Makerspaces are popping up in school and local libraries
across the country in an effort to rebrand the library as a place for both
literary consumption and creative innovation. Recent pushes to integrate STEM
experiences across the curriculum are arguably in part responsible for the
increased presence of makerspaces. To date, there is little empirical research
that speaks to the benefits of makerspaces; however, proponents maintain that
such spaces “encourage innovation and creativity through the use of technology”
and “offer a place where everything from STEM learning to critical expression
to future start-ups can be nurtured” (Bowler, 2014, p.59). Makerspaces aim to
promote design thinking. Design thinking is not neat and does not follow a
linear trend. Instead, such thinking is iterative; students learn through
experimentation and by reworking their designs (Bowler, 2014).
In an article written specifically for library media
specialists hoping to include makerspaces, Bowler (2014) relayed a tale of
Library and Information Sciences students at the University of Pittsburgh
participating in a “Bots and Books Design Challenge” as a means of preparing
for future roles working with children in libraries. The students were tasked
with selecting a favorite children’s story and creating a robot to represent
the story. Kid-friendly robot kits were purchased from the website, www.hummingbirdkit.com and made
available within a makerspace that also included numerous other visual art
supplies. One student created a dancing giraffe robot inspired by Giles
Andreae’s picture book Giraffes Can’t Dance. The student programmed the robot
so that the LED lights cried when the wrong song was played.
Bowler (2014) claims
that makerspaces cultivate the “creativity and technical practices” emphasized
in STEM curricula while also “respecting library sciences humanist roots in
literature” (p.61). Do you agree? Do you have a makerspace within your school
or public library? Share your experiences with us!
Bowler, L. l. (2014).
Creativity through "maker" experiences and design thinking in the
education of librarians. Knowledge Quest, 42(5), 58-61.
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