Look for Cornerstones in the vendor room at the Reading Roundup in Augusta, Maine, on Thursday, April 26, and see what is currently available for libraries interested in STEM. Telescopes, Science Trunks, STEM Activity Clearinghouse, science book reviews and recommendations on LibraryThing, trainings, resources, and more. We look forward to seeing you there.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon — We Discovered Earth!
Date: 4/30/2018
Start Time: 5:30 PM
End Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick
In collaboration with Maine Space Day and Curtis Memorial Library, Cornerstones of Science is hosting Brian Ewenson, an aerospace expert and educator, who will present on the awe-inspiring aspects of the Earth. This free public presentation is a great way to expand upon Earth Day and to think about everyday as Earth Day.
Description:
In 1968, the first time astronauts left the confines of Earth orbit, we saw our home planet in its entirety for the first time. While reaching for the Moon, we came back with a much greater appreciation of the fragility of planet Earth and it provided us a platform to observe the seasons and cycles of the planet, as well as natural and man-made changes. Come along on a voyage to the home planet, explore the continents, discover a world without lines on a map, and test your geography skills.
Brian Ewenson is recognized as a top aerospace expert in Canada and NASA’s Space programs. He shares his experiences as an aerospace educator with over 100,000 youth each year across North America in a hands-on/minds-on presentation using authentic space program hardware.
With 25 years spent collecting memorabilia and supporting manned space flight, Brian has amassed one of the largest collections of space-related memorabilia in North America. He has launched community artifacts and designed youth experiments that have flown on five shuttle missions and has hosted over 25 astronaut appearances. Brian recently directed partner activities for a world-wide space education program called “Space Day”. He has designed, developed and interpreted four permanent museum exhibits, including participation in Spaceport Calgary, the World’s first permanent air and space education facility located in an international airport. Brian regularly appears in newspapers, and on radio and TV as a space expert with CTV, CBC and CNN Headline News Local Edition.
Reviews
“Recognized as one of the top space educators in Canada”- Calgary Herald October 17, 1998
“Kids get a lesson out of this world” – Montreal Gazette January 16, 2003
“This (presentation) was very detailed, I thought they just buckled their seatbelts and went…I felt like I was on a trip myself” – (Grace Chow Grade 5 Student) Montreal Gazette Jan.16, 2003
“He (Brian) took them from launch to landing of the shuttle, captivating his audience with slides, video and hands-on demonstrations, as “oohs” and “ahhs” erupted from the excited crowd”- Daily Mail, Hagerstown, Maryland Feb.2, 2003
“Citizens of the Universe… title, perhaps not inappropriate for Ewenson’s young audience…if they take anything away from today’s assembly, it is this: Reach for the Stars, and one day, you will get them.” – Picket News, Tri-State, Washington County, Maryland Feb.2, 2003
Affiliations:
Spaceport Sheboygan, WI (Director of Education)
Board of Directors Scientek-12 Foundation
Arizona Aerospace Foundation
Instrumentation Technology Associates, Inc. (Consultant Student Outreach)
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (Educator Associate/ Officer of Tucson AIAA)
National Air and Space Society (Member)
Space Day (Former Director of Partner Activities)Alexandria, Virginia 22311
Aerospace Museum of Calgary (Former Director of Education)
Canadian Space Agency (Former Communications/Education Outreach employee)
City of Calgary Educator of the Year 2000
Date: 5/1/2018
Start Time: 9:30 AM
End Time: 3:00 PM
Location: Topsham Public Library
Cornerstones of Science is sponsoring ten spaces in this wonderful training for librarians. To receive a sponsored spot, contact the Cheryl Ramsay at the Maine State Library. Those who receive a sponsorship agree to 1) report on how they used the training in their library, and 2) contribute to a follow-up discussion on this training at the MSLA 2019 meeting.
Description:
From the news that earth surface temperatures hit a record high in 2016, to a presidential administration that denies the effect fossil fuels play in climate change, we are inundated with stories and images about climate change. And yet authentic face-to-face conversations about climate change (with family, friends, neighbors, colleagues) are rare. According to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, “more than half of those who are interested in global warming or think the issue is important ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ talk about it with family and friends.”
In this experiential, interactive training, participants will learn why dialogue about climate change is critical to creating a brighter future, and how librarians can facilitate dialogues that empower our communities to be better equipped to respond, adapt, and mitigate the effects.
