STEAM at the Cambridge Public Library 

Program Overview

The Cambridge Public Library provides a doorway to equitable opportunity and learning for everyone. As a champion of literacy, the Library enables patrons of all ages to acquire and expand their STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) literacy skills through resources in the form of high-quality programs, robust collections, dedicated spaces, and professional staff. STEAM at the Library is an integral component of the larger Cambridge STEAM Initiative—a joint venture between the City of Cambridge Department of Human Service Programs, Cambridge Public School Department, and the Library.

Programs

In addition to enhancing their pre-existing STEAM programs through investment in staff professional development and resources, the Library added a greater number and variety of STEAM-focused programs for all age groups. Offerings include a Cookbook Book Club, workshops on multimedia production and digital storytelling, Nerd Alert! speaker series, monthly Family STEAM Night, immersive courses for middle and high school students, and various fiber arts circles across their branches. The Library offers close to 30 unique regular offerings each month and numerous specialty lectures, workshops, and other events. The Hive, the state-of-the-art makerspace that acts as a hub for STEAM learning, creativity, and community collaboration in Cambridge, has over 70 programs monthly to introduce patrons to different making processes such as machine-sewing, vinyl cutting, and podcasting to support them in their creative endeavors.

Collections

In 2019 the Library began circulating STEAM Kits—hands-on resources to support STEAM learning at home for all ages. With close to 50 distinct Kits, there is something for everyone, including codable robots and engineering challenges for elementary-age patrons, logic puzzles and games for older patrons, and the popular Bird Watching and Stargazing Backpacks which are appropriate for all ages. Through school and community partnerships and lending, the Library makes sure access barriers don’t prevent patrons from taking advantage of these resources. The Library recognizes that barriers to basic computer and internet access hinder abilities for patrons to navigate day-to-day life, let alone take part in the rich STEAM ecosystem that surrounds us. In 2020 the Library launched their Takeout Technology services and collection. Patrons can check out over 280 pieces of technology including Chromebooks, wifi internet hotspots, GoPro cameras and Blu-Ray DVD players for use in a library or in the outside world.

Space

Transforming the Library spaces included a $1.8 million investment in transforming the main library to house the Learning Lab, a flexible event space with classroom-scale web conferencing capabilities; the Tech Bar, a device checkout station and technology advice center; and The Hive, Cambridge’s first free public makerspace equipped with tools including sewing machines, laser cutters, and 3D printers, a multimedia recording studio, a podcasting studio, and an extended reality lab for exploring virtual and augmented reality.

Staff

The focus on staff has enabled STEAM at the Library to grow since its inception in 2018. Staff champion STEAM and STEAM Habits of Mind in everything from their displays, patron-led activities, collection selection, program ideas, book recommendations, and more. The dedicated team of professionals support The Hive makerspace and Hive-adjacent programs in the branches and in the community. Staff participate in ongoing professional development in order to support the needs and interests of their patrons as technology and the larger world advances.

Community Needs

What need was the program addressing? How was the need identified?

Cambridge has been recognized as a center of global innovation for decades. The people who study and work at higher education institutions, labs, and businesses in Cambridge are at the center of technical innovation. Their research, experiments, inventions, and other contributions have a worldwide impact.

However, community leaders, City staff, and City Council members recognized that many families and students who live in Cambridge – particularly those who identify as Black, Brown, or people of color; people with disabilities; women and gender expansive individuals; and people from low-income households – do not see themselves represented in the city’s innovation economy. The Library needed to create more access for all people, especially young people and students, to participate in a range of STEAM learning experiences that were fun and interactive, and grounded in quality standards.

Beyond access to opportunities, the community also needed a physical hub for STEAM. Already known for offering free access to technology, resources, and training, the Library was a natural fit for being a connection point for the public to access all that is available to them and find personally relevant pathways out into the community. The Library is a gateway for the public to engage in the city's innovation economy and critical in establishing a more equitable pipeline to the STEAM workforce.

Goals:

1. All residents will have equitable access to quality STEAM learning experiences
2. All students will graduate with high levels of STEAM literacy, able to be engaged and responsible citizens in an increasingly technologically driven society and empowered to make decisions about what they want to do
3. The local pipeline to Cambridge's STEAM workforce will reflect the diversity of the community
4. Cambridge will be recognized nationally as an innovative city that is a leader in both STEAM industry and STEAM education

What specific community were you serving? How did you tailor the program for your community?

