A Study of Rural Librarians’ Self-Efficacy in Facilitating and Developing Adult Science Programs

Abstract

Rural libraries are central hubs for their communities and for sharing knowledge. For these reasons, they are an essential component of community science literacy. As part of the “Rural Gateways” project, researchers examined the science attitudes and self-efficacy of rural librarians and how these variables relate to librarians’ identity as science program developers. From across the United States, 110 rural librarians filled out a questionnaire measuring their science self-efficacy. Although most librarians reported high levels of science self-efficacy, some statistically significant differences existed between subgroups. On average, librarians with above-average science self-efficacy were significantly more likely to view themselves as developers of adult science programming. In many cases, librarians previously were involved in creating adult science programming within their rural communities. We discuss our findings in relation to current understandings of self-efficacy and library practice, as well as implications for learning in informal science education settings more broadly.