In the last year and a half, the Fremont County Library System, along with its Friends and Foundation, purchased a variety of tech/robotic educational products to introduce children and teens to the growing field of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM). They offered an after school STEAM program, but were disappointed with participation.
What to do? The library opted for an outreach approach. They packaged STEM and STEAM materials into kits available for checkout and spread the word among educators and homeschool parents. Shari Haskins, Riverton Branch Manager, reports that the kits are getting checked out and there have even been some holds placed. “People enjoy exploring on their own time,” Haskins said, “and not everything needs to be traditionally scheduled.”