STAR Library Network

Libraries Accessing NASA Subject Matter Experts
2019-02-20
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Libraries Accessing NASA Subject Matter Experts
In this webinar, conducted by NASA’s Night Sky Network, librarians from across the U.S. joined NASA@MyLibrary, the NASA Solar System Ambassadors, and the Night Sky Network astronomy clubs to access resources and astronomy enthusiasts in their communities.

Planning a Night Sky Viewing at Your Library
2019-02-20
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Planning a Night Sky Viewing at Your Library
A Night Sky Viewing is a great way to bring local science enthusiasts and library patrons together for an astronomy-based community event. Before your library launches a Night Sky Viewing or Star Party this year, there are a few things to know that can help take your event into orbit! We’ll take a look at the best practices for finding and working with an astronomy club, how to choose the right activities and promotional strategy, and other tips and tricks for keeping everyone warm, happy, and awe-inspired!“Guide on the Side” facilitation can open a new world of STEAM learning opportunities for your library patrons. A Guide on the Side elicits learners’ thoughts, ideas, and conceptions and encourages them to work together to build new understanding or skills for themselves. In this webinar, facilitators from the STAR Library Network will highlight their most recent article in the Association for Library Service to Children’s (ALSC) Children and Libraries (CAL) journal and give you “Guide on the Side” strategies, resources, and activities to help you engage your audience in STEAM exploration, whether you are conducting in-person or virtual programs. We will also discuss ways to tweak youth, adult, and family programs to be more inclusive for learners of various backgrounds, learning styles, and STEAM capabilities.

Infiniscope and STAR Net: Bringing Teachers and Library Staff Together!
2019-01-23
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Infiniscope and STAR Net: Bringing Teachers and Library Staff Together!
Please join the Space Science Institute and Arizona State University in a special webinar opportunity, featuring Infiniscope. Librarians from the STAR Library Education Network, and librarians, teachers, and other educators from the Infiniscope Network are welcome to join us for this opportunity. Teachers interested in working with libraries can learn more about this summer’s Universe of Stories summer reading theme, and librarians interested in learning more about Infiniscope’s visualizations and learning experiences are welcome to join. Participants will also learn how they can partner with each other for the 2019 Summer Learning event and beyond.

Resource Overview for “A Universe of Stories”
2018-12-18
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Resource Overview for “A Universe of Stories”
Looking for activities, websites, how-to videos, training, and more for the 2019 Summer Reading Theme? Join the STAR Library Network for an overview of vetted, free resources available through NASA, the STAR Library Network, and the STEM Activity Clearinghouse. Presenters will walk you through how to find, access, and sort through – remember, availability doesn’t always equal accessibility! – these resources and offer guidance on how your library can best utilize them!

Bringing “A Universe of Stories” to Your Library
2018-10-23
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Bringing “A Universe of Stories” to Your Library
Summer 2019 may feel like it’s far away, but the Collaborative Summer Library Program’s (CSLP) “Universe of Stories” reading theme will be here quicker than a photon traversing from the Sun to Earth.
“What space-themed programs will I do?”
“How will I partner with community organizations?”
“What if I don’t know anything about space?”
“How do I…STEM?”
If you find yourself asking these questions, then this is the webinar for you! Join the STAR Net team and Luke Kralik, Organizational Coordinator for CSLP, to learn more about the 2019 summer reading theme and ways that you can bring it to life in YOUR library. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to celebrate this out-of-this-world theme!

