The Library Telescope Program fosters scientific literacy, stimulates interest in astronomy, and promotes the awe and excitement of exploring the night sky to those who may have never looked through a telescope.

The library telescope program concept was launched in 2008 by the New Hampshire Astronomical Society (NHAS) to make telescopes more accessible to the public through libraries. NHAS chose a lightweight, tabletop telescope that is easy for beginners to use and provides an impressive first view of the night sky for novices. NHAS enhanced the telescope’s user-friendliness and durability, sharing their design for wider adoption. While some libraries received telescopes as gifts, most opted to purchase the telescopes with their own funds.  Where applicable, a local amateur astronomer acted as a foster parent to the telescope to periodically clean and adjust the telescope, serving as a local astronomical resource.

The NHAS telescope concept was enthusiastically received by many library staff and patrons.  Often, the popularity of the program requires libraries to create waitlists for telescope checkouts. Amateur astronomers and volunteers worked with libraries to adopt the program and refine the NHAS design based on practical experience.

In 2020, volunteers established a website and Facebook page to promote the NHAS concept, further increasing its visibility. Through grassroots efforts, the program has impressively expanded to over 1,000 library outlets worldwide, including the USA, Canada, Europe, and Asia. Despite this growth, significant potential remains, as less than 5% of library outlets in the USA and Canada have adopted the program, and interest in Europe and other parts of the world continues to rise.

The Library Telescope Program has received support from numerous astronomy-based organizations since its inception. While it is difficult to properly recognize all the organizations that have contributed to our success, we would like to extend special acknowledgment to a few key supporters over the years:

• New Hampshire Astronomical Society: http://nhastro.com 

• Cornerstones of Science: https://www.cornerstonesofscience.org 

• Astronomical Society of the Pacific: https://www.astrosociety.org

• The Astronomical League: https://www.astroleague.org 

• St. Louis Astronomical Society: http://www.slasonline.org