Citizen Science Month – April 2020

Posted in: #CC/Academic List, #Health Interest List, #Health Sciences List, #Public/K-12 List, All Members

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Spring is just around the corner in the MidContinental Region!  Springs means longer days, warmer temperatures, and colorful flowers.  It also means that Citizen Science Month is coming in April!  April is the perfect time for people to experience new activities, inside and/or outside.  For libraries, this means that now is the time to plan programs that introduce your patrons to citizen science and crowdsourcing.

This year, the National Network of Libraries of Medicine has expanded its partnership with SciStarter, an online community dedicated to supporting citizen science for both project managers and participants, to support Citizen Science Month. If you are new to citizen science and are looking for help with citizen science programming, start with the Introduction to Citizen Science Tutorial.  Also, check out  SciStarter’s Library and Community Guide to Citizen Science, which includes a facilitator’s kit, programs in a box, posters and other materials, book lists and books, and more to get you on your way.  These resources are great for starting your own citizen science program for Citizen Science Month but can be used anytime during the year.  Also, NLM provides access to a variety of resources and materials for basic health, environmental health, and genetics that can support citizen science outreach efforts in your community. National Library of Medicine resources for citizen science include MedlinePlus, Tox Town, Genetics Home Reference, and ChemIDplus.

Academic libraries looking for ways to engage students, faculty and staff in crowdsourcing activities can participate in a Wikipedia edit-a-thon.  In conjunction with Citizen Science Month, NNLM has chosen April for our biannual, month-long #citeNLM editing campaign.  The topic of the Spring 2020 campaign is Preventative Health and Wellness.  Join us for a training webinar on April 2 at 2pm ET to get started.  You can take part in #citeNLM during the month of April in many ways:

1. Participate virtually as an individual: sign upto participate in our virtual edit-a-thon on April 30, or edit health articles another time and add the project hashtag #citeNLM in the Edit Summary.
2. Participate in-person as an individual: find an event happening near you.
3. Host an in-person or virtual edit-a-thon at your library: use our organizer’s guideto get started.
4. Share our campaign on social media: use #citeNLM in your posts about the event!

For more details, visit nnlm.gov/wiki.

Taking part in Citizen Science Month is a great way to introduce patrons to scientific research and to help them turn curiosity into impact.  Explore the opportunities today!

Margie Sheppard – MCR Kansas Technology Coordinator