NASA In-flight Education Downlink
2018-10-18
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Connecting Kids with Astronauts Through Libraries
The High Plains Library District, in collaboration with the Space Science Institute’s STAR Library Network (STAR Net) and its NASA@ My Library initiative, was selected by NASA to host a live In-flight Education Downlink from the International Space Station with NASA astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor.
The event will be streamed live nationally so that other public libraries can organize their own viewing event. Learn more!
Date: October 18, 2018 | Time Range: 10:00am-10:20pm MT*
Location: Riverside Library & Cultural Center in Evans, Colorado

Out-of-this-World Engineering
2018-09-26
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Out-of-this-World Engineering
Space isn’t just for scientists – it’s also for engineers! Join STAR Net as we take a look at some of the newest activities on the STEM Activity Clearinghouse that feature engineering design challenges with a space science theme. As we create rockets and rovers, we’ll be following the engineering design process: think, build, test, and do it again. Come and learn how you can make your 2018 and 2019 STEM programs blast off!

Join an International Lunar Celebration
2018-09-06
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Join an International Lunar Celebration
International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN) is a worldwide, public celebration of lunar science and exploration held annually since 2010. Tens of thousands of people participate each year, from 98 countries and 49 U.S. states (and counting!). On October 20th, your library is invited to join this world-wide celebration by hosting an InOMN event on one day each year to look at and learn about our Moon together.
Join the STAR Net team and Vivian White of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) and NASA’s Night Sky Network (NSN) to learn about how you can make the best of this annual event through hands-on activities, subject matter experts, NASA resources, and more!

2018 Discover Exoplanets
2018-08-29 - 2018-08-30
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2018 Discover Exoplanets Workshop
View the above Flikr Photo Gallery for this past event.
Visit the Discover Exoplanets page for more info on this project.

How Your Library Can Celebrate “Lights On Afterschool
2018-08-16
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How Your Library Can Celebrate “Lights on Afterschool
Launched in October 2000, Lights On Afterschool is the only nationwide event celebrating afterschool programs and their important role in the lives of children, families and communities. The effort has become a hallmark of the afterschool movement, and on October 25th more than 8,000 Lights On Afterschool rallies will be held across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, attracting more than 1 million Americans and garnering media coverage nationwide. Join us for this webinar to learn more about Lights On Afterschool, and how your library can participate.

Parker Solar Probe
2018-08-12
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Humanity’s First Mission to Touch the Sun
NASA’s historic Parker Solar Probe mission will revolutionize our understanding of the Sun, where changing conditions can propagate out into the solar system, affecting Earth and other worlds. This probe will travel through the Sun’s atmosphere, closer to the surface than any spacecraft before it, facing brutal heat and radiation conditions — and ultimately providing humanity with the closest-ever observations of a star.

A Universe of NASA Resources
2018-06-16
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A Universe of NASA Resources
Please join us as representatives from NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Space Telescope Science Institute and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific share resources from their organizations that are easy to use and highly relevant for a library audience. These include everything from 3D printable moon-scapes, to how to get a NASA expert to your library! Get a head start on Summer Reading 2019 programming with this broad overview of NASA resources, and let us know after the webinar who you’d like to hear more from!

Libraries Helping Girls STEAM Ahead with NASA
2018-05-30
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Libraries Helping Girls STEAM Ahead with NASA
Girls STEAM Ahead with NASA (GSAWN) initiative is again partnering with public libraries to provide NASA-themed activities for girls and their families. Part of the NASA’s Universe of Learning program, GSAWN resources include a range of computer-based and paper-based activities, along with exhibits and poster series. During this webinar, you will hear about the GSAWN project, why girl-serving programming is important and needed, and the range of resources available to your library. There will be time for questions so we can address any concerns and best support your library efforts.

Reaching New Audiences with Community Dialogues
2018-05-23
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Reaching New Audiences with Community Dialogues
Staff at the National Center for Interactive Learning at the Space Science Institute have developed a Community Dialogue Strategy to empower public libraries to examine their existing practices, and reach out to their community to ensure that their library is a welcoming and safe environment. This strategy was developed and tested with funds from the National Institutes of Health, NASA and National Science Foundation as part of the STAR Library Education Network. Community Dialogues encourage libraries to ask the questions “who is missing from my library” and “who in the community would be a great partner for my library.” In this webinar, participants will learn more about this innovative strategy, and hear from public library staff who have made positive changes to their practice based on results from their own Dialogues.