You will be guided through the creation of a “Climate Change Communications Toolbox” to facilitate dialogue and host “Climate Change Conversations” within your library community.
You will:
• Learn how to create and host “Climate Change Conversations” at your library.
• Share ideas for archiving and exhibiting artifacts created in workshops.
• Brainstorm ideas for building community partnerships.
• Learn why resilience and social capital are critical for communities to thrive and endure, and how libraries can help communities build both.
• Experience mindfulness exercises as a tool for “re-wiring” the brain to stabilize the nervous system.
• Explore your own thoughts and feelings about climate change through storytelling and reflective writing.
Agenda
9:30-10:00 Coffee and Networking
10:00-12:00 Morning Session
12:00-1:00 Lunch
1:00-3:00 Afternoon Session
Fee: There is a $20 charge for this event to defray the cost of refreshments and lunch. Please make checks payable to: Treasurer, State of Maine (please note: checks not made out this way will be returned for reissue).
Mail checks to (include your name with check so we register the correct person):
Cheryl Ramsay
Maine State Library
64 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
About the Instructor
A 2017 Library Journal Mover & Shaker, Madeleine Charney is the Sustainability Studies Librarian at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. She helped launch Talking Truth: Finding Your Voice Around the Climate Crisis, a collaborative, campus-wide project that facilitates contemplative experiences in which to explore this global threat. She is co-founder of SustainRT: Libraries Fostering Resilient Communities, the newest round table under ALA. She is a Master Gardener, certified in Permaculture Design, and helped start up her local chapter of Mothers Out Front: Mobilizing for a Liveable Climate. Madeleine holds an MLS from University of Rhode Island (1991) and an MA in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design (2003).
A solar eclipse on August 21 will sweep across the US over the course of a few hours allowing many communities across the nation to be a part of a significant astronomical event. Some communities will experience a total solar eclipse, which means they are in the Path of Totality, and many more of will experience a partial solar eclipse. Either way, community members will be interested in what is happening in the sky. Help your community be prepared and ready by having hundreds of approved solar viewing glasses to hand out and be able to offer eclipse programming activities, materials, information, and other amazing resources!
Star Net Libraries is a Space Science Institute (SSI) National Center for Interactive Learning program. SSI was awarded a grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation that will provide 1.26 million FREE eclipse glasses and other resources for 1,500 public libraries across the nation. The Research Corporation and Google will also be providing glasses and materials that add an additional 740,000 glasses, bringing the total to over 2 million glasses that will be distributed to more than 2,400 libraries! These libraries will serve as centers for eclipse education and viewing for their communities.
The Space Science Institute (SSI) in Boulder, CO, through its National Center for Interactive Learning, provides STEM exhibits, programming, and training to hundreds of public libraries nationwide through STAR_Net and its NASA@ My Library project. Partners include the American Library Association, Lunar and Planetary Institute, the Afterschool Alliance, Cornerstones of Science, and many others. See http://www.STARnetlibraries.org for details.
Topsham Public Library
Last Tuesday of each month@ 6:30pm
Cathance River Education Alliance
Cathance River Education Alliance and Topsham Public Library work in partnership to present the CREA Community Nature Programs Lecture Series. These programs are FREE and open to the public, and are held at the Topsham Public Library the last Tuesday of each month from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm. For more information, check out their website: creamaine.org.
Bangor Public Library
March – April 2017
Smithsonian Human Origins Exhibit at the Library
Developed in partnership with the American Library Association and made possible by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation (link is external) and support from the Peter Buck Human Origins Fund (Smithsonian), this exhibit will offer the content of the Smithsonian’s Hall of Human Origins to communities around the country by bringing this temporary exhibition to 19 public libraries.
Numerous community activities will occur at BPL from mid-March through mid-April including:
March 18 – Cave of Forgotten Dreams video and discussion
March 29 – Bangor Reads Your Inner Fish by Dr. Frank Bragg
Click here for more Human Origins activities in March and April at BPL
Join the Conversation!
The New Librarianship Field Guide by R. David Lankes
We’re sure excited for the Maine Library Association’s upcoming annual conference, and we hope you are, too! R. David Lankes, one of this year’s keynote speakers, is a favorite author of ours, and his latest book, The New Librarianship Field Guide, is both a call to action and a practical resource for all who care deeply about librarianship and its mission.
“Librarians aren’t in the information business—we’re in the knowledge business,” writes Lankes, Director of USC’s Library and Information Science Program, and as he explains, this means “the conversation business.” Advocating for a library mission that actively facilitates learning and knowledge creation for our diverse, twenty-first century communities, Lankes emphasizes the power of libraries to create positive change.
