Broward County Library’s Science Fair Festival

About the Program

Category: Libraries (Best in Category)

Year: 2022

Broward County Library’s Science Fair Festival (SFF) is a free, annual event that provides Broward County students, parents and caregivers with help, guidance and resources to help make their school science fair project a winner. Open to all students ages 18 and under, it was launched in 2017 with a grant from NASA@ My Library. In 2020, Broward County Library closed is physical buildings due to the threat of COVID-19, and the event successfully transitioned from in-person to online, continuing virtually in 2021. Festival activities include presentations, demonstrations and experiments from local science experts as well as information/Q-and-A sessions with school staff and administration. The Science Fair Festival provides Broward County’s students with equal access to STEM-related experts, information and resources to help conceptualize and create their school science projects. SFF is also an outstanding example of how a public library can creatively promote their resources to young library users, as well as way to strengthen and develop community and intra-governmental partnerships. The Science Fair Festival received the Florida Library Association’s 2021 Betty Davis Miller Youth Services Award, which recognizes library programs of direct service to youth.