The Parker Solar Probe Launch: How Will Your Library Be Involved?
2018-05-17
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The Parker Solar Probe Launch: How Will Your Library Be Involved?
In the summer of 2018, NASA will launch the Parker Solar Probe. This small, car-sized spacecraft will travel into the Sun’s atmosphere, within four million miles of our star’s surface. Join Space Science Institute’s Brooks Mitchell and Dr. Paul Dusenbery to learn all about NASA’s first mission to “touch” the Sun and ways that your library can be involved.

Mars InSight Lander
2018-05-05
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Investigating the Red Planet’s Interior Structure
The Mars Insight Lander touched down on Mars at around noon Pacific (3 p.m. Eastern) on Nov. 26, 2018. The lander plunged through the thin Martian atmosphere, heatshield first, and use a parachute to slow down. Then, it fired its retro rockets to slowly descend to the surface of Mars, and land on the smooth plains of Elysium Planitia
InSight, short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is a Mars lander designed to give the Red Planet its first thorough checkup since it formed 4.5 billion years ago. It is the first outer space robotic explorer to study in-depth the “inner space” of Mars: its crust, mantle, and core.
Studying Mars’ interior structure answers key questions about the early formation of rocky planets in our inner solar system – Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars – more than 4 billion years ago, as well as rocky exoplanets. InSight also measures tectonic activity and meteorite impacts on Mars today.

2018 NASA@ My Library
2018-05-01 - 2018-05-03
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2018 NASA@ My Library Workshop
View the above Flikr Photo Gallery for this past event.
Visit the NASA@ My Library page for more info on this project.

2018 Project BUILD
2018-04-14 - 2018-04-15
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2018 Project BUILD Workshop
View the above Flikr Photo Gallery for this past event.
Visit the Project BUILD page for more info on this project.

Off to Mars! Programming Ideas for the Insight Launch
2018-04-03
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Off to Mars! Programming Ideas for the Insight Launch
On May 5, InSight will begin its six-month journey from the coast of California to the plains of Mars. Once it lands, it will use seismic instruments to explore the interior of Mars in ways that we’ve never “seen” before! Join the STAR Net team and guest presenter Steve Lee (Denver Museum of Nature and Science and Space Science Institute) to learn all about this exciting, innovative mission and fun ways to celebrate its launch and landing at your library!

Celebrate 60 Years of Earth Observations with NASA
2018-03-06
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Celebrate 60 Years of Earth Observations with NASA
In its 60 year history, NASA has spent a great deal of time looking outward to find and learn about planets in our solar system and beyond. This Earth Day, however, our focus turns to the numerous NASA missions that study the planet that we live on and help us understand the Earth’s complex, dynamic systems. Join STAR Net, Marilé Colón Robles (NASA) and Jessica Taylor (NASA) to learn how you can celebrate Earth Day with NASA with programming ideas for children, teens, and adults!

Project Outcome
2018-01-10
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Project Outcome
The Public Library Association’s field-driven initiative, Project Outcome, is a FREE online toolkit offering an innovative and easy-to-use platform for public libraries to measure the impact of their programs and services. For more details, click here. This webinar provides an overview of the toolkit and examples of how libraries have been able to benefit from using Project Outcome. Additionally, staff will share STEM specific questions available to libraries within the toolkit and allow time to discuss outcome measurement needs for STEM programming.

Building a Better Program for Engineers Week
2018-01-09
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Building a Better Program for Engineers Week
From the sidewalks that we walk on to the buildings that we work in, engineering is all around us. From February 18-24, your library will have a chance to learn about the importance of engineering and bring it to life for kids, educators, and parents in a week-long celebration known as Engineers Week. Join STAR Net to learn how YOU can bring engineering to your library during this exciting week-long event. We’ll go through several hands-on activities from the STEM Activity Clearinghouse that showcase how much fun it is to think, build, test, and do it again and will also learn why, when it comes it engineering, failure can be a good thing!

