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Nationwide, public libraries are trusted spaces in communities that offer their constituents a wide range of resources and programming to help community members improve their life circumstances. These resources and programs range from digital literacy to employment resources, health literacy, and Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) programming. Recently, some public libraries have expanded their STEAM outreach to include citizen science, also called participatory science. Little current literature focuses on the utilization of participatory science in public libraries, especially within Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. Using a qualitative descriptive methodology informed by the primary research question, “What are the experiences of public library staff offering participatory science programs that include historically marginalized communities?”, this study sought to explore and understand the perspectives and experiences of library staff who offered participatory science programming.
Through semistructured interviews with five public library staff members, the researcher explored the motivation and resources needed for public library staff to offer successful participatory science programming, specifically in BIPOC communities. The researcher identified gains and potential benefits for BIPOC communities actively engaged in these STEAM programs from the perspective of library staff who organized participatory science programs with BIPOC communities.
The study findings uncovered three key themes that were central to success of the programming: (1) building trust and community engagement, (2) ensuring program longevity and partnerships, and (3) supporting education and increasing awareness through participatory science. In each of these themes the concept of trust emerged as significant: the trust that public library staff cultivated with their communities to create safe-enough spaces for their diverse library users was necessary to actively engage in participatory science activities. The study results described how each participant reframed their outreach efforts to meet the needs of their communities and outlined the benefits of leveraging public trust, the need for sustainability, and the educational outcomes from participatory science program activities within public libraries.
The study results contribute to a larger conversation on public libraries as achievable spaces to provide participatory science programs integrated into pre-existing STEAM programs, particularly for engaging BIPOC communities in these programs.