Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation STEAM Lending Library District Kits

In the 2021-22 school year, we operated a pilot of the Lending Library District Kits. We are now implementing them as the go-to method for borrowing resources from the Lending Library for the 2023-24 school year and beyond.  One of the main reasons for establishing the Lending Library in partnership with the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation was the desire to provide access to resources for all educators within the region. As with other services available through the AIU, the Lending Library provides equity, scale, and cost savings. These resources are available to you with the notion that you can "try before you buy." Also, teachers have told us that certain resources fit into one or more of their units, but they don't need them all year long, so why not share them with others.

The District Lending Library Kit allows you to borrow a significant portion of the total collection to allow for exploration among grade levels, multiple buildings, and even professional learning opportunities for the educators who have not yet had the chance to try them for themselves and develop ideas for integratin with their lessons. More and more research builds the case for tangible, physical devices to be used while learning the concepts and skills within STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). For one child or or a classroom full, these resources may provide the spark for them to become leaders in any of those disciplines.

We respectfully request that the Curriculum Director or other Central Office Administrator order these kits to ensure accountability and purposeful use. 

Kits must be picked up and dropped off by the borrowing district. As a reference, any one of these kits will fit in the cargo  area of an SUV.

AIU's STEAM Lending Library has been made possible through the generous support of the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation.