Citizen Science Toolkit Project

The Citizen Science Central site developed by CLO clearly meets its goal of providing guidance and resources to individuals and organizations engaged in, or interested in undertaking, citizen science, volunteer monitoring, or participatory action research initiatives. The site embodies the ideas and insights generated by the Citizen Science Toolkit conference. In terms of the evaluation objectives, the evidence from the user surveys show that the site meets both of the standards listed below. Ease of use, sufficiency, and appropriateness of Citizen Science Central content Quality and sufficiency of program development and implementation assistance provided As the Citizen Science Central site emerges from its early years of operation, CLO project staff should think about how the site might build on its current level of success by addressing the needs and suggestions identified by users: expanding content, keeping it updated, and notifying users of new content of interest. Alternatively (or additionally), it is important to consider how the site might fit in and grow with other ventures that aim to address the broader call for a formal organization or society that focuses on the field of citizen science. The Citizen Science Central site developed by CLO has already made a significant contribution to the field of citizen science by providing a well-organized clearinghouse of information related to the field, and the site has the potential to evolve into an even more dynamic, interactive destination for ISE professionals and others in the field who seek to develop, support, and improve citizen science research initiatives.