STEAM Equity Site Support Notebook (for Partner Libraries): Logistics

Logistics

This page includes:

Tour Itinerary

A copy of the tour itinerary can be found here.

Exhibits

The three traveling STEAM exhibitions will include games, stations for patrons to create their own creative content, videos, and information designed to engage tweens and their families in self-expression and self-improvement, creative problem solving, and curiosity. Exhibitions will be in Spanish and English.

Each exhibit will require approximately 400 square feet of space, which are publicly accessible in a high traffic area and prominently displayed, as outlined in the STEAM Equity Guidelines under which the library’s application was submitted. Tour timeframes will be established in collaboration with selected libraries in early 2021 to better respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The exhibits are:

 

1. Soy Super: Conozco, aprendo, crezco / I’m Super: I learn, grow, change Celebrate the benefits and applications of STEAM in our personal lives through the exhibit and games, science tools, and interactives. STEAM content areas will range from design and expression, to athletics, to food, and to safety and security. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Somos Super Creativ@s: Resolvemos, ingeniamos, construimos/ We’re Super Creative: We solve, build, engineer

Apply iterative design, art, technology, and teamwork through the exhibit and engineering design challenges. STEAM content areas will consider everyday challenges relating to building and sustaining communities, and celebrate the innovators and innovations tackling those challenges.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Soy Super Curious@: Observo, exploro, pregunto / I’m Super Curious: I observe, explore, wonder

Inspire wonder and curiosity through the exhibit and observations of our world and the universe. STEAM content areas will include phenomena that can be observed in our daily lives – such as the night sky, weather, oceanography, and animals – and opportunities to explore further through citizen science.

 

 

 

 

Logistics, Order of Events, and Checklist

  1. Each cohort will participate in one check-in calls with SSI staff prior to hosting the exhibit.
  2. 3-4 weeks prior to exhibition start, the Shipper and Stephanie Vierow-Fields will contact host sites to arrange for convenient exhibit delivery and pick-up time.
  3. Please check the condition of the exhibit as you unpack crates. If any exhibit parts or materials are missing or damaged, please notify Stephanie in one message after exhibit set-up for small requests. However, if major damage has occurred please notify Stephanie IMMEDIATELY to ensure your venue is not responsible for damage caused by shipping or the prior venue.
  4. The first date in the itinerary is the last day the shipper is allowed to deliver the exhibit, although it might arrive before that date. When you are planning exhibit openings, remember that you might not receive the exhibit until the first date in the itinerary, and you will need at least a day or two to set it up.
  5. The last date in the itinerary is when the exhibit must close. Host sites are asked to have the exhibit packed up and ready to go by the date indicated for each site, so please allow time to repack it.
  6. We encourage host sites to not plan their first even until one week past expected delivery to account for any issues in delivery/set-up. We also recommend giving a week between the last event and pick up to allow for breaking down of the exhibit and if shipping needs to be moved for weather.

Exhibit Shipping and Receiving

The exhibition shipper is Platinum Cargo Logistics, Inc. Kelly Thieman will the contact at the shipper, Stephanie Vierow-Fields will be the lead logistics manager on this tour; Kelly’s email is kelly.thieman@platinumcargo.com, and her phone is 866-260-5587. All shipping costs will be billed to and paid by the Space Science Institute. Please respond to any requests or questions from the shipper as soon as possible to avoid delays in your exhibit host period.

Important exhibit display information:

Because of varied delivery and pick-up dates, please be sure that your additional exhibit insurance coverage starts 10 days before the start of your display period and extends to 10 days after the last day of your display period.

On the itinerary, a date is designated as the last day the shipper can deliver the exhibit (“Shipper delivers no later than”). The exhibit may be delivered before that day, but please do not plan programs on that day.

You will most likely need extra help with the shipping crates, especially if your library does not have a loading dock or a delivery area large enough for a semitruck to unload. We recommend having at least 3 people helping for unloading and set-up, though it is possible to complete this work with 2 individuals.

