Rockmore D. N., Bennett A. B., Falk J. H., Gleiser M., Maloney M. A. (2015) Pushing the Limits: Rural Librarians and Their Libraries as STEM Gateways Dartmouth College

1. Building Capacity to Enhance Public
Understanding of STEM Through Rural
Libraries
Funded by the National Science

2. Hypothesis
1. Rural libraries ideal for reaching new
audiences
2. Supporting rural librarians can build
capacity
3. Engaging adult STEM programs

4. Results:
Librarians• PD matched needs: 86% “Agreed” or
“Strongly Agreed”
• Coordinating: 74% “quite a bit” or “a
great deal”
• Meeting Objectives: 79% “very” or
“extremely” successful

5. Results:
Participants• Initial STEM interest: 61% “somewhat”
or “less than somewhat”
• Increased interest: 59% “more interested”
than expected
• Would attend again: 96%

6. Lessons
Learned• Importance of partnerships
• New understanding of libraries’ roles
• Understanding audience(s) critical
• Importance of “Local Science Partners”
• Feasibility of new STEM audience(s)