University of Illinois

The Graduate School of Library and Information Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will engage in a three-year, multi-site project focused on app-creation for children from eight to twelve. App Authors will create curricula and tools for use in school and public libraries that will teach young people to create apps and allow them to share their achievements with other children. The curriculum will be disseminated for adoption at other school and public libraries. The project will provide young people with early programming experience, and further establish libraries as places to engage youth in STEM exploration and digital development that reflects their own experiences. This project builds upon work completed during a previously funded IMLS planning grant.