Public librarians say NNLM citizen-science kits boost hands-on learning for homeschoolers

Bennie Finch, an education and outreach coordinator for the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) Region 7, opened a June 2 webinar by describing the region’s recent effort to place citizen-science kits in public libraries: “Between October 1st of 2024 and April 1st of 2025, Region 7 provided 45 citizen science kits to NLM members in our region,” Finch said, noting the kits target underresourced communities and cover topics such as biodiversity, pollinators and air quality.

Three public librarians — Barb Rehmeyer, library director of Liberty Library in Liberty, Maine; Cindy Jewett, library director in Antrim, New Hampshire; and Nicole Gauvreau, youth services librarian and assistant director at Maxwood Public Library in Loudon, New Hampshire — described how they integrated those kits into local services for homeschoolers and families.

Rehmeyer said her Liberty Library has maintained a set of roughly 40 “discovery” kits since 2014 and that families repeatedly borrow the hands-on collections. She described practical circulation practices that reduced loss: labeling tubs, posting a visible “Please keep in at the desk” instruction for fragile kits, laminating directions and including an inventory checklist inside each kit so borrowers and staff can verify contents on check-out and return. “Through hands-on learning, we will empower the next generation of innovators and leaders,” Rehmeyer said.

Jewett said the biodiversity kit fit Antrim’s outdoors-oriented community and was programmed as a family “day out,” with phone lenses, binoculars, plant guides and notebooks offered for field observation. She described cataloging the kit’s contents in Biblionix, requiring a signed waiver for replacement costs, and restricting some high-value items to in-library use to avoid loss.

Gauvreau said Maxwood received all three kits and found the pollinators kit most popular. She described adapting materials to local needs — swapping Massachusetts field guides for New Hampshire versions — and using kits at a homeschool science fair and in homeschool co‑op activities. “He loved it. Absolutely delightful,” Gauvreau said of a child who borrowed the pollinators kit and then recommended it to peers.

Panelists clarified that data collection for larger citizen-science projects is optional: each kit points users to SciStarter projects and some kits reference smartphone/tablet apps (for example, an aircasting app) that participants may use to contribute observations, but submission is not required to borrow or use a kit.

Presenters also outlined sourcing strategies and funding approaches: Region 7 awards, local trust funds, grants (including a SciStarter flight-path grant mentioned for a birding kit), donations of materials from community members, and friends-of-the-library fundraising. They described partnerships with nearby libraries to house bulky or maintenance-heavy items (Rehmeyer said Liberty arranged for patrons to borrow a telescope housed and serviced by Belfast Library).

Librarians recommended outreach tactics to increase use among homeschoolers and families, including targeted press releases, town newsletters, social-media spotlights, display cases near frequently used circulation areas and tying kits to story time or summer-reading themes. They also recommended monthly homeschool groups and flexible loan policies (extended due dates, textbook swaps) to accommodate families’ curricula and schedules.

The webinar closed with Finch noting the session was recorded and that an evaluation link would be shared with registrants; there were no formal votes or policy changes recorded during the event.