Community and Citizen Science (CCS) connects scientists and everyday people to help accelerate research and discovery. As we face global challenges, there are local ways for us to be engaged in issues affecting our community health, environmental health, human genetics, technology and innovation. CCS is a collaboration between scientists and those of us who are just curious or concerned and motivated to make a difference. CCS is an opportunity for everyone to participate in fun and real science—following protocols for data collection, analysis and reporting. NNLM promotes CCS by providing free resources to support these outreach efforts in your community.
Test the Waters Kit
In partnership with Cornerstones of Science and the NIH All of Us Research Program, the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) is offering an exciting new citizen science resource to public libraries. The Test the Waters Family Exploration Kit is a fun, accessible, loanable kit that includes four family-friendly activities, and all the instructions and materials needed (audio file guides are available in Arabic, Chinese, English, Spanish and Vietnamese).
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Test the Waters Family Exploration Kit
Learn More TodayThe free kits are available to the first 500 requesting libraries! They come in a lockable plastic tote and can fit on a typical library shelf.
Citizen Science Training Modules
Global Citizen Science Month is an annual April event that celebrates and promotes all things community and citizen science: amazing discoveries, incredible volunteers, hardworking practitioners, inspiring projects, and anything else citizen science-related. It encompasses online events and opportunities to contribute to projects from home, making community science programming accessible to all. With support from the National Library of Medicine and the All of Us Research Program, SciStarter has partnered up with the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University to present Citizen Science Month. Learn more about SciStarter's & NNLM's programs for Citizen Science Month.
By engaging with these Citizen Science training modules you can learn about the basics of Citizen Science, data literacy, how to contribute and interpret data through citizen science projects, and best practices and resources to engage library users in citizen science and life-long learning.
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Foundations of Citizen Science
Start Activity OneStart with the self-guided Foundations of Citizen Science Training and badge, a prerequisite for follow-on trainings. Learn the basics, participate in projects, and make the most of SciStarter. After doing the Foundations of Citizen Science training module you can select any follow-on training.
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Building Data Literacy Through Community and Citizen Science
Start Activity TwoThe Building Data Literacy Through Community and Citizen Science program equips learners with knowledge and skills to contribute and interpret data through community and citizen science projects and discover how data literacy can be applied in everyday situations. Learners will have the option to use free resources to introduce data literacy concepts to others.
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Libraries as Community Hubs for Citizen Science
Start Activity ThreeThis training module, made possible with support from the National Library of Medicine, will help you discover best practices and identify resources to engage library users in citizen science and life-long learning. The "Libraries as Community Hubs for Citizen Science" badge is awarded to librarians and library staff who have demonstrated a commitment to citizen science and the requisite skills necessary for advancing scientific research through community-centered library programming and services.
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Teaching in Higher Education with Citizen Science
Start Activity FourTeaching in Higher Education with Citizen Science is an online, self-guided module that will provide you with information on some of the benefits of including citizen science in your undergraduate courses, practical strategies for doing so, and opportunities for networking and professional development. Upon completion of this module and related activities, you will receive details on how to claim your badge.
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Data Ethics for Practitioners
Start Activity FiveThe "Data Ethics" tutorial and badge are designed for practitioners and leaders of participatory science projects, including citizen science and community science projects. The tutorial will help you “think like an ethicist” by identifying relevant ethical obligations, tensions, and issues that may arise in your project, and use them to make decisions. The tutorial is intended to help you understand the unique obligations for collecting, stewarding, and disseminating project data in ways that foster trust between practitioners, participants, and partners.
Citizen Science Month
Global Citizen Science Month is an annual April event that celebrates and promotes all things citizen science: amazing discoveries, incredible volunteers, hardworking practitioners, inspiring projects, and anything else citizen science-related. It encompasses online events and opportunities to contribute to projects from home, making citizen science programming accessible to all.
Thanks to support from the National Library of Medicine and the All of Us Research Program, SciStarter has partnered up with the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University to present Citizen Science Month. Learn more about SciStarter's & NNLM's programs for Citizen Science Month.
Our Partners
SciStarter
SciStarter is a globally acclaimed, online citizen science hub with more than 3,000 projects, events and tools. SciStarter has partnered with NNLM to curate a selection of health-related citizen science resources. Learn more about these citizen science resources at SciStarter.org/nlm.
Cornerstones of Science
Cornerstones of Science works with libraries to spark passion and curiosity about the world around us by offering “experiences of science.” Cornerstones is creating an interactive online database of expert scientific presenters that libraries can access and use in their own science programming. Learn more about Cornerstones of Science.