STEAM at the Library is deeply aligned to the mission to welcome all while also actively working towards ensuring everyone has equitable opportunities to learn. In a richly resourced community where groups and individuals are routinely and systematically left out of the picture, the Library recognizes that improperly planned program roll-out can in fact cause greater injustice and disparity around opportunity access. As such, the Library has a strategic priority to engage community members who are marginalized by systemic racism and injustice. Programs are tailored through input and feedback from patrons and community partners. The Library works closely with partners who have established trusted relationships within the community to plan outreach and engagement.

Funding and Partnerships

How was the program initially funded? If the program will continue, how will the program be funded or sustained in the future?

STEAM at the Library was initially funded through a major investment from the City alongside generous grants from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, private and corporate donors. With proof of concept, the Library has procured additional City funding to provide for a sustainable future while continuing to secure funds for new endeavors, particularly as they tie to new strategic initiatives such as digital equity. Pilots that were previously grant-funded, such as STEAM Academy and student internships, are now part of the Library and City’s regular operating budget.

With whom did you partner? How did you develop those partnerships?

Under the umbrella of Cambridge STEAM Initiative, the chief partners are the City of Cambridge Department of Human Service Programs (DHSP) and Cambridge Public School Department (CPSD). The Library also partners closely with community organizations such as community centers and afterschool centers, higher education institutions including Harvard, Lesley, and MIT, local businesses and Cambridge-based corporations. These partnerships are developed strategically through relationality at an institutional and often an individual level. The strong partnerships are marked by complementary missions and values, shared understanding that organizations can do more for the community through collaboration than operating separately, and clear communication. Partnerships expose community members to STEAM professionals and mentors in industry and higher education, reach individuals that might have difficulty accessing resources and spaces, connect patrons to the wider Cambridge STEAM ecosystem and more.

Impact of Program

What is the impact of your program? How have you measured and evaluated success?

STEAM at the Library is contributing to the vision that Cambridge will be recognized as an innovative city that is a leader in both STEAM industry and STEAM education. The Library  measures and evaluates success through community reach, patron satisfaction, quality of programs offered, and the level of engagement in the larger Cambridge STEAM ecosystem. Students who learn about The Hive from a school visit bring their families or friends into the space. The Library continually pilots, evaluates, and iterates offerings to ensure they are addressing community needs and interests.

Snapshot: One of the newest team members, Jean, came to The Hive on school visits with his Rindge School of Technical Arts Creative Design class. He's taken part in STEAM Academy where he helped design a project now permanently installed in Cambridge’s Kendall Square, once called “the most innovative square mile on earth.” He subsequently completed a Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program internship working in The Hive where he developed resource guides for patrons. He is currently a rising sophomore at Lesley University studying design and works part-time in The Hive supporting patrons of all ages, including near peers from Cambridge Rindge & Latin/Rindge School of Technical Arts.

Snapshot: The circulating equipment and packaged STEAM Take and Make activity bags enable the public to take advantage of STEAM opportunities at their local branch libraries or other places in the community thus furthering this impact. The sewing machines took a trip to the O'Neill Branch over the winter where staff and the Cambridge Modern Quilt Guild helped patrons of all ages learn to sew, embroider, and assemble a community quilt. Library staff regularly utilize Take and Makes for programs with elementary and middle school classrooms and afterschool groups. In spring of 2023, the Library launched a series of workshops across branches for patrons to design and cut custom decals and stickers using Cricut machines. Some patrons traveled between branches to keep participating.

Snapshot: The Hive supports patrons transforming ideas into projects and fosters a creative community. Some recent examples:

• Middle school students and their grandparents sat down in the multimedia recording studio to produce oral histories of immigration stories.
• A high school student created buttons and signs to use as part of peaceful demonstrations addressing the killing of local student Arif Sayed Faisal and police brutality.
• A high school Astronomy class developed board games tied to science concepts that were showcased at a community morning of play.
• An adult patron designed and laser-cut his own weaving loom and sewed bespoke gifts with his woven fabric during Sewing Circle, a group founded by patrons who formed a small and growing community during a month-long introductory sewing program with a local fiber artist.

Network, Collaborate, and Share

What advice would you give to someone implementing a similar community-based program?

• Establish key goals and recognize these may change over time
• Speak to the community to identify interests and needs
• Leverage partnerships
• Garner local support
• Embrace innovation and iteration as you progress and grow

How can people reach you?

Contact Maria McCauley, Director of Libraries: mmccauley@cambridgema.gov. Willing to discuss capital projects, strategic planning, funding acquisition, and more. Happy to connect library administration and staff to Cambridge Public Library colleagues to talk through other areas of interest.