FIU faculty approached Allapattah Library staff to incorporate literacy and reading components into the bridge/STEAM camp offered by the FIU CEC and Education Effect along with field trip opportunities in the participants’ communities. The collaboration addresses MDPLS’ strategic plan challenge of “[I]ncreasing awareness of Library services and programs to ensure that the public continues to appreciate the importance and benefits of the Library to our community and is well informed about the Library’s offerings.”

The Allapattah Library staff actively participated in outreach to the annual camp and programming at various facilities in the system visited by participants on planned field trips. The library registers participants for library cards, informs them of library programming and resources, and presents two separate STEAM story times while hosting the camp’s closing events and a “STEAM petting zoo” at the MDPLS’ YOUmake makerspace at Miami Beach Regional Library, showcasing the library’s initiatives for STEAM education.

For all three ABC-UTC Bridge Engineering Camps offered since 2017, the library’s staff collaborated in planning with FIU, thereby deepening the community partner relationship. The results include library exposure to 110 camp participants and facilitators with limited prior library experience, year-round engagement with the Education Effect at their community sites and continued contact with FIU CEC resulting in support for the library’s STEAM programming and initiatives such as the MDPLS’ system-wide biannual STEAMFest.