Maker Spaces: Things that Go Bop, Whizz, and Clank!

Webinar

About The Webinar

Have 3D printers become commonplace? Is someone in your library using pizza boxes to create their next-generation VR viewer? Perhaps you’re wondering just how sophisticated (and how spacious) a Maker Space needs to be these days. What are the expectations from students and faculty? What tools and services need to be part of a library’s maker space?

Confirmed speakers for this event include: Angi Faiks, Associate Library Director, Macalester College, Grover Saunders, Head of Innovation Spaces for JMU’s Libraries and Educational Technology, James Madison University; Jenny Wong-Welch, STEM Librarian and Keven Jeffery, Digital Technologies Librarian, San Diego State University.

 

Event Sessions

Innovative partnerships, creative thinking, and risk taking: the development of a library makerspace

Speaker

The experience of creating and running a library makerspace can be daunting. In this session we will discuss the need to intentionally forget many of things we know about running an excellent library in order to run an excellent makerspace. This is not easy for everyone. The many skills, rules, procedures, and policies librarians have carefully and rightly honed for information and resource collecting, sharing, tracking, and keeping in perpetuity do not mesh well with the “let’s make a mess;” “it’s okay to fail;” “try it and see what happens” nature of makerspaces. A quick scan of the literature provides ample information on how to develop a makerspace. There are inspirational pieces explaining why makerspaces matter in libraries. You can find guidance on how to develop competencies and a culture of making among the communities we are serving.

This session will address the challenge of reshaping one's mindset in adopting a different spirit of entrepreneurship in order to fully engage with, support and develop new spaces and services. We will explore creative partnerships that spur innovative thinking to help us grow our local makerspace mindsets. We will learn how to critically question our deeply embedded approaches to library work, understanding that these important and well developed methodologies may not fully apply in makerspaces. We will consider different ways to approach questions, concerns, and quandaries presented by makerspace services. In the end, we will learn that practicing “thinking differently” could serve us well in all we do.

Breakin’ Libraries for Makers 2: Electric Boogaloo

Speaker

JMU’s Libraries reorganized to bring previously siloed services together into a new unit anchored by two new makerspaces. This presentation will examine both successes and stumbles, as we learn what attracts participants to programming, what technologies engage them, and what gets them coming back. Participants will learn about classroom assignments that illustrate how this reorganization has transformed how we support non-traditional forms of scholarship and programming involving 3D printing, virtual reality, creative problem solving and more.

The ROI of Sustaining an Academic Library Makerspace

Speakers

Keven Jeffery

Associate Librarian, Digital Technologies
San Diego State University

Most interest in library makerspaces has focused on the implementation stage of such spaces by highlighting the aspects of funding and space setup. With its makerspace entering its fourth year of existence, the San Diego State University Library has turned to investigating the return on investment, and sustainability, of its program. This presentation will address how to leverage data and lessons learned to demonstrate the opportunities afforded by a library makerspace that are directly beneficial for students, librarians, and the library. It will highlight the various ways a makerspace community impacts student success with regard to academics, social relationships, and career-readiness. It will define how the makerspace has helped evolve the liaison relationship to a more meaningful connection between librarians and students. Finally, it will share how the makerspace has transformed the context of the library for many, doing so in a sustainable manner that can be maintained with only nominal support.

Additional Information

  • Cancellations made by Wednesday, November 28, 2018 will receive a refund, less a $35 cancellation. After that date, there are no refunds.

  • Registrants will receive detailed instructions about accessing the webinar via e-mail the Friday prior to the event. (Anyone registering between Monday and the close of registration will receive the message shortly after the registration is received, within normal business hours.) Due to the widespread use of spam blockers, filters, out of office messages, etc., it is your responsibility to contact the NISO office if you do not receive login instructions before the start of the webinar.

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  • Conference presentation slides and Q&A will be posted to this event webpage following the live broadcast.

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For Online Events

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