Mrs. Deborah Fagnan

Jan 27, 202110 min read

Citizen Science Club

Updated: May 23, 2021

What Is Citizen Science?

Science is our most reliable system of gaining new knowledge, and citizen science is the public involvement in the inquiry and discovery of new scientific knowledge. Community science, participatory research, DIY science, crowdsourcing, and public engagement in scientific research, among others, are also terms used to describe this movement. Citizen science is the most widely used term to describe this process of public involvement in scientific research. A citizen science project can involve one person or millions of people collaborating toward a common goal.

Citizen scientists are typically people without specialized training who participate in scientific research activities to help answer questions that cannot be answered without their help.

Citizen science is a growing global movement where individuals, family members, friends, community groups, or anyone can get involved! This crowdsourced, collaborative effort may involve gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data as well as making and sharing observations, forming research questions, or interpreting and sharing project outcomes.

Complex tasks are broken into microtasks, enabling people with a variety of skills, interests, locations, and access to technology to participate in one or more of the thousands of citizen science projects in need of help. By crowdsourcing data collection using clear protocols, important questions are answered more quickly while opening doors for members of the community to engage in scientific research and related policies.

Citizen science is commonly supported by government agencies, universities, nonprofit organizations, industry, and start-ups. Citizen science advances research in a wide range of disciplines, from astronomy to zoology, and actively engages people based on a variety of motivations, including:

It’s fun and may align with a hobby (bird-watching, stargazing).
It provides an opportunity to learn and make meaningful contributions to science.
Participants connect with others who share common interests.
The outcomes of research matter to a volunteer’s health.
The outcomes of research matter to a volunteer’s community.

These research collaborations can be concentrated or massive. They range in scale from local, regional, national, and even global levels. Project timelines may last one minute, one hour, one day, one year, or decades. They may require one-time participation or seek ongoing engagement.

Why Do Citizen Science?

Millions of citizen scientists are accelerating many areas of scientific research. They volunteer to help biologists, ecologists, zoologists, and others track animal migrations in their yard or remotely by counting and identifying animals in online images from camera traps.

They assist chemists, social scientists, virologists, computer scientists, medical researchers, educators, and regulators when they test water and air quality near them, monitor light pollution by counting stars, or help predict flu and COVID-19 outbreaks by sharing anonymized symptoms and playing online games to train computers to recognize patterns.

In fact, citizen scientists have drastically shortened the amount of time it takes for astronomers to validate the discovery of new galaxies by analyzing online images from the Hubble Space Telescope, and they’ve assisted aerospace engineers and meteorologists by ground-truthing NASA satellite data simply by sharing local data about cloud formations and precipitation.

A paper by Theobald et. al in 2015 estimated the dollar value of citizen science. In a survey of 388 projects, researchers found that:

1.36 million to 2.28 million citizen scientists volunteered an average of 21–24 hours per person per year. Many science projects operate on a small budget, and having access to volunteers can be the difference between completion or incompletion.

Participating in citizen science will give you hands-on experience with the scientific method: a process for exploring observations and answering questions that can be used in daily life!

What Is SciStarter?

SciStarter is a globally acclaimed online citizen science hub where more than 3,000 projects from all over the internet have been organized and made searchable!

A research affiliate of Arizona State University (ASU), SciStarter hosts an active community of over 100,000 registered citizen scientists and millions of additional site visitors. Hundreds of citizen science projects are “SciStarter Affiliates,” which means they use digital codes to help you keep track of projects across websites and apps. You’ll see these features on your SciStarter dashboard if you have SciStarter account (it’s free). SciStarter works with the Girl Scouts of the USA, National Geographic, Discover Magazine, school districts, universities, libraries, museums, lifelong learning centers, and other organizations to increase awareness of and engagement in citizen science.

Evaluations from Arizona State University have shown SciStarter to be an effective, user-friendly tool that helps people participate in citizen science locally and globally.

SciStarter makes it easy to choose interesting projects at the desired level of involvement. By becoming familiar with SciStarter and its resources, you can find citizen science projects and track your participation across projects.

In Libraries:

Libraries are important anchors for serving their communities with resources and guidance needed for an evolving workforce, civic engagement, and lifelong learning.

As part of these efforts, libraries want low-cost, turnkey programming that aligns with their capacities and the interests of patrons—programming that supports or introduces authentic, hands-on science and technology experiences focused on science, technology, engineering, math, and civic engagement (Dusenbery, 2013).

Citizen science programming offers accessible, affordable hands-on experiences with authentic scientific research. These experiences spark interest in science, help develop STEM learning and skills, help advance important scientific research, and enable multiple stakeholders to learn, do, and shape science that matters to them.

Citizen science programming is a new approach that libraries can use to strengthen their position as community anchors—anchors that address a growing demand for knowledge, training in science, technology, and 21st-century skills, while fostering civic engagement.

