Partnering with the Nations 16,000 Public Libraries to Target a Diverse America

The STAR Library Network (STAR Net) began 10 years ago as an exhibition program traveling to a small number of libraries across the country. It has now expanded to a network of approximately 8,000 public library staff, scientists, and other STEM educators. Libraries who have participated in this program over the years have reported gaining long-term partnerships because of their participation. This includes members of NASA Volunteer Networks (e.g., Night Sky Network and Solar System Ambassadors), local university researchers, individual scientists, and members of professional societies (like the American Society of Civil Engineers.) This network allowed 2.1 million solar viewing glasses to be distributed to over 7,000 individual library locations as part of the August 21, 2017 eclipse. It is estimated that these libraries conducted programs reaching approximately 1.75 million people and allowed 6 million people to safely observe the eclipse. In the summer of 2019, the STAR Net team worked with the Collaborative Summer Library Program for the "Summer of Space" campaign, which saw more than 4,800 libraries registered to provide an engaging summer learning program for their community.- Public libraries are no longer just places for books and research, they have become vibrant community hubs where STEM is at the forefront and everyone is eager to participate. This presentation will focus on lessons learned from evaluation and research conducted as part of the STAR Net program. Session participants will be asked to consider reaching out to their local public library to begin new partnerships and reaching out to the STAR Net team for possible future collaborations.