Pushing the Limits: Building Capacity to Enhance Public Understanding of Math and Science Through Rural Libraries

该项目旨在通过当地图书馆开发STEM教育模式。这一努力有几个独特的特点。这种模式针对的是地理位置远离博物馆、动物园和科学中心等典型场所的农村图书馆和成年居民。根据2000年的人口普查，这一群体的规模正在增加，变得更加多样化，有5000万人。努力影响经济上处于不利地位的不同受众将是该计划的一部分。在许多农村地区，很少有社区场所，但图书馆经常存在。美国图书馆协会和农村和小型图书馆协会已经开始对这些图书馆进行改造，使它们能够更加适应它们所处的社区。因此，这个项目是一个努力寻找新的方式来传达STEM的概念，一个相当大的服务不足的群体。其设计是通过书友会和科学咖啡馆的混合结合，进一步辅以视频和网络材料，来获得“知识增强单元”（例如气候变化的某些部分）。设计的另一部分是增强图书馆工作人员的STEM基础知识，并将知识单元与具有特定单元的特定STEM主题知识的个人相关联。应作出相当大的努力，发展提高工作人员知识的模式，接受培训的图书馆员的数目逐渐从8人增加到20人，再增加到135人。为了构建内容库模型，将设计五个知识单元并分发给参与的图书馆。嘉民研究小组对项目的评估包括前端、形成性和总结性。除了“知识增强单元”之外，主要成果将是如何最好地联系和教育农村环境中的公民以及如何教育图书馆工作人员的模型。出版物和专题介绍将是阐述结果和鼓励其他人采用这一模式并使其适应其自身情况的主要机制。

This project is intended to develop a model for STEM education through local libraries. There are several unique features in this endeavor. The model is being aimed at rural libraries and adult residents that are geographically remote from typical venues such as museums, zoos, and science centers. According to the 2000 census, there are 50 million individuals in this designation and the size of the group is increasing and becoming more diverse. Efforts to impact diverse audiences who are economically disadvantaged will be part of the plan. In many rural locations there are few community venues, but libraries are often present. The American Library Association and the Association Rural and Small Libraries have begun the reinvention of these libraries so they can become more attuned to the communities in which they are apart. Thus, this project is an effort to find new ways of communicating STEM concepts to a reasonably large underserved group.The design is to derive a "unit of knowledge enhancement" (some portion of Climate Change, for example) through a hybrid combination of book-club and scientific café further augmented with videos and web materials. Another part of the design is to enhance the base STEM knowledge of library staff and to associate the knowledge unit with an individual who has the specific STEM topic knowledge for a specific unit. Considerable effort shall be expended in developing the models for staff knowledge enhancement with a progressive number of librarians in training from 8 to 20 to 135. To build the content library model, five units of knowledge will be devised and circulated to participating libraries. Evaluation of the project includes front end, formative and summative by the Goodman Research Group.In addition to the "units of knowledge enhancement," the major results will be the model on how best to relate and educate citizens in rural environments and how to educate the library staff. Publications and presentations will be the major mechanism for elaboration of the results and encouragement for others to take up the model and adapt it for their own circumstances.