Disaster risk reduction and community risk reduction are systemic ways to mitigate and manage events, such as the catastrophic natural disasters that have occurred across the US in recent years. This Partnership Development and Planning project builds on connections and expertise among the Office of Research Experiences & Education at UL Research Institutes, Arizona Science Center, and Viney Jones Library. Together, the team will lead a community-focused planning process that identifies risk and resilience opportunities and challenges in rural areas of Arizona. This approach looks beyond disaster protocols to focus on mutual learning and community transmission of knowledge and expertise through understanding the roles of informal STEM learning (ISL) and ISL organizations in disaster preparedness. Several workshops will support organizations and community participants in identifying and developing priority topics, community mapping, and planning for future collaborations. Libraries will serve as spaces for, and agents of, connection and resource sharing. The project team is prepared to focus on any area of STEM identified by project participants with respect to disaster-related community risks and resilience. Disaster preparedness is interdisciplinary and built on STEM thinking and safety, including knowledge of ecosystems, physics, civil engineering, and land management. This approach is rooted in the Office of Research Experiences & Education's practice of building rel