You may schedule the exhibit opening whenever it suits your local schedule, but we recommend it is scheduled a week after the exhibit arrives to accommodate any issues that may need to be resolved.

You may close the exhibition when you wish and recommend all events to conclude no more than one week before pick-up.

Because there is limited time available to get the exhibition from one site to another, host sites should have the exhibition dismantled, packed, and ready for pickup on the date agreed upon with Stephanie Vierow-Fields and the shipper.

Shipping will ideally proceed as follows:

Stephanie and Platinum Logistics will contact host sites to arrange convenient delivery and pick-up times. Delivery and pick-up must occur during business hours (9-5 your time, Monday through Friday).  If you have not heard from Platinum by at least 48 hours before the exhibit should be delivered, please call Kelly or Jesse at Platinum at the following number between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST Monday through Friday to confirm delivery arrangements: 720-374-3097. If you need assistance, call or e-mail Stephanie Vierow-Fields (see below).

Shipping questions:

Stephanie Vierow-Fields

Phone: 203-444-2578

E-mail: svfields@spacescience.org

Exhibit Unpacking, Installation, and Repacking Instructions

The following are detailed instructions developed by the exhibit fabricators and SSI, for how to unpack, install, and repack the exhibit. A hard copy of the instructions can be found in the toolboxes when you receive the exhibit as well.

Exhibit Packing Lists/Component Lists (PDF)

Soy Super/I’m Super Video Instructions

              Super Vision, Super Heart, Super Mind

              Trivia Game

               My Super Job Green Screen and Bench Crate Video

Somos Super Creativ@s

              Community Wall

              Create a Story Station and Bench Crate Video

              Wind Tunnel Testing Station

Soy Super Curios@

              Critter Cam

              Trivia Game

              Wonder World and Bench Crate Video

Programming Allowance Request Instructions

Libraries selected to host a STEAM Equity exhibition will receive an allowance of $15,000 over 4 years to cover programming expenses. Please follow the guidelines and instructions outlined above so that the library complies with all required terms. The allowance may not exceed $15,000. This amount will be invoiced to the Space Science Institute Business Office at ssiap@spacescience.or. For questions, please contact Brittany Russell at brussell@spacescience.org.

Reporting

ALA Annual Report Form

Partner Libraries should log in to Foundant to add information about all scheduled STEAM Equity programs and activities as dates become available. The required annual report asks Partner Libraries to share information about the programs and activities they have conducted and respond to narrative questions by reflecting on the library’s experience. All reports must be finalized by July 31 during each year of the STEAM Equity project; reminders will be sent prior to reporting deadlines.

PDF preview of report

If you have any questions about filling out the report, contact publicprograms@ala.org.

Community Dialogue Reflection Form

After hosting a Community Dialogue, we ask that you schedule a time for a conversation with a STEAM Equity team member to debrief your dialogue, and share lessons learned. Please contact Anne Holland (aholland@spacescience.org) to schedule this call. Linked are some of the questions that may be asked, so you can better prepare for the conversation.

Link to the form

Important Dates

  • Rolling dates/deadlines, 2021-2024:
    • Exhibition condition reports, which will be required within a week of exhibition receipt at your library
    • A questionnaire about your annual Community Dialogue events should be provided immediately after each event concludes
    •  Invoices shall be submitted to SSI by December 15th of each project year (except for the final project year; see below), or as frequently as needed, per Contract details.
  •  August 1, 2021 – July 31, 2022: Term for second annual report, to be completed incrementally before the July 31 deadline
  •  August 1, 2022 – July 31, 2023: Term for third annual report, to be completed incrementally before the July 31 deadline
  • August 1, 2023 – July 31, 2024: Term for final STEAM Equity report, to be completed incrementally before the July 31 deadline. Your final invoice must be received by SSI within thirty (30) calendar days after the termination date of your contract.

Next page: STEAM Equity: Background and Project Goals