In anticipation of what is sure to be an inspiring address, here’s a sampling of a few of our favorite chapters in The New Librarianship Field Guide.
Ch. 4 Knowledge Creation
Knowledge is created through conversation, Lankes argues, and rather than serve as passive cataloguers of “artifacts of knowledge” or “packets of info,” libraries facilitate learning encounters for their members. To do this, librarians need to ask questions to understand the context of what members already know in order to figure out what they need and where they want to go. This is equally true for answering a member’s reference question and determining book acquisition and classification systems. And this mission extends beyond the physical walls of a brick and mortar library—to a library website, its social media presence, the activities it sponsors within the community. “By seeing learning as conversations not confined by a space or a time, and librarianship as independent of the buildings and institutions called ‘libraries,’” says Lankes, “we can expand our mission of improving society further than ever before.”
Ch. 5 Facilitation
Librarians “create the conditions for people to learn,” and they do so through four key areas: access, knowledge, environment, and motivation. They can facilitate two-way conversations by bringing in experts and promoting the expertise of members; they can expand the definition of literacy beyond reading to include literacy in mathematics, finance, technology, and culture in order to strengthen members’ abilities to continue learning. They can create welcoming spaces, both physical and virtual, that inspire and facilitate safe, diverse conversations, and they can motivate members to learn by understanding where they’re at and where they want to go.
Ch. 7 Improve Society
Libraries and librarians make choices that shape their communities, says Lankes. They are neither neutral nor passive. Rather than shy away from this power, librarians can wield it to empower their members and serve their communities. The library mission, argues Lankes, is a mission for social justice, and as trusted, credible community authorities, librarians are in a position to effect real change. By questioning systems and pursuing improvement, seeking diverse community input, protecting the freedom to pursue all ideas, and by continually examining their own beliefs, librarians can create a better world.
We hope to see you at the MLA conference November 14-15! And don’t forget the Library Partner Summit on December 9. We’re looking forward to talking about facilitation and going into these ideas in more depth.
Come on out, have fun, and join the conversation!
The Auburn Public Library is excited to be hosting Discover NASA: From Our Town to Outer Space, a national traveling exhibition from mid-April through early July. It is an inside look at NASA, America’s space agency and covers six key NASA areas: Human Exploration, Earth Science, Mars Exploration, Solar System and Beyond, Aeronautics, and Technology. We are one of seven libraries in the country to be chosen.
The exhibit includes stunning imagery, hands-on activities, and multimedia experiences such as a near real-time kiosk called Eyes on Exoplanets; an immersive experience of astronauts living onboard the International Space Station; a touch table where users can build their own virtual solar systems; two large, touchable meteorite samples; a wind tunnel that’s interactive; and many more engaging activities. Getting young people interested in science and technology can be a challenge, but Discover NASA strives to make it fun.
APL will also offer a related series of public events and programs to bring STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities to children, teens and adults. We are planning to host Mad Science, an astronomy expert, a program on the history of Andover’s Telstar Communications satellite, Northern Stars Planetarium and Portable Educational Services, and many more programs. We will be reaching out to nearby libraries and schools with special invitations to visit APL. The exhibition is free and open to the public during library hours.
Discover NASA: From Our Town to Outer Space was developed by Space Science Institute’s National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL). It is part of NCIL’s STAR Library Education Network (STAR_Net).
(The material contained above is based upon work supported by NASA under award No. NNX15AB02G, entitled “From our Town to Outer Space: Bringing NASA Science and Engineering to Underserved Communities through a National Public Library Exhibition Program”, or, FOTOS. Any opinions expressed herein are the opinions of the grantee or their partners, and not necessarily that of the funding agency.)
Mamie Anthoine Ney, Director, Auburn Public Library
Science Cafe schedule at PPL
Learn about specific topics from local experts. These aren’t your typical presentations though, there is usually a hands-on part in these interactive two-way discussions.
York Public Library is helping the public “look” at science through this fun film.
“Inside Out”
Family Film Series
Saturday, December 19, 6:30 p.m.
Disney Pixar presents an inventive animated film that takes you on a journey from the “inside out” to discover the emotional roller coaster inside your head. Grab your pillows and blankets, wear your PJs, and come enjoy the movie along with our complimentary popcorn. Rated PG. 120 minutes.
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