Download the PDF version of this section.Introduction to The Library & Community Guide to Citizen ScienceUnderstanding, planning and sustaining ongoing engagement in citizen science at your library or community-based organization.December 2020EDITORS: Darlene CavalierArizona State University, SciStarter Caroline NickersonSciStarter Robin SalthouseSciStarterDan StantonArizona State University Library, SciStarter ADVISORS: Kirsten CrowhurstProgram Manager, NNLM All of Us Training and Education CenterLydia N. CollinsParticipant Engagement Lead, NNLM All of Us Training and Education CenterKelli HamFormerly at the of Libraries of Medicine Pacific Southwest RegionTheresa SchwerinInstitute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)DESIGNER: Emily Maletz SPECIAL THANKS TO:Cynthia Randall Cornerstones of ScienceYang Cao SciStarterDeron Ash Arizona State UniversityKristi Eustice Arizona State UniversityEDITORIAL SUPPORT: Renee WilkinsonMichele ElderDecember 2020The Library and Community Guide to Citizen Science was made possible with support from:The Institute of Museum and Library Services, under grant numbers LG-95-17-0158-17 and LG-246428-OLS-20. IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s libraries and museums. IMLS advances, supports and empowers America’s museums, libraries and related organizations through grantmaking, research and policy development. Their vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov. This project has been funded in whole or in part by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH) under cooperative agreement number 5UG4LM012342-05 with the University of Pittsburgh, Health Sciences Library System. This is a modified version of the Library and Community Guide originally published in February of 2019.Libraries are quickly becoming hubs for citizen science. Your library may already be involved in citizen science programming. If so, bravo! For countless others, citizen science is still a bit of a mystery. We created this guide to help you navigate the rapidly changing landscape, access resources, learn about projects and programs and explore a myriad of opportunities to support your plans to bring citizen science to your library or community-based organization (CBO).We hope this guide will help you:Learn more about citizen science and connections with libraries and community-based organizations. Discover STEM-related issues of interest or concern to your communities. Connect existing programs and communities to projects on SciStarter.org. Access resources to help broaden awareness and increase diverse engagement with citizen science projects. Connect with projects, instruments, subject matter experts and diverse communities to activate and sustain engagement in citizen science. Plan Citizen Science Month events in April and other in-person, virtual and hybrid events throughout the year.Support facilitators (community leaders, educators, volunteers, staff, etc.) in introducing citizen science through your library.