Cornerstones of Science understands that public libraries are essential institutions for their communities. The resources, highlighted here, can be used to help library directors and, their staff, build the leadership skills, organizational capacities to be adaptive, inclusive, and proactive in taking action, supporting community resilience and serving as vital hubs for actionable science-information, support and engagement in the face of community issues and challenges, such as: environmental (e.g. climate change, earthquakes, hurricanes); public health (e.g. pandemics, opioid crisis, care giver/Alzheimer patient support) and public preparedness, prevention and response to issues that matter most to them and their families on a daily basis.
Professional Learning
Actionable Science is defined as a form of information literacy that is placed-based and embedded in strategies to address pressing community issues. As a result, adults have the ability to understand, use information, make informed decisions, and take actions to address what they and their communities want and need.
Serving Communities – A Framework and curriculum designed for library directors to interested in building their inclusion-centered leadership skill, attitudes and practices needed to create a library that is responsive to a community’s well-being. The goal is for library directors and leadership teams to have the confidence and competencies to successfully create sustainable access, engage adults and co-develop actionable science programs and services, particularly with underserved community groups, where many pressing actionable science community issues disproportionately impact and affect the most vulnerable, disadvantaged groups.
STEM Libraries – A handbook and suite of toolkits designed for library directors and their staff that advances library practice and empowers public library staff to effectively build their science literacy capacity. In addition, STEM Libraries also provides a Guide and tools for state library representatives interested in working with their public libraries to improve their organizational capacity to sustain STEM literacy.
Other Great Actionable Science Resources – There are many great institutions and organizations focused on librarians having the ability to successfully engage youth, families and adults in STEM, science and actionable science literacy as a means to highlight the essential nature of public libraries in their communities as well as improving access to high quality science information, supports, services and experiences that improve the quality of life for all community members.
