Makerspaces in the library
One topic that really interests me is makerspaces. I am very excited to be going to a school that has a makerspace designated area. As I was talking with the librarian that I will be working with she shared that the makerspace is used mostly at this time for class projects, posters, etc. We both would like to see the space used for a lot more than a place to just to make a poster.
One obstacle we face is time. When are the students available to work in the makerspace? Another obstacle is what else should in the space? I have been searching for ideas of how to improve the space and how to get students and staff in the space and found a couple of good ideas. One is from Edutopida and another is from Open Education Database. The Unquiet Librarian also has a good article that explains exactly what a Makerspace is. The School Library Journal came out with a good article last May about makerspaces.
I think the next thing to do would be talk with the staff and see what they would like to see in the space, how can we support their curriculum. Then survey the students to see what they would like to have in the space. So by asking the right questions, I think I will have my answers.
I hope these articles give you some insight to successful makerspaces.
What I love about the makerspace movement is that it can be whatever you and your students need and want it to be. It doesn't have to be high tech right from the start. You can start small and let it evolve to whatever your budget and student interests suggest. I heard a talk about makerspaces at the VAASL 2015 conference by the librarian at Baker-Butler Elementary in Albemarle County and she had some great ideas. They use tubs: https://sites.google.com/a/k12albemarle.org/baker-butler-library/maker-tubs.
ReplyDeleteI am a bit OCD, so Makerspaces fill me with both excitement about student-focused projects and dread with the thought of the messiness of creativity. I suppose when I get the feeling of anxiety over the creative mess I can always look at the rows of books arranged neatly on the shelves. I will also recruit some wonderful student library helpers to keep things running smoothly.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your website suggestion. I am most curious about times and when students use the space.
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