UM Program Sends Telescopes to Libraries Across Big Sky Country
Nick Wethington, director of the Big Sky, Bigger Dreams initiative, shows off a telescope that will be available at a local library in Montana. (Photo courtesy of Nick Wethington)
MISSOULA – Six months after receiving a NASA grant to bring space science resources to every public and tribal college library across the state, the University of Montana spectrUM Discovery Area’s Big Sky, Bigger Dreams initiative is underway.
For Nick Wethington, the initiative director, this is a passion project that began in 2013.
Wethington, a longtime astronomy enthusiast and co-president of the Western Montana Astronomical Association, said the project will ignite passion for discovery through science in rural and tribal communities in Montana.
“Big Sky, Bigger Dreams is about empowering individuals by increasing access to free educational resources,” Wethington said. “I can think of no better way to encourage discovery than providing a view of the night sky through a telescope to anyone who has a library card.”
The program began in 2013 when Wethington distributed new and refurbished telescopes to public libraries around western Montana.
The Missoula Public Library was an early adopter and added the resource into their collections. When the NASA request for proposals came up in 2024, Wethington jumped at the chance to expand this small, ad-hoc program to serve all public libraries across the state.
This two-year $250,000 project was funded in September 2025, and Wethington has worked with project collaborators to deliver telescopes, supporting resources and information to libraries.
Earlier this spring, Wethington traveled to Great Falls for the annual Montana Library Association Conference. During the two-day event, he distributed 50 telescopes and trained recipients of this first round of resources. In the coming months, telescopes will be available from Miles City to Libby.
In collaboration with the Library Telescope Program, Wethington will provide ongoing professional development to support the libraries and train a network of Library Telescope Ambassadors to volunteer for their home libraries in support of this program.
“Amateur astronomers believe that everyone should have free access to view the night sky,” Wethington said. “Librarians believe that everyone should have free access to knowledge and resources. A telescope that you can check out for free just like a book is a perfect crossover!”
In the next few weeks, 30 more telescopes will be mailed to sites around the state, and 50 more will follow later this summer.
Any Montana public library and public library branch – along with tribal college libraries – is eligible to receive a telescope through the grant. Libraries will host public events such as star parties and reading programs to share this resource with their communities.
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/BigSkyBiggerDreams.
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Contact: Nick Wethington, associate director of library telescope programs, UM spectrUM Discovery Area, 406-728-7836, nicholos.wethington@umontana.edu.