Makerspaces for Beginners Blogshare

        Writer Dorothy Parker once said “the cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.” In a time where cell phones, television screens, and video games take up a large portion of childrens’ time each day, many would say screens are the cure for boredom. However, as the current situation of quarantine amidst the Covid-19 pandemic shows, screens do not stave off boredom completely. One look at social media, will provide ample evidence that screens do not equate to an absence of boredom. Those who are living their best quarantine life are likely making and creating instead of passively sitting in front of screens.

Image from Pixabay

        Within the last few years, schools have been creating Makerspaces, not to necessarily keep students from being bored, but to show students how much fun CREATING can be! When one creates, curiosity blossoms and boredom withers. School libraries are at the forefront of the Makerspace movement, showing not only how libraries are constantly adapting, but also how information is about more than books and words….creativity, curiosity, and creation are also powerful learning tools. There are many resources available online for school librarians who are interested in beginning a Makerspace; one such resource is Gweneth Jones’ blog known as the Daring Librarian. Through several posts, Jones gives educators valuable advice, personal experience antecodes, and a plethora of resources that can assist educators in establishing their own school Makerspace.
        Gweneth Jones is a self described teacher librarian and ed-tech leader at a school in Maryland. She has several posts dedicated to her own experiences with Makerspaces including this post that gives librarians aspiring to create a Makerspace a quick guide to help them get started. Within her “Starter Kit” post, she lists several items she recommends to begin with in starting a new Makerspace on a budget; she also includes embedded videos and pictures to better inform readers on different tech tools that can be used in a Makerspace like MakeyMakey and Sphero. In detailing her experiences with Makerspaces, Canino-Fluit (2014) says that Makerspaces are about students “finding the problems they want to solve and not me dictating what they should learn.” Having a variety of items - high-tech, low-tech, or a combination of both - allows students the freedom to choose what to interact with and how they will learn. Therefore, using a list like the one Jones’ blog gives is a useful resource for school librarians, especially those who are contemplating or just starting a Makerspace. Jones’ Makerspace blog posts are also easy to relate to for a school librarian as she shows real pictures from her middle school Makerspace, thus providing librarians and educators with authentic, real-life scenarios and experiences.
         One main attribute of the aforementioned blog post and others on the Daring Librarian’s blog is her focus on using cost effective items (like donated legos) and recycled items (like toilet paper tubes and paper) in the Makerspace. As Jones states in another excellent introductory Makerspace post from her blog titled “Makerspaces for Little or Nothing,” “do not let the expense, mess, trouble, or obstacles stop you from doing this! Be the innovator and spark in your school or district” (Jones, 2019). Especially for those just dipping their toes in the proverbial Makerspace waters, using little to

Image from Pixabay

no cost items is an excellent way to begin their venture. Moorefield-Lang (2014) also discusses how Makerspaces do not have to be extremely costly. As she states, “the wonderful thing about maker spaces, 3D printers, and similar technologies is that they can be low on cost, create opportunities for interactions with technology, and allow anyone to become a maker” (Moorefield-Lang, 2014, p. 592). Moorefield-Lang thus supports Jones’ proposal that Makerspaces are an opportunity field that should be explored without cost becoming an excuse for not creating a space for students to learn and explore through making. Many school libraries have major budgetary restrictions, thus critically reading posts like those on the Daring Librarian’s blog can provide librarians with inspiration and ideas for beginning a Makerspace by starting small and focusing on the items and materials that are best suited for their school and students.
         There are thousands of Pinterest worthy pictures of school and public library Makerspaces, but a Makerspace does not have to start out looking like a perfectly staged photograph. Rather, making is often messy work. Having organizational tools in place, which Jones also discusses in her blog, are beneficial, but a high-tech, high-cost Makerspace is not necessary for success. As Jones reiterates in multiple blog posts, recycled, donated, and low-cost materials are good ways to begin a Makerspace. With a few materials, a lot of passion, and an online community who freely share resources and ideas, any librarian or teacher can take the Makerspace leap!

References 

Caninp-Fluit, A. (2014). School library makerspaces. Teacher Librarian, 41(5), 21–27.

Jones, Gweneth. (2018, August 25). Makerspace starter kit updated. Blogger. https://www.thedaringlibrarian.com/2019/04/makerspace-for-little-or-nothing.html

Jones, Gweneth. (2019, April 13). Makerspace for little or nothing. Blogger. https://www.thedaringlibrarian.com/2019/04/makerspace-for-little-or-nothing.html

Moorefield-Lang, H. M. (2014). Makers in the library: case studies of 3D printers and maker spaces in library settings. Library Hi Tech, 32(4), 583–593. https://doi-org.pallas2.tcl.sc.edu/10.1108/LHT-06-2014-0056