News

Library kiosk teaches importance of water quality

May 8, 2005

Springfield News-Leader: Probably the last thing you'd expect to see near the teen department at the Library Center is a huge water drop emerging from a gigantic faucet.

Yet, there it is, an eye-catching, 8-foot-tall interactive kiosk with a touchscreen computer cleverly embedded into the shiny blue water drop that sits atop a simulated cross-section of the ground. This Water Quality for Life kiosk is more than cool graphics and games; its purpose is to teach kids the importance of keeping the Earth's water supply clean and safe.

A pair of virtual tour guides leads kids through a question-and-answer format and an exploration of a mysterious Ozarks cave - on the way introducing and explaining the unique features of karst geology, plants and animals, treatment technologies and local watersheds as well as providing education on how day-to-day activities, such as disposing of waste, affect the area's drinking water.

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