Library Makerspaces by Theresa Willingham

Author:Theresa Willingham [Willingham, Theresa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 2017-12-05T00:00:00+00:00

5

Makerspace Programming

The Possibilities Are Endless

A “Maker program” should “allow, generate, or foster an output of new ideas, a physical product, or a new skill learned.”

—Brian Pichman, Evolve Project1

Whether you build out a full makerspace facility or simply carve out some auxiliary spaces for creative programming via passive, pop-up, or mobile makerspaces, the types of programming you offer can either complement or diminish your makerspace efforts. If your programming is top-down, library-created content, there’s no incentive or inspiration for building a strong, community-owned user base. But if you don’t offer at least some Maker-style programming related to your makerspace, it’s hard to introduce people to your space and the tools and resources available to them or help them see the possibilities.

Makerspace programming is a balancing act of content, frequency, and focus. It’s tempting to incorporate every children’s programming session into your makerspace, and if you have an arts and crafts or youth science and tech-focused space, that might not be a bad idea. But if you’re trying to appeal to a broader audience or your community fact-finding has suggested a totally different type of programming, rolling regular library programming into your makerspace will only water it down.

A “Maker program” says Brian Pichman of the Evolve Project, which works with libraries throughout the world to create makerspaces and FabLabs, should “allow, generate, or foster an output of new ideas, a physical product, or a new skill learned.”2

Ideally, your programming should reflect the community driving the development of your makerspace and be provided equally by makerspace users and library staff and volunteers. The more your programming can be driven by those who use the space, the more robust your community support will be, which is good for alleviating work stress on staff and securing year-round funding. But staff-driven programming can be invaluable for introducing concepts, tools, and ideas that participants will then feel empowered to pursue on their own.

While libraries often categorize programming by age range—preschool, elementary, tween, teen, and adult—that can be a bit arbitrary, since what appeals to a 20-something is not likely to appeal to an 80-something. Pichman also recommends separating by skill set, rather than age, particularly with educational programming, and avoiding stereotypes for participants in promotional materials, showing, for instance, both males and females knitting for a textiles program.

In this chapter, for our purposes, we’re going to look at programming based on different categories of user interest.

Hobby programming (the different things people like to do that aren’t work related, from woodworking and quilting, to music and hobby electronics projects, to arts, including handcraft, A/V, and graphic arts)

Professional programming (including skills development and entrepreneurial programming)

Educational programming for adults and youth (including skills development)

Youth-specific programming

Civic programming (e.g., community gardens and other community projects, like Habitat for Humanity, Little Free Libraries, and a variety of civic or community engagement projects)

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.