The RURL Project

 

Project Focus

The University of North Texas and the University of Alabama, in partnership with the Pottsboro (Texas) Area Library and the Tuscaloosa (Alabama) Public Library, are focused on addressing educational inequities and creating a professional network of librarians who use radio broadcasts.The RURL project began in Fall 2021 and is scheduled to run for two years with two different cohorts, the first cohort being Pottsboro Area Library and Tuscaloosa Public Library.

Learning Podcast Series on Local Radio Stations

Pottsboro Area Library and Tuscaloosa Public Library will recruit local families to participate in Raise Up Radio: Family and Youth Engagement in Library Supported Learning Via Radio. The project aims at developing a STEM learning podcast series which will be broadcasted via radio. These new radio programs will be developed by local youth and families using best practices for equitable youth and family engagement in learning. Despite technological advances, radio is an important resource for rural residents to gain information.

Connected Learning

Over the course of a year, participating families will meet together with the library staff for a period of approximately 8 weeks. During this time, they will:

1. Identify community needs related to STEM as well as community assets,
2. Choose a  topic(s) to cover in the podcast,
3. Use provided equipment to record and edit up to 5 podcast episodes, including interviews of local experts,
4. Create learning kits for community members to participate with the podcast activities, and
5. Design tools to measure community experiences with the podcast.

Year 1 Goal and Beyond

At the conclusion of year 1, library staff from Pottsboro Area Library and Tuscaloosa Public Library will then serve as a network for the second cohort. The larger goal for RURL is for participating libraries to grow their influence within their communities and sustain the RURL focus beyond the close of the project.