In partnership with the City’s STEAM Initiative and the Department of Human Service Programs, the Cambridge Public Library is becoming an important public hub for STEAM learning in the city. STEAM—Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math—is an integrated approach to learning that fosters innovation to meet the needs of a 21st century economy and citizenry.
Goals:
- Foster equity and access in STEAM education
- Provide high quality STEAM programs
- Expand patron participation in STEAM education
Highlights and Accomplishments
- Launched Horizons lecture series that explores breakthroughs in Science and Technology and their impact on society
- Partnered with Innovators for Purpose (IfP) to provide immersive, hands-on workshops for middle and high school youth to learn design, robotics, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
- Offered Space Explorations series in collaboration with MIT Media Lab’s Space Exploration Initiative, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, and Wolbach Library at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
- Partnered with Tech Goes Home to offer adult classes on fundamental digital skills
- Circulated STEAM kits filled with activities to explore at home
What’s Next
- Open STEAM spaces at the Main Library: Learning Lab, Tech Bar, and Hive Creative Space
- Offer additional STEAM kits for checkout
- Expand offerings of STEAM programs and events at the Main Library and neighborhood branches
Other Community Partners
- Cambridge Community Television
- Public Library Information Exchange (PLIX), MIT Media Lab
- Cambridge Public Schools
- And more!
Thank you to the City of Cambridge, Cambridge Public Library Foundation, Friends of the Cambridge Public Library, and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners for their generous support.