makerspaces Archives | Page 3 of 4 | American Libraries Magazine

The Handibot in action on the SX Create show floor.

South by Southwest Interactive, Day Three

By Jason Griffey | March 17, 2016

SparkFun is always coming up with cool new educational kits, and at SXSWi users could build its BadgerHack demo boards. Seeing attendees walking around SXSWi with their badges flashing with the SparkFun kit was great. Another company that libraries should be aware of is LulzBot. It makes the LulzBot Mini and TAZ series of 3D … Continue reading South by Southwest Interactive, Day Three →

YALSA Session Provides Learning Lab Insights

By Terra Dankowski | January 9, 2016

This is how Koh kicked off the “YALSA Trends Impacting YA Services: Competencies Needed to Provide Teen Library Services of the Future” program at ALA Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits on Saturday, showcasing the research she and June Abbas, an associate professor also at OU SLIS, conducted on informal learning and community learning centers in libraries. … Continue reading YALSA Session Provides Learning Lab Insights →

Making Music in Your Library

By Phil Morehart | January 4, 2016

MusicFirst Student App Digital music education company MusicFirst has created an app that streamlines music education for students and teachers, using cloud-based solutions. The MusicFirst Student App allows students to continue their in-school music learning outside of the classroom. When connected to a school or library’s MusicFirst Online Classroom subscription, the app lets students view … Continue reading Making Music in Your Library →

An AASL makerspace in the exhibit hall attracted attendees to work with littleBits electronic building blocks and create lighted name badges and low-tech maker crafts.

Makerspaces, Digital Literacy, Advocacy at AASL15

By Laurie D. Borman | January 4, 2016

Before the opening general session began, hundreds of school librarians met at IdeaLab, a digitally enhanced poster session with 20 video displays on topics that included STEM and STEAM, national standards, and Common Core, among others. Later, keynote speaker Heidi Hayes Jacobs challenged librarians to throw away old roles, quit making decisions based on habit, … Continue reading Makerspaces, Digital Literacy, Advocacy at AASL15 →

Making Connections, Makerspaces at AASL15

By Laurie D. Borman | November 7, 2015

At the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) National Conference on Friday, Rohl introduced a group of administrators with Project Connect, who are helping to empower their school library programs. Project Connect is a panel of superintendents, district-level librarians, and AASL leaders who are focused on advocating for effective school libraries and helping develop future-ready librarians. Follett sponsored … Continue reading Making Connections, Makerspaces at AASL15 →

From left: University of Nevada, Reno librarians Tod Colegrove and Chrissy Klenke work with “tech wrangler” Crystal Willis and Chuck Robinson to create a 3D scan of “Babe,” a five-foot-long frozen iguana. It is the largest organic object scanned by the library. Babe was the pet of Mary Ann Prall (wearing hat), when it died at age 21.

Making It in the Academic World

By Bailey Brewer | September 16, 2015

Institutions first offered services to those who developed programming files to be printed but couldn’t afford a 3D printer, costing thousands of dollars. Those most likely to use such a space were people in the math and engineering fields. In recent years the spaces have begun to appeal to larger audiences; at colleges, this means … Continue reading Making It in the Academic World →

Making for STEM Success

By Meredith Farkas | May 18, 2015

National organizations like the Institute of Museum and Library Services have recognized the importance of catching up in math and science and are funding STEM initiatives that expose young people to science in creative and engaging ways. Schools, museums, nonprofits, and libraries have accepted the STEM challenge, developing programs and spaces that allow children to … Continue reading Making for STEM Success →

The author and a squirrel take a break from South by Southwest.

Libraries, Robots, and Squirrels … Oh My! Day Three at SXSW

By Maryann James-Daley | March 16, 2015

Libraries There were two sessions on Sunday that highlighted the awesome events taking place at libraries across the country: “Coworking, Collaborating, Creating at Your Library,” featuring Larra Clark, deputy director of ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy; Jon Marino, director of content and strategy at MapStory; and my colleague at DC Public Library Nick Kerelchuk, … Continue reading Libraries, Robots, and Squirrels … Oh My! Day Three at SXSW →

Leading Self-Publishing Efforts in Communities

By Lissa Staley | February 27, 2015

Any library can position itself to guide local authors toward becoming savvy and competent independent publishers. Ebooks and print-on-demand options leverage the strength of their platforms to reach larger audiences and make publishing possible within the library. Libraries can support the growth and autonomy of local writers by connecting them to relevant technology, tools, and … Continue reading Leading Self-Publishing Efforts in Communities →

