Library Makerspaces: A Natural Way to Unite STEM and Literature?

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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