STAR_Net Webinar Series Announced
The STAR_Net team is proud to announce that a monthly webinar series focusing on preparing libraries for conducting STEM programs in their libraries will begin in the month of March. Future dates will be confirmed in the March STAR_Net News, so please keep your eyes on your inbox! The inaugural webinar will be on March 16th at 10PT/11MT/12CT/1ET. Details on the March webinar follow:

NASA's Solar System Ambassador's: Nationwide Support for Libraries Webinar March 16th, 2017 10PT/11MT/12CT/1ET

For more than 16 years, Solar System Ambassadors have been communicating the excitement of NASA’s space exploration missions and information about recent discoveries to people in their communities.  These enthusiastic volunteers seek out a variety of local venues for their programs, with one of their favorites being libraries.  Over the years, Ambassadors have conducted 1,697 events at libraries across the country, reaching 132,163 people directly.

There are currently 702 Ambassadors in all 50 states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and Guam.  Kay Ferrari, Solar System Ambassador Coordinator, will share how these volunteers can support your library’s STEAM activities and where you can find your closest NASA volunteer.

Also joining the conversation will be Margaret S. Race, Ph.D, a trained ecologist and astrobiologist working on astrobiology and planetary protection at the SETI institute. She is a longtime JPL Solar System Ambassador, and has served on the Board of Trustees at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center in the SF Bay Area.

Space will be limited to 100 registrants, and we anticipate this will be a very popular program, please register ASAP to reserve your spot (webinar will be archived for those unable to attend). We request that those who are able from the same institution use one connection to allow more people to participate. 

To register, please click here The password to register is "star1"

This webinar will be VoiP only, so you will need to use a laptop, or a desktop computer with a microphone and headset (there will be no call-in option)

We have some exciting news to share! Last month during the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting, a new STEM in Public Libraries Member Initiative Group (STEM MIG)was established. We hope this new group will be of interest to you, and provide support for an active community of ALA members interested in and involved with STEM programming. A full description of the MIG’s charge is below.(Participation in the STEM MIG is restricted to ALA members; if you are not currently a member, you can learn more by visiting http://www.ala.org/membership/become-ala-member.)

With the ALA Annual Conference just a few months away, we’d like to invite your involvement in the group!

Join the ALA Connect group. If you’re interested in participating in networking, idea exchanges, in-person and online meetings, conference programs, and grant opportunities, this is the place to get started. Simply click here, log into your ALA Connect account, and click “Join.” We hope to have a member-established Facebook page for the STEM MIG in the near future as well.

Volunteer to serve as a designated organizer of the MIG. For those interested in taking on a leadership role, we’re looking for 2-4 individuals to take the lead in convening a meeting and/or meet-up style gathering during the Annual Conference in June. The gathering can be as informal as you like; the goal is to get interested members together to connect and share ideas. There are no particular requirements other than ALA membership and a desire to contribute. If you would like to volunteer or learn more, please contact Lainie Castle(lcastle@ala.org) or Sarah Ostman (sostman@ala.org), staff liaisons in the Public Programs Office. ALA will provide meeting space at the convention center, communication support, and staff assistance with activities as needed. This is a great opportunity to take a leadership role in the Association, without involvement in an election or appointment process! We can also connect you to organizers of another ALA MIG, if you would like advice and guidance from a peer.

Consider conference program ideas for 2017. Members of the STEM MIG will have the opportunity to propose programs for presentation during the 2017 Annual Conference. If your library has an outstanding program model, partnership, or something else that you think others would learn from, let us know.

As with other Member Initiative Groups, the STEM MIG will only flourish if our members get involved. We look forward to hearing from you, and hope for the opportunity to meet many of you in Orlando!

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STEM in Public Libraries Member Initiative Group (STEM MIG): Libraries across the country have been reimagining their community role and leveraging their resources and public trust to strengthen community-based learning and foster critical thinking, problem solving, and engagement in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Just as 21st Century skills include innovation and creativity, libraries are developing new ways to engage their patrons, from pre-school to adults, in STEM learning. Introducing patrons to STEM research and the latest technological developments is something libraries are well-positioned to do. What started some years ago as independent experiments has become a national movement. As libraries evolve into community anchor institutions, this work is becoming an important piece of the programming and partnership puzzle. This group will help librarians engage their communities through the development and exchange of programming resources, hands-on training opportunities, activities that can be used in public programming, and announcements about new discoveries and upcoming events. The group’s efforts will support improved service to groups historically underrepresented in STEM fields, and help increase and sustain youth and public engagement in STEM. Staff liaisons: Lainie Castle-Cimfel and Sarah Ostman, Public Programs Office

The STAR Library Education Network (STAR_Net) is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation and other funders. STAR stands for Science-Technology Activities and Resources. This ground-breaking initiative includes a traveling STEM exhibition program, the development of STEM activities for public libraries, a comprehensive training program that includes in-person workshops and webinars, the development of the STAR_Net Online Community, and a research and evaluation program. STAR_Net is led by the Space Science Institute’s National Center for Interactive Learning. Partners include the American Library Association, Lunar and Planetary Institute, and the Afterschool Alliance along with many other organizations.