A Field Guide to Makerspaces

by George M. Eberhart | February 1, 2015

During her Masters Series talk on Sunday morning, Mita Williams, user experience librarian at the University of Windsor (Ont.) Leddy Library, offered an introduction to the many new types of creative spaces that libraries and communities are adopting. Williams began with c-base in Berlin, launched in 1995 as one of the first independent “hackerspaces” in … Continue reading A Field Guide to Makerspaces →

Long Live the Maker Lab

By Timothy Inklebarger | June 5, 2014

“Our Maker Lab has already served more than 42,000 visitors in just 10 months, and this gift from the Motorola Mobility Foundation and our foundation will allow us to offer thousands more patrons hands-on experience with the latest in 3D software and advance manufacturing technology,” CPL Commissioner Brian Bannon said in an April press release. … Continue reading Long Live the Maker Lab →

CPL Teen Program Expands and Replicates

By Timothy Inklebarger | April 9, 2014

CPL Commissioner Brian Bannon tells American Libraries that the program—already in place at the Harold Washington Library Center and other locations throughout the city—will expand to six new branches. A pop-up version will bring YOUmedia to 12 more neighborhoods, giving teens one- or two-day experiences with the latest technology, he says. “It’s all part of … Continue reading CPL Teen Program Expands and Replicates →

Latest Library Links

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Maddie Hanna writes: “The Radnor school board voted April 22 to restore three books that were removed in February from Radnor (Pa.) High School’s library, after impassioned pleas from community members to reject censorship and support LGBTQ students. The board voted 6–0, with three members abstaining, to return Gender Queer, Fun Home, and Blankets to the high school library. The vote reversed decisions by an ad hoc committee appointed by the district’s superintendent that determined the books—all graphic novels, with some sexual depictions—were not age appropriate.”

Philadelphia Inquirer, Apr. 23; Patch.com, Mar. 7
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Jack Dura writes: “North Dakota’s Republican governor Kelly Armstrong on April 23 vetoed bills to further restrict sexual content in libraries and to create a private school voucher program, rejecting two measures that have seen widespread support by GOP governors in other states. The library bill would have expanded North Dakota’s 2023 prohibition on ‘explicit sexual material’ in public libraries to school districts, and require those entities to have policies for relocating such material ‘to an area in the library not easily accessible to minors.’” The Senate’s attempt to override the veto failed on April 25.

Associated Press, Apr. 23; KFYR-TV (Bismarck, N.D.), Apr. 26
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Since early April, numerous libraries and library organizations have received notices that their federal grant awards—such as those from the Institute of Museum and Library Services—have been terminated. ALA is responding to these politically motivated attacks on library funding with public advocacy and litigation. In addition, ALA has encouraged grantees who receive a termination notice to consider several suggestions.

ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, Apr. 22
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Anne Ford writes: “Adele Puccio, director of Maurice M. Pine Free Public Library in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, comes by her wedding dress obsession honestly. ‘When I was a kid, my great-aunt was the buyer at [famous New York bridal boutique] Kleinfeld’s, so I used to go over and look at all the dresses,” she says. “Other people were buying Seventeen; I was buying Brides.’ Decades later, Puccio’s passion now manifests itself in a rotating collection of vintage and modern bridal gowns, which she stores in her library office and loans to any bride who asks.”

American Libraries column, Mar./Apr.
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Martha Meyer writes: “About three in five young adults worldwide report they are “worried” about climate change, but 55% of teachers don’t address the topic because they feel unprepared to do so. And when it comes to books that present climate information to preschool- and elementary-age kids, many titles end up exacerbating readers’ fears or engaging in greenwashing. Our mid-size Midwestern public library thought: Why not develop an award to honor excellent titles that buck this trend?”

American Libraries column, Mar./Apr.
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“Greening your library with limited resources and lukewarm buy-in might seem overwhelming. But sustainability is also about committing to small changes. Here’s a list of low-lift ideas that libraries of any type or size can start incorporating.” Libraries can develop zero-waste programming, start seed libraries, forge partnerships to reuse waste, host repair cafes, and much more.

American Libraries feature, Mar./Apr.
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Minyoung Kim writes: “In the summer of 2024, I spent eight weeks at the American Antiquarian Society (AAS) for my first paper conservation internship. Under the guidance of Chief Conservator Babette Gehnrich—who has dedicated over 35 years to stewarding this remarkable collection—I had the privilege of engaging in various conservation projects. Through this internship, I came to appreciate how AAS’s vast collection, comprising over four million items, embodies American history not only through its texts and imagery but also through traces of use, repair, and past conservation efforts.”

Past is Present, Apr. 22

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