Libraries as Community Hubs for Citizen Science

What is a “community hub for citizen science” and how can your library become one?

For example, support from NNLM made this tutorial possible!

A national leadership grant from IMLS and a grant from the Moore Foundation helped the SciStarter/ASU team develop “Libraries as Community Hubs for Citizen Science,” a suite of kits, trainings, guides, networks, programs, promotional and operational materials, and additional digital and physical resources for libraries (Arizona State University, 2020). You’ll learn more about this later.

These resources offer libraries of all types and sizes, even those with minimal budgets, new and supplemental strategies to engage people in authentic science experiences.

Any library that implements these resources becomes a Community Hub for Citizen Science.

Many also join the National Citizen Science Library Network, which we will describe later. There are many benefits of becoming a Community Hub for Citizen Science. An evaluation of the programs mentioned above reported the following benefits:

bullet Librarians that used the resources felt comfortable assisting patrons with the kits and facilitating kit circulation.
bullet Library patrons reported increased awareness, interest, and knowledge of citizen science, as well as confidence in their ability to collect and interpret data.
bullet 92% of participants expressed interest in checking out another Citizen Science Kit.
bullet Citizen science project scientists reported a notable increase in data from patrons.

Resources offered through the SciStarter/ASU programs also help libraries offer mutually beneficial, strategic collaborations with community organizations and clubs, including:

Girls Scouts Amateur astronomers Gardening clubs Educators Senior citizens Civic organizations Environmental justice communities And more!

Citizen science enables libraries to: Build upon existing, successful STEM programs. Leverage their infrastructure.bullet Create awareness of and sustained engagement in scientific research.bullet Empower staff to serve as effective facilitators of STEM engagement and learning.ullet Reach people historically excluded from participation in science.

Citizen science can supplement existing programs and resources your library users already enjoy and create opportunities to offer new programs to new communities.

First, identify the interests, concerns and needs of your library community.

Here are some tactics, and remember that many related resources are also available on SciStarter.org/Library-Resources:

Talk to the groups or clubs that routinely meet at your library to understand their interests or concerns. Are there other resources outside the library that may address those issues? Reach out to them as well.

Hold a community dialogue to learn more about your library users’ interests. The Community Dialogue Guide for Public Libraries resource from STARnet provides the steps to plan and host a successful event.

Help library users discover how to turn their interests and concerns into impact through citizen science.

Promote the free and open Foundations of Citizen Science Tutorial (SciStarter.org/Training). This is the same tutorial and badge you already completed.

The easiest option is to bookmark the Foundations web page on your public computers so library users can easily find it and start learning about citizen science. Future citizen science events could then build off this foundational understanding of citizen science!

Become familiar with SciStarter.org and all the free resources available to you and your community. The Guide is full of helpful information on selecting projects for your community. We recommend reviewing “Section 3: Connecting Your Community to Citizen Science” for additional tips.

Create a book display that features materials about citizen science and supporting subjects (i.e., animal guides, space, gardening, photography, and so on).

Tie citizen science to summer reading, story time, and book discussions. Is there a book, film, or television show popular with your library users? Tie a citizen science event to it!

For example, if your library holds an event tied to the Star Wars films, you could consider introducing a space-themed citizen science project like Citizen Sky or Backyard Worlds: Planet 9. Or, if your library is hosting a book club that is focused on social justice, you could suggest a project like Demo Watch.
The Network of the National Library of Medicine offers book titles related to health issues.
Find a curated list of health-related citizen science projects at SciStarter.org/NLM.
Get to know the range of projects available on SciStarter to make this suggestion even easier.

Stories followed by a call to action (an invitation to engage) can be a powerful way to get people interested and involved!

Create an interactive poster for library users to fill in sticky notes with ideas about topics or issues that are important to them that can be addressed through science. Download the poster template and other free materials at SciStarter.org/library-resources.

Embed the SciStarter Project Finder widget on your library’s computers. This makes it easy for people to discover and try out local projects.

Organize a watch party for kids and families and show the recording from CitSci Kids Day (see SciStarter.org/Citizen-Science-Videos) where hosts from NatGeo Disney+, SciGirls and TIME for Kids guide youngsters through citizen science activities, discussions, and more!

For adults, there’s Crowd and Cloud from PBS.

