About This Project.

The Rural Engagement to Advance Learning In STEM Digitally (REALISD) in School Libraries Program is a proposed three-year collaborative project (October 2017 - September 2020) between the University of West Georgia (UWG) and University at Buffalo (UB) to continue the education of rural school librarians. This project seeks to increase the applied digital knowledge, skills, and abilities of K-12 school librarians for designing, managing, and facilitating STEM learning in their respective rural schools through a rich and comprehensive professional development (PD) experience. This project is directly relevant to the IMLS strategic plan, specifically in support of the goal of creating engaging experiences for learners in libraries that prepare them to be full participants in their local communities and a global society. Over the 3-year project period, a team of STEM educators, school library leaders, and digital resource experts will deliver PD learning experiences for school librarians from rural areas of the United States. Rural areas here comprise some of the lowest socioeconomic indices and hardest hit postindustrial economies of the US. Addressing the Community Anchor category of the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (LB21) of the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), this project seeks to build new knowledge and skills of school library professionals to improve their ability to address STEM needs and facilitate lifelong learning in their schools and the larger rural communities.