Emmet O’Neal Library to kick off new monthly program, STEAM Powered

The Emmet O’Neal Library Children’s Department is launching STEAM Powered, a monthly program for upper elementary students that will focus on concepts in science, technology, engineering, the arts and math.

The first STEAM Powered, scheduled for Monday, Sept. 12, zooms in on the basics of coding with a session called Computer Programming Unplugged. Attendees will learn about creating simple commands and stringing them together to create a program, then they will practice using their knowledge by writing a “program” to direct a friend through a maze. They’ll also learn to construct their name in binary characters. Throughout the fall semester, other STEAM Powered programs will include Halloween science and birding with the Audubon Society.

Morgan Higgins, a Children’s Librarian at Emmet O’Neal Library, developed the program. She said her motivation is giving kids the chance to become familiar with new skills and technologies.

“There are plenty of relatively new skills and technologies that are quickly becoming essential for success in the college and career world," she said. "We want to give kids chances to get their feet wet with resources and ideas they may not otherwise encounter day-to-day. We also want to see our patrons growing up well-rounded and with an enthusiasm for trying new activities and devices and fields of interest. This program is an effort to offer more of those opportunities.”

STEAM Powered attendees must pre-register online through the library’s website, eolib.org. The program will be open to the first fifteen registrants in fourth, fifth, and sixth grade.

-Submitted by Emmet O'Neal Library