Here are suggestions for additive activities to spark dialogue, practice common citizen science skills, and foster deeper engagement:

Invite a subject matter expert to share the latest research on a topic of interest and to listen to the questions and suggestions of the community.
Invite local organizations to learn about citizen science or to share their own citizen science opportunities with library users.
Engage in a project to collect or analyze data during the event. Use the SciStarter Project Finder to find a project that matches your criteria or ask local organizations and patrons already engaged in projects for recommendations.
Following the Foundations of Citizen Science event, organize a bioblitz to document all the biodiversity on your library’s property. Find a robust “BioBlitz Guide” from iNaturalist on SciStarter.org/Library-Training.
Demonstrate how to use one of the library kits to both introduce engagement in citizen science and promote the kits at your library. Start with the Great Sunflower Project Program in a Box. (Find more information about the kits below, and find a link to the Sunflower Program in a Box on SciStarter.org/Library-Training.)

Community Partnerships:

Girl Scouts are engaged in the Think Like a Citizen Scientist Journey centered around projects featured in kits in libraries! (You’ll learn more about the kits later.)

Encourage Girl Scouts to check the kits out from your library, host meetings, share their experiences, and introduce their projects to patrons through the library.

Naturalists and gardeners are documenting biodiversity through apps such as iNaturalist, CitSci.org, Anecdata, and more. Invite them to leverage your library as a safe, public meeting space to share discoveries and recruit more citizen scientists to join them.

Astronomy clubs may already be engaged in citizen science projects, particularly those that require telescopes. Introduce them to citizen science using the Foundations training materials.

Let them know about the Globe at Night citizen science kit and related activities you’re planning if they aren’t already aware of citizen science.

OSHER Lifelong Institute (OLLI) chapters for 55 and older members may already meet at your library and, increasingly, they are not only learning about citizen science but also being trained to facilitate introductions to citizen science using the Foundations to Citizen Science tutorial!

Consider sharing the Foundations tutorial with them at one of their meetings or inviting them to facilitate introductions to citizen science at your library. Citizen science is a powerful tool for seniors to socially connect, apply lifelong knowledge, build and practice new skills, and help advance scientific research.

Bonus: Research shows that among all demographics of citizen scientists, senior citizens stay engaged in projects longer and are more persistent in their engagement levels.

Homeschoolers: Both formal and informal learning environments are ripe for citizen science as they seek resources and opportunities to engage learners in authentic science. Homeschool educators and learners in particular can benefit from accessing the free kits, related books, and other materials from your library.

Be sure to share the Foundations of Citizen Science with them to get started!

Other collaborators to consider:

University or community college subject experts
Land-Grant University Extension Office Master Gardeners
State or county vector control educational outreach
Local Girl Scouts Council STEM coordinator, or local troops who have earned their “Think Like a Citizen Scientist” Journey awards
Astronomy clubs
Botanical gardens or zoos
Park ranger or education outreach at municipal, county, state, or federal parks
Beekeepers
Local environmental or conservation organizations
Local or national organizations that support underrepresented groups in STEM; the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has compiled a list that may help get you started

What is a Citizen Science Kit?

A Citizen Science Kit is a small box that contains everything you need for a specific citizen science project. Each kit includes a printed activity guide, helpful tips, and any specialized tools or materials you need to complete the project.

With support from an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant, Arizona State University and SciStarter are collaborating with libraries, community-based organizations, advisors, and evaluators to scale a suite of replicable, field-tested kits that libraries are circulating across the country!

View the following two-minute video to learn more about the Citizen Science Kits for Libraries.

Explore Funding Sources

A budget to fund citizen science activities may need to be addressed before you can go any further.

Consider using all the free resources on SciStarer.org/library-resources and SciStarter.org/library-training to introduce the concepts mentioned earlier to your staff and patrons. Access is free, available 24/7, and available to cobrand with your library logo.
When budgeting, it can also help to consider the partnerships you already have or that you might be able to establish. These partnerships may be able to supply free subject experts or assistance to support programs or events.
If funding is needed to purchase equipment, tools, books, or print materials, you may want to investigate funding sources like the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), or your state library may offer smaller grants under the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).

In addition to the Guide, SciStarter provides libraries with a resource website with funding opportunities, fliers, training videos, slide presentations, links to subject experts, posters, information on building citizen science kits, Citizen Science Month information, and more.

The library resources website is a great place to find free materials to help support your citizen science event with bookmarks patrons love to grab and posters that can be used for both physical and digital promotion. By downloading and printing these professionally designed materials, you can strategically place fliers in displays and bookshelves to alert your patrons to take action and crowdsource data for scientific research.

Connect your patrons to supporting library materials, the Foundations of Citizen Science tutorial, citizen science projects, and library programs or activities to create your Citizen Science Month celebration. The Guide, the Citizen Science Month web page, and SciStarter’s Citizen Science Video web page are full of ideas and resources to keep patrons engaged.

Within the library resources website, the Citizen Science Supplemental Materials section provides a quick reference to downloadable materials. Feel free to cobrand these. Don’t forget to bring citizen science bookmarks and fliers with you to outreach activities like festivals, senior centers, school technology events, or science fairs.