Facilitated Citizen Science in Public Libraries as a Context for Science Socialization

Variety of programs

Hands-on experiences

Connecting with diverse audiences

Access to scientific tools and experts

Access to spaces to engage with science

Existing library infrastructure that supports access

Resources

Partnerships

Nature of citizen science (easy entry)

“Putting things out there”

Technological barriers

General citizen science barriers

Difficulty keeping kits furnished/kits getting stolen

Age barriers (perceived or actual)

Staffing and turnover

Lack of familiarity with citizen science

Lack of interest or awareness

Getting people to actually do a project with the kits

Librarian comfort with facilitating/teaching about citizen science

Terminology barriers and appealing to diverse audiences

Scaffolding

Paired reading

Series and recurring programming

Lifelong interests

Accumulated experiences with citizen science

Prior exposure/proximity to science

Lack of consistency

Non-captive audiences

Familial support

“We’re going to do it together”

Role models

Spreading the word about citizen science

No clear themes emerged related to barriers to social support

Engaging with scientific practices

Curiosity and knowledge acquisition

Science/data literacy

Training

Relevance and real-world applications of science

No explicit themes emerged related to barriers to competency development

“Contributing to knowledge about the place that I live”

Community action/sense of agency

Identifying as the STEM or citizen science person

(Challenging) non-science identities

No explicit themes emerged related to barriers to identify formation

COVID-19 (opportunities)

Audience: Opportunities for working with homeschool groups

Knowledge of/connections to audience

COVID-19 (challenges)

Audience: Challenges to working with schools