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Hackathons are time-bound, competitive coding contests that are often judged for prizes. Their name originates from joining hacking, playful exploration of hardware and software issues, with marathons, endurance competitions. The intent is to challenge participants to build working prototypes of hardware or software in a short time period, anywhere from one day to several weeks, though typically between 24-28 hours. While they are a mainstay in computer science fields, they are becoming increasingly popular in other domains, including libraries. Libraries have long championed life-long learning, a democratization of data, and access to information. These are similar mentalities of the maker movement, echoed in hackathons. Rapid iteration, problem solving, and cooperative learning are regularly present at events and within library systems. This paper details a case study of one institution's growth from a hackathon event host to deeper library engagement and partnership with an informal learning program. The authors will highlight benefits that both partners observed and will end with a pitch for why other libraries should consider hosting similar events. Finally, several recommended resources for libraries who are contemplating hosting hackathon events will be presented.

Our world’s complex challenges increase the need for those entering STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) disciplines to be able to creatively approach and collaboratively address wicked problems – complex problems with no “right” answer that span disciplines. Hackathons are environments that leverage problem-based learning practices so student teams can solve problems creatively and collaboratively by developing a solution to given challenges using engineering and computer science knowledge, skills, and abilities. The purpose of this paper is to offer a framework for interdisciplinary hackathon challenge development, as well as provide resources to aid interdisciplinary teams in better understanding the context and needs of a hackathon to evaluate and refine hackathon challenges. Three cohorts of interdisciplinary STEAM researchers were observed and interviewed as they collaboratively created a hackathon challenge incorporating all cohort-member disciplines for an online high school hackathon. The observation data and interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis to distill the processes cohorts underwent and resources that were necessary for successfully creating a hackathon challenge. Through this research we found that the cohorts worked through four sequential stages as they collaborated to create a hackathon challenge. We detail the stages and offer them as a framework for future teams who seek to develop an interdisciplinary hackathon challenge. Additionally, we found that all cohorts lacked the knowledge and experience with hackathons to make fully informed decisions related to the challenge’s topic, scope, outcomes, etc. In response, this manuscript offers five hackathon quality considerations and three guiding principles for challenge developers to best meet the needs and goals of hackathon sponsors and participants.

(OSU). She combines engineering (BS ECE), public teaching of gifted education (M.Ed.) and industry experience (PMP, CSM) to grow the offerings and strength of the program and build rapport with the industry partners. She uses her diverse interests and skills to bridge the gap between curricular education and skills of the working professional. In 2018, Armstrong was part of a multidisciplinary team from Ohio State to receive a 3-year NSF award for Advancing Informal STEM Learning. In her three years at Ohio State, Armstrong designed and partnered on a wide variety of educational events for students to explore through active learning experiences. She focuses on current trends and connecting students to industry representatives, emphasizing open-ended problem-based learning, encouraging students to continue exploration of topics and challenges of interest. Armstrong has grown the OHI/O Informal Learning Program from a few events to two dozen, now serving over 1,500 students annually, including several K12 outreach events.

As academic libraries prioritize accessibility for all individuals, they have carried out transformations of their physical and virtual spaces. For example, they have purchased new hardware, software, and furniture; adjusted websites for screen readers; modified handouts used in instruction; and advocated for change with vendors of leased and purchased content. Whether driven by campus mandates, state regulations, lawsuits, or more proactive motives, libraries have reviewed and improved the delivery of their content to better serve the needs of all users. Several surveys cover the disability and accessibility services available at libraries and how they have changed over time, but few studies examine who within the library provides support to users and how changes in campus and state requirements impact the delivery of these services. This article summarizes the results of a survey of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) institutions in October 2020 related to what services the library provides, whether they have changed due to campus or state requirements, which positions within libraries provide support, and what the impetus was for offering services. The authors also discuss implications for scalable support of disability and accessibility services at university libraries.A ccording to the World Health Organization, over 15 percent of the world's population have some form of disability, 1 a number that is increasing. In the United States, 26 percent of the population have disabilities, according to the infographic "Disability Impacts All of Us" from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2 There are four general categories of disabilities-visual, aural, neurological, and physical-each with its own needs for library services and support.Libraries' approach to disability and accessibility services continues to evolve. Universities have compliance requirements for their employees mandated by federal and state laws, but accessibility services for library patrons tend to be driven by local contexts and individual library priorities. Campus requirements for disability and accessibility services are changing with the focus on equity, sometimes due to lawsuits or to prevent legal action. Libraries have adjusted digital products, spaces, and services to better serve patrons with accessibility or disability needs. To hit this moving target, it is important to understand the local situation as well as what individual libraries can control or have capacity to change. Areas outside the immediate jurisdiction of a library may advocate for change by engaging with consortia or with database vendors to provide products and services that meet users' needs.Libraries aim to provide services for people of all abilities and strive to make physical and virtual spaces accessible to all. This concern is evidenced by the creation of groups dedicated to accessibility issues, such as the

Libraries foster a thriving campus culture and function as “third space,” not directly tied to a discipline.[i] Libraries support both formal and informal learning, have multipurpose spaces, and serve as a connection point for their communities. For these reasons, they are an ideal location for events, such as hackathons, that align with library priorities of outreach, data and information literacy, and engagement focused on social good. Hackathon planners could find likely partners in either academic or public libraries as their physical spaces accommodate public outreach events and many are already providing similar services, such as makerspaces. Libraries can act solely as a host for events or they can embed in the planning process by building community partnerships, developing themes for the event, or harnessing the expertise already present in the library staff. This article, focusing on years from 2014 to 2020, will highlight the history and evolution of hackathons in libraries as outreach events and as a focus for using library materials, data, workflows, and content. [i] James K. Elmborg, “Libraries as the Spaces Between Us: Recognizing and Valuing the Third Space,” Reference and User Services Quarterly 50, no. 4 (2011): 338–50.

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