In the small rural community of Marquette Heights, Illinois, the public library is more than a place to check out books; it’s a hub for learning, connection, and opportunity. Serving a population of just over 2,500 residents, the Marquette Heights Public Library was looking for an upgrade. With big ambitions, librarian Jenny Jackson set out to bring hands-on robotics and coding experiences to her community.
Jenny first learned about Sphero while planning her library’s 2025 summer reading theme, Level Up at Your Library, which emphasized coding and robotics. While on the website, she came across the Rural Technology Fund grant opportunity and decided to apply: “Due to our small size and limited budget, we are very grateful for the opportunity to apply for grants like the RTF,” she shared.
That leap of faith paid off, allowing the library to launch a series of creative, technology-driven programs for students and families.
Across fall and winter 2025, Jenny hosted monthly Sphero Mini programs that blended creativity, engineering, coding, and play:
| October: Sphero Mini Masquerade Ball | November: Dinovember Maze Challenge | December: Santa’s Reindeer Sled Mission |
| Students decorated cups as characters and placed Sphero Minis inside, discovering how different materials affected robot movement. Participants experimented with both block coding and drawing-based programming in the Sphero Edu app — and enjoyed watching their creations “dance.” | Children built mazes and navigated their Sphero robots to avoid being “eaten” by dinosaurs. The activity sparked excitement for both kids and adults, and at least one participant asked for a Sphero as a holiday gift — a sign of genuine inspiration. | Students designed sleds powered by Sphero Minis and raced through a maze to “feed” Santa’s reindeer. Because the sleds were easy to prototype, students eagerly tested, refined, and improved their designs — building confidence in troubleshooting, iteration, and problem-solving. |
Throughout the sessions, families joined in, volunteers supported navigation and safety, and the library became a lively STEAM learning space.
But Jenny’s vision goes beyond teaching technology skills. She hopes to inspire creativity, build teamwork, and give students opportunities to experience success through hands-on problem-solving.
“Students can become immersed in the fine details of their project, then put their ideas into action and work together to solve problems,” she explained. The goal is not perfection; it’s experimentation, persistence, and discovery.
Marquette Heights offers unique local character, from wildlife and prairie grasslands to hiking trails, skate parks, and the beloved Spook Hollow haunted house each October. The library, housed in the city’s municipal building, serves as a community warming space, a learning center, and a connector for local families. Through partnerships with nearby schools, the library can issue student library cards to non-resident youth and promote programming directly to families, ensuring access even beyond city limits.
When asked for advice for anyone looking to bring technology to their building, Jenny shared: “Take the leap and try something new! Research your options, understand your time and budget constraints, and make sure you have support. If things don’t go perfectly, that’s okay — that’s part of the learning process.” She also emphasizes the importance of helpers: staff, volunteers, and parents, to keep programs running smoothly and ensure students feel supported.
Thanks to Jenny’s leadership, a small-town library is opening doors to robotics, coding, creativity, and confidence, proving that innovation doesn’t require a big city, only a bold vision.
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