Citizen science at the Municipal Public Library in Kudowa-Zdrój
Juliette Chalant
Oct. 2, 2024, 2:06 p.m.
As part of our series of articles on the 10 public libraries involved in the ECS project, we’re spotlighting the Municipal Public Library in Kudowa-Zdrój in Poland, who organised a Citizen Science Day to introduce residents of Kudowa and the surrounding area to the world of citizen science. Participating in the ECS project also presented the library and the Góry Stołowe National Park with a unique opportunity for collaboration on a citizen science initiative focused on pollinating insects!
Citizen Science Day in Kudowa-Zdrój
During citizen science month (April), the Municipal Public Library in Kudowa-Zdrój (Poland) invited the city’s residents to the very first Polish Citizen Science Day on April 17, 2024.
The day began with gardening workshops with Joanna Zbróg, gardener of the Wrocław University of Science and Technology. Children aged 7-10 years old from first and third grade of primary school learned about native melliferous plants, how to care for them and, of course, planted their own. The children took the plants to their homes, where they can later transplant them in the garden or on the balcony!
Dr. Szymon Chmielewski (University of Life Sciences in Lublin) was invited to give an introduction on what citizen science is and the different applications dedicated to the topic. These apps make hundreds of citizen science projects available to anyone interested in it. This includes, for example, the GeoWeb mobile application designed to collect field observations. Dr. Chmielewski took participants through a short tutorial, some test measurements before moving on to full citizen science activities. With GeoWeb, users can track all their observations in real-time on a community map. The event focused on rare species of Góry Stołowe National Park fauna.
“I am excited to be a part of Citizen Science Day. By joining the European Citizen Science project I can exchange experiences with other CS enthusiasts, make new connections and learn from science authorities. I am looking forward to growing the CS community all over the country”, says Dr. Szymon Chmielewski.
Dr. Jolanta Artym (Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences) presented the most popular pollinators, bee products, and their properties. Małgorzata Fugowska from the Góry Stołowe National Park talked about pollinators and pollinator-friendly plants in their immediate surroundings. The library hosted an exhibition of over 100 children's artworks of insects in various artistic techniques titled ‘Every insect counts!’, a presentation of a library collection about insects, and an apiary stand with local bee products.
‘Our insects are counting on us!’
Promoting citizen science provided an excellent opportunity for cooperation with the Góry Stołowe National Park, which is around the corner from the public library. During the Citizen Science Day, participants discovered the initiative ‘Our insects are counting on us’, a project that is part of an ongoing collaboration between the Municipal Public Library in Kudowa-Zdrój and Góry Stołowe Mountains National Park to conduct field studies on pollinating insects through citizen science. From May 1 to August 31, 2024, research kits will be available for anyone to observe pollinating insects in designated spaces in Kudowa, and provide the National Park with raw data. Anyone is welcome to Kudowa-Zdró to take part!
“Come to Kudowa-Zdrój and count our insects!”
Why are you participating in the ECS project?
“While preparing for our events, we managed to establish a lot of contacts - specialists, scientists and [well-known] organisations showed us a lot of support. It [was] a really nice surprise!”said Izabella Dynowska, Librarian at the Municipal Public Library in Kudowa-Zdrój, and coordinator of citizen science-related activities. Izabella adds, “Personally, I love science, often without reciprocity, but I do! Popular science books are present both in my home library and in the work one. However, nothing can replace "live science" - experiments, research, real results and this sense of agency. I'm glad I can present this side of science to the residents of my city!”
Izabella and the librarians of the Municipal Public Library in Kudowa-Zdrój also noted that they felt encouraged by the interest demonstrated by residents in the topic of citizen science before the events had even taken place.
More information
This article was written in collaboration with Izabella Dynowska, Librarian at the Municipal Public Library in Kudowa-Zdrój. Contact: biblioteka.dorosli@kudowa.pl.
Follow the Municipal Public Library of Kudowa-Zdrój on Instagram and Facebook.
All images courtesy of Kinga Kuźnik.