I’m so excited about the fiftieth anniversary of the first people landing on the moon! Sure, I’m a scifi fan and it seems like all kinds of great things are possible there – but this was REAL! Humans really left the planet and walked around in an entirely different world.
It was an amazing accomplishment, and is still amazing today.
Your library can celebrate this event in so many ways. And you do not need to be limited to just July programming or displays – bring some STEAM programming and displays and general coolness to your library for the rest of the year! It’s the 50th anniversary all year, after all; celebrate the entire thing!
We have an excerpt from the American Libraries journal with some ideas; click on this link to check out the whole thing!
To Space Education … and Beyond
Libraries celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing
“What do the following have in common: space-themed escape rooms, coding sessions with robot caterpillars, rocket workshops, and a phone call from astronauts in space?
They’re some of the activities that thousands of libraries across the country are putting together to celebrate space exploration in their summer reading programs, with “A Universe of Stories” as the slogan.
And the sky’s the limit.
The umbrella initiative, Summer of Space, is a partnership among NASA, the Collaborative Summer Learning Program consortium, and the Space Science Institute (SSI), and was formed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20 as well as encourage science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.
More than 4,800 libraries from all 50 states have registered for Summer of Space, and organizers expect nearly 16,000 libraries are likely to participate independently.
Registered libraries were given access to 200 STEM activities through SSI’s Science-Technology Activities and Resources for Libraries Network (STAR Net) website but also developed their own programs following the theme.
“The timing for ‘A Universe of Stories’ couldn’t be any better,” says Anne Holland, community engagement manager at SSI. “Thousands of libraries participated in the 2017 eclipse, some of them having never done programming before, let alone STEM programming. This year’s summer learning theme was a logical next step for them to continue conducting STEM programs.”
Phone home
When astronauts on the International Space Station call, 200 young space enthusiasts will answer at the Slover Library in Norfolk, Virginia. The library will host a live downlink event from the space station on August 9.
Escape to summer learning
Lynette Fazio, programming administrator at Lafourche Parish (La.) Public Library (LPPL), says her library is participating in “A Universe of Stories” in a unique way: with space-themed escape rooms.
Partnering with communities
Birmingham (Ala.) Public Library (BPL) has 400 programs planned this summer across its 19 branches. Bessie Miller, head of the learning center at BPL, says the library is hosting four to five programs a day, including one called Critters and Constellations.”
Are you feeling inspired??? Try some programs in your own library!