NYPL STEAM Discovery Circulating Kits Three-Year Pilot
The New York Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
This fall, NYPL launched a new service in which we circulate 400 STEAM kits in 30 low income neighborhoods. The kits target first through eighth graders, and our goal is to help kids and teens build new comfort, interest and competency in STEAM topics by giving them the opportunity to explore STEAM tools such as telescopes and robotics kits in their homes.
Challenge/Opportunity
Black and Hispanic students are under-represented in the sciences and at tech companies. NYPL offers engaging STEAM programs in our branches, but our low-income patrons often cannot afford to buy the tools to continue exploring STEAM topics at home. We therefore saw an opportunity to propose circulating STEAM tools, to increase access to resources that help build STEAM literacies and identities in under-represented youth.
Key Elements of Innovation
We brought together a diverse team of youth librarians to design kits that are user-friendly and high-interest. Each kit includes a STEAM tool and books on the topic. Themes include Engineering, Stargazing and Sphero Robotics. We selected 30 branches using data on poverty rates, proximity to low income housing, the number of adults over 25 with no GED, and limited English proficiency. To ensure this service is accessible, we do not allow holds; our data shows that holds are more likely to be placed by affluent patrons.
Achieved Outcomes
Our goal is to circulate 1200 kits at least 10,000 times by the end of our 3 year pilot. The kits include surveys for youth and caregivers. We anticipate that youth will show an increased interest in STEAM topics, increased STEAM proficiency and confidence, and increased awareness of STEAM careers. We’ll be interested to learn if youth and families check out kits multiple times, and if they explore different types of kits. We will conduct staff focus groups during our pilot to learn how we can improve the service.
