Digital STEAM Equity Library Conference and Paid Research Opportunities for Library Students, Virtual
Posted October 13, 2023
About the Conference
There is a free virtual conference being hosted by the Space Science Institute’s STAR Library Education Network (STAR Net, otherwise known as “the people sending eclipse glasses everywhere”).
We are hosting a culminating conference for library staff from across the country who have participated in our National Science Foundation funded STEAM Equity project. These libraries are all rural, serve large populations of Spanish-speakers, and committed to increasing the participation of tween girls in STEM activities during their 3 years in this project. This conference will take place October 23rd and 24th.
Who should attend? This conference is open to any student or staff in MLIS, Research Methods, or related programs interested in learning more about how libraries in small, rural, often underfunded communities support STEM learning in informal environments. Topics include partnerships, creating hands-on activities, evaluating programs, and methods to effectively reach unique and minoritized populations. The attached schedule-at-a-glance will help folks decide if they may want to attend!
Please Register HERE if you plan to attend this virtual conference.
Opportunities for Students
Separate from the conference our project PI Anne Holland is also available to meet with MLIS (or related program) students who may be interested in utilizing some of our data for class projects, practicum, theses or even dissertations! This includes data being collected from our current eclipse programs impacting more than 12,000 libraries nationwide. The data is big, and we can’t do it alone! Depending on student schedules and currently available grant-funds, opportunities may exist for part time work as well (our preference is part time work that is also in support of a school project). Students can reach out to me directly to discuss these opportunities. All work will be under our existing IRBs.
Space Science Institute’s Free Resources
- The STEM Activity Clearinghouse, with activities curated especially for public libraries
- A crash course BLOG in all things eclipse, just in time!
- Our publications, including research, evaluation and other reports on public libraries and their communities!
For More Information
Please reach out if you have any questions about this conference, or our work in general. Please also note that Anne Holland is always happy (again, for free!) to provide lectures or Q&As for MLIS classes over zoom (or in person if they can swing it with their travel!). You can reach Anne at [email protected].