Despite evidence suggesting that current LIS curricula might be inadequate to prepare students for the realities of today's public library youth services work, little research has addressed potential changes to the LIS curricula in this area. This paper reports findings from the second phase of an IMLS-funded project exploring how LIS programs…

Public libraries constitute an important part of social life and are crucial for supporting the educational system in any society. However, in many African countries, awareness of the role that public libraries can play in strengthening the social contract is largely unrecognized. This may be partly due to the social background that was/is based…

Purpose: At present, humankind is facing rapid and profound changes in society, science, technology, economy and environment. The 21st century has witnessed extraordinary scientific and technological progressions. Improvement of technology has generated new educational technique known as e-learning. Nowadays, popularity of e-learning is growing…

Background and Context: Computational thinking (CT) is an essential skill for all youth to succeed in our technology and information-rich world. While CT has a growing presence within K-12 classrooms, libraries play an essential role in introducing these critical skills to all. Objective: Assessing learning in libraries is difficult given their…

Informal learning constantly happens all around us. Informal learning approaches often stand in stark contrast to school practices and standards, receive little attention in the formal study of education, and present a great deal of untapped opportunity to support learners. Mendoso Community Library (MCL) is a particularly interesting illustration…

Background: Makerspaces are proliferating U.S. public schools and libraries. Few studies, however, take an "in situ" view on the pedagogical moves of mentors, and fewer still engage with ideologies of race and class therein. Without this, principles of pedagogy or design that build toward expansive learning for racially minoritized youth…

This paper examines what it takes to call yourself "a poet" through the lens of inclusive programming at Brooklyn Public Library.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore teen-adult dialogic interactions during the co-design of data literacy activities in order to determine the nature of teen thinking, their emotions, level of engagement, and the power of relationships between teens and adults in the context of data literacy. This study conceives of co-design as a…

Meaningful learning resources for earthquake safety and survival have become an increasingly important topic among geoscientists, especially educators and researchers. Various members of the public, especially K-12 (ages 5-18) learners, continue to depend on scientific trade books available at their local public and school libraries for…

A semester-long group project implementing service-learning was designed and executed in the first semester of a two-semester-long biochemistry lecture sequence. The project required students to partner with the local public library to design and implement an interactive demonstration, either in person or in virtual format, for young children who…

One hundred popular children's books for ages 0-6 were selected from a local metropolitan library system with data from 10 library branches. These frequently checked out books were then analyzed for how disabilities were represented in the books. This study found that only a few books checked out of the library represent children with differing…

Libraries may serve as a way to bridge educational equity gaps through informal learning programs. This is especially true in the United States where inequality is a growing concern at local, state, and federal levels. While the informal learning literature within the United States highlights innovative practitioner reflections and design cases,…

Access to books and storybook reading contribute to children's language, literacy and academic development. Homeless children often experience delays in these areas of development; however, their access to books and storybook reading is understudied. This study of 24 children in a family homeless shelter and 27 housed children in the same urban…

Public libraries offer a wide range of developmental support and learning opportunities for young children with and without disabilities. Libraries in many communities function as hubs and places of support for parenting, literacy, education, technology, as well as general local, and health information. A research team recently conducted focus…

In a socially just world, everyone would have an equal chance to become an enthusiastic reader. This article presents a detailed 'asset map' of a successful reading life and investigates three necessary components for creating readers: access, choice and time to read. Access to books, the chance and the requisite knowledge to choose reading…