey hidden as a prize. Ask that children from the age of 5 to 12 write to your library and tell the library what they would like at the library and why. Free suggestions, possible out come of the idea being in place. But implement local community by the prize fitting in the community. Free passes to local theaters or restaurant (preferably) not owned by a chain.

3) Bookmark contest. Children or Teens come up with an idea to create a bookmark that implements something in the library that they hadn’t known before. Such as: audio books, reference desk assistance with tough homework questions, etc.