STEM Events for Your Library’s 2018 Programming
2017-12-13
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STEM Events for Your Library’s 2018 Programming
From Engineers Week to the launch of the NASA’s InSight Mars Lander, 2018 has an abundance of high-profile events that could tie into your library’s programming… and the time to start planning is now! Join the STAR Net team as we provide background information on 2018’s high-profile STEM events and unique ideas and helpful resources for integrating them into your programming schedule. Bring your questions and programming ideas to the chat box, too – we want to hear what your library is planning and what has worked successfully in the past. 2018 is the year that #STEMinLib really blasts off!

Discover Exoplanets Pre-Application Webinar
2017-12-06
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Discover Exoplanets Pre-Application Webinar
Join us to learn more about the application process for being one of eight library and museum partner sites to host the inaugural national tour of the interactive traveling exhibition Discover Exoplanets: the Search for Alien Earths.

Social Media Tips from NASA
2017-11-15
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Social Media Tips from NASA
Social media can provide your library with a world of opportunity when it comes to promoting programs and disseminating information; yet, to many STEM professionals and library staff, social media is a daunting challenge. What kind of language should you use when creating a post? How do you find the best images and videos to share? What is the most effective way of delivering high quality scientific content? What platform is right for your library’s needs?
STAR Net is thrilled to host Jason Townsend, NASA’s Deputy Social Media Manager, for our upcoming webinar: Social Media Tips from NASA. Jason will pilot you through the universe of social media and share tips, advice, and lessons that he has learned from his experience directing some of the most-followed Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat accounts in the world. While your library’s Twitter account may not have 26.5 million followers, you will surely learn a few tips to help your library’s social media presence blast off!

Hands-on Fun with STAR Net!
2017-11-08
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Hands-on Fun with STAR Net!
Hunting for activities for your library’s next STEM program? Look no further! Hands-on Fun with STAR Net will highlight several different hands-on activities from the STEM Activity Clearinghouse that were designed with the library setting in mind. Whether you are new to STEM programming or are already a “STEM Superstar”, we hope you will join us for tips, techniques, and loads of fun!

International Observe The Moon Night
2017-10-04
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International Observe The Moon Night
International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN) is a worldwide, public celebration of lunar science and exploration held annually since 2010. On October 28, 2017, everyone on Earth is invited to observe and learn about the moon together, and to celebrate the cultural and personal connections we all have with Earth’s nearest neighbor. Want to learn more about this event and ways that your library can participate?
Join STAR_Net and Brian Day, NASA’s Lead for Citizen Science and Community Development at the Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute, to learn more about this exciting international event and ways to integrate it into your library’s programming!

Out-of-This-World Activities
2017-09-13
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Out-of-This-World Activities
Join STAR_Net and the Lunar and Planetary Institute to learn tips and tricks from LPI’s Explore program for engaging children, tweens, and families in space science with games, activities, and events.

Celebrate Afterschool Partnerships with the 18th Annual “Lights On Afterschool!”
2017-09-09
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Celebrate Afterschool Partnerships with the 18th Annual “Lights On Afterschool!”
Libraries and afterschool programs make great partners. Every October, the afterschool field celebrates the important role these programs have in the lives of children, families, and communities. This year, on October 26, we want to make the celebration bigger and better than ever. Library-afterschool partnerships are an official theme of this year’s event—and we want to highlight the many ways libraries and afterschool programs are pairing up to provide engaging learning opportunities and critical supports to children and families across the country. Join us for this webinar to learn more about Lights On Afterschool, and how your library can participate.

Cassini: The Grand Finale
2017-08-30
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Cassini: The Grand Finale
Join the STAR_Net team and Colin Mitchell, a Space Science Institute researcher on the Cassini mission, to learn more about Cassini’s Grand Finale and ways to integrate this event into your programming.
