Atlantic Provinces Library Association 2021 Conference

In response to the restrictions on gathering in Nova Scotia due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Halifax Public Libraries (HPL) and SuperNOVA at Dalhousie University established a partnership to distributing technology resource kits to youth in areas across the Halifax Regional Municipality through the 14 branches of HPL. SuperNOVA is a non-profit initiative of Dalhousie University that provides hands-on, engaging STEM education for youth across Atlantic Canada. Working in collaboration with HPL, SuperNOVA has created accessible curriculum for youth to explore and learn about concepts of coding and digital literacy. Over the course of the winter and spring of 2021, the Take Home Tech program will provide three week loans of Ozobots, Spheros, and Codey Rockys packed into kits with curriculum guidelines, as well as providing opportunities for online, virtual webinars. The proposed talk for the APLA conference would outline the objectives and goals of our partnership, the specific logistic details that allow SuperNOVA to loan the technology through the library system, and the benefits to HPL programming that this partnership provides.