The University of Montana’s spectrUM Discovery Area – a hands-on science museum located within the Missoula Public Library – recently launched a NASA-supported program to place telescopes in all libraries across the state.
The program is titled “Big Sky, Bigger Dreams: Telescopes for Montana Libraries.” This groundbreaking initiative will place telescopes in public and tribal college libraries across the state, making astronomy accessible to all Montanans.
Funded through a $250,000 NASA TEAM II STEM Innovator Award, this two-year project will empower families, students and amateur astronomers in rural and tribal communities to explore the night sky with user-friendly tabletop telescopes available for free checkout at local libraries.
“It has been a longtime dream of mine to make this project a reality,” said Nicholos Wethington, spectrUM’s associate director of library telescope programs. “The night sky belongs to us all and is part of our global cultural heritage.”
He said the project is about removing barriers.
“By putting telescopes in libraries, we’re giving every Montanan – regardless of income or geography – the chance to experience the wonders of astronomy firsthand.”
Highlights of the program include:
- 124 user-friendly telescopes modified for public use and distributed to public libraries statewide.
- Training and educational resources provided to librarians via the Montana State Library’s professional development platform in collaboration with the International Library Telescope Program.
- NASA content and virtual events that connect communities with NASA scientists and missions, including Artemis and Europa Clipper.
- Special outreach events like International Observe the Moon Night, which will be hosted in partnership with NASA and the Montana Space Grant Consortium.
Montana’s rural nature and low light pollution make it an ideal location for amateur astronomy. Now, free telescopes for checkout will be offered at libraries, which are existing community hubs statewide with educational resources like books and access to the internet.
The project builds on successful spectrUM pilot efforts in collaboration with the Western Montana Astronomical Association, Missoula’s local astronomy club. This collaboration has already placed 17 telescopes in 13 libraries.
“The very first telescope, placed in the Missoula Public Library in 2013, is still available for checkout to this day,” Wethington said. “Demand for their use has been high, with families and children checking out the telescopes multiple times.”
“Our telescope checkouts have been incredibly popular,” said Annika Riley, a youth services librarian at Bitterroot Public Library in Hamilton. “We had to purchase a second telescope to meet demand.”
In collaboration with NASA, the Montana State Library, the Montana Space Grant Consortium and local partners, “Big Sky, Bigger Dreams” will inspire the next generation of space enthusiasts and broaden interest in STEM fields across Montana, Wethington said.
By: UM News service
