An Update from John Sokol
(Editor’s note: The Library Telescope Program is a project that a number of astronomy clubs support. Participating clubs purchase and maintain simple telescopes that are donated to libraries. The scopes can be checked out as any other materials from the library. Our compliments to John on this very worthwhile endeavor! John is a member of the Richmond Astronomical Society and Blue Ridge Astronomy Club.)
I had been thinking about the Library Telescope Program for some time. I attend a lot of outreach events, and it’s a great way to reach people directly and expose them to our wonderful hobby. The Library Telescopes struck me as a way to reach a lot more people indirectly. The old Blue Ridge Club had donated some telescopes years ago, to Lynchburg, Campbell, and Bedford counties, but the smaller rural libraries had been overlooked. When Orion shut down this summer, it left only the Zhumell Z114 (same manufacturer, different logos) as the only alternative. LibraryTelescope.org reported that Celestron planned to discontinue the Zhumell line. At the same time, Celestron put the Z114 on sale for 30% off. Fearing they would disappear, on impulse I bought 6 of them. They are equipped with Svbony 7-21mm zoom eyepieces, glued in place. The eyepiece cap and telescope covers are secured with cords to prevent loss in the dark, and make it easier for the libraries to manage (less small pieces).
There’s a laminated sun warning label placed prominently on the tube. David Johnson of the Blue Ridge club had custom 3D caps printed at his work that snap on the back of the tube to protect the collimation screws from fiddling hands. I also added an accessory pack that includes a red LED flashlight, spare coin batteries for the red dot finder, a dust bulb to blow dust off the eyepiece, and a laminated quick-start manual for setting up and using the telescope. It all fits in a waterproof, zippered bag.
The final piece was creating the quick-start guide. Most of the manuals you can find online are fine if you’re an adult, or already know something about telescopes or astronomy. They’re really not meant for kids, and contain a lot of extraneous information. So I wrote my own. The manual itself is simple, but creating it was not. Half-sheet printing can be problematic, and laminating is expensive, so I printed it myself, and bought a laminator to do the laminating. This saved several hundred dollars over having it done professionally.
I wanted to target the more rural libraries. The first three telescopes were delivered this week, to the Charlotte Courthouse, Appomattox, and Buckingham libraries. I will deliver the remaining three over the next week or so; two to Amherst County and the last one most likely to Farmville. The libraries’ responses have been overwhelmingly positive – so much so that I think had I purchased a few telescopes, they might have nominated me for sainthood. I can’t tell you how good it made me feel.
I had a lot help from my fellow members with all of this – Trish Cerulli originally brought the idea to the club; the idea for the quick-start guide came from listening to David Johnson explain how to use the scope to a mother and son with a new scope; Deirdre Serio helped with editing and refining the final version of the guide; David also helped with the scope modifications, and was solely responsible for the snazzy, 3D-printed caps that protect the collimation screws; Mark England reached out to libraries in Botetourt County; just this past week, Vincent St. Angelo was able to acquire a used scope from Facebook Marketplace, to use as a spare for training and servicing the older scopes.
A bonus, unexpected side effect of this effort is that all three libraries have inquired about doing additional daytime astronomy programs for library patrons. It was a new, unrecognized outreach opportunity, at least by me. And it can be done inside, during daytime, regardless of the weather. I’ll be visiting all of the libraries again in the coming weeks to do staff training for the telescopes, and discuss additional outreach opportunities.
Alas, what I feared has come to pass. The Zhumell scopes are no longer available. Only more expensive models, like the Celestron StarSense models are around. Good scopes, just a bit more complicated and expensive. It’s also rumored that High Point Scientific will pick up the Zhumell line, but there’s no indication as to when that will happen, or what the price will be. All told, the six scopes, accessories and eyepieces ended up costing just over $300 per scope. If High Point Scientific brings the scopes back at some point, I’d recommend to any club to get involved. It’s a great way to reach more people (especially kids), generates a lot of good will, and it has truly been a highly rewarding experience.
If you are interested in working with John on this most worthy project, just send a message to president@richastro.org and we’ll put you in touch with him.