A library makerspace , also named Hackerspace or Hacklab, is an area and/or service that offers library patrons an opportunity to create intellectual and physical materials using resources such as computers, 3-D printers, audio and video capture and editing tools, and traditional arts and crafts supplies. In the field of library science, makerspaces are classified as a type of library service offered by librarians to patrons.
In a library makerspace or maker program, patrons of varying ages can work together, alone, or with library staff on creative projects. These spaces often give community members access to tools, technology, and knowledge that may not be easily accessible or affordable otherwise. [1] The goal of a makerspace is to allow patrons to learn through direct experimentation and from each other. [2] Library makerspaces do not require specified areas; a pre-existing space can be temporarily modified (or "made") to better suit the needs of participants. [3] It is more about the intentions of the makers than about the qualities of the space itself. [3] In fact, the Makerspace Playbook states: “A collection of tools does not define a Makerspace. Rather, we define it by what it enables: making.” [4]
The force behind the initial “maker movement” is believed to be the creation of Make: magazine in 2005, which published information about maker-related projects. [1] The momentum grew when the magazine devised a series of venues for makers to express themselves and share their creations deemed “maker faires”. [1] Libraries took notice and began offering programs and redesigning spaces to address related interests within their communities. The first public library with a maker space was the Fayetteville Free Library. [5] Lauren Britton conceived of the idea of creating the makerspace at the Fayetteville Free Library as part of her coursework as a MLIS student. [5]
Although the modern history of the makerspace library movement began in 2005, making in libraries began earlier than that. In 1873, the Gowanda Ladies Social Society, which later became the Ladies Library Association, was created “to quilt, knit, sew, socialize, and talk about books.” [6]
In 1905, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s children’s department provided crafts for children. In 1979, the Merrimack Public Library in New Hampshire also provided crafts for children. [6]
A library makerspace is intended to allow community members to experience technology or activities that they previously were not able to access. As many maker spaces include technology like 3D printers, sewing machines, soldering irons, coding, robotics, and wood carving machines, patrons are invited to experiment freely. The purpose of a maker space is often expressed to be inspiring an interest in science, technology, design, and lifelong learning in the people who are served by the library. [7] Library makerspaces may be viewed in terms of an information literacy lens. [8] Over time, it is expected that the available activities within each individual maker space will grow to reflect the interests of each community in which the library is housed. [7] Makerspaces are also intended to allow minorities or underrepresented populations, like women, [7] or people with disabilities, [9] to become involved with technology and fields they may not have previously considered. [7] The extent of activities and services in a makerspace is essentially determined by the target audience, the funds available and the objectives of the host institution. [10]
There are many types of makerspaces offered as a library service. They are usually developed around a certain type of medium, technology, or even patron age group. Some examples include computer programming and coding, CryptoParties, digital privacy workshops, Free Software advocacy, robotics and electronics, 3D modeling and printing, laser cutting, board games, and traditional arts and crafts. [11] Although experts in the area may be available, the community atmosphere of the space allows patrons to learn from each other and experiment rather than receive lessons. [12]
Maker spaces have also grown to allow patrons to take classes to develop a certain skill, like cooking, sewing or yoga. [13]
When the concept of makerspaces in libraries was first introduced in the early 2010s, it was anticipated that some librarians would feel reluctant to allocate resources away from other services and that there could be issues of legal liability to consider. [14] Resources exist to assist libraries in making decisions about liability waivers and safety forms in addition to other potential legal concerns. [15]
A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants.
A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users.
A fab lab is a small-scale workshop offering (personal) digital fabrication.
Library 2.0 is a proposed concept for library services that facilitate user contributions and other features of Web 2.0, which includes online services such as OPAC systems. The term "Library 2.0" was coined by Michael Casey in 2006 on his blog Library Crunch.
The Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County has 15 branches that serve 10 communities in Mahoning County, Ohio.
Loudoun County Public Library (LCPL), with more than 200 employees, both professional and paraprofessional, serves the citizens of Loudoun County, Virginia. There are 10 physical branches, plus Outreach Services, which delivers books and other resources to the disabled, elderly and homebound.
Transliteracy is "a fluidity of movement across a range of technologies, media and contexts". It is an ability to use diverse techniques to collaborate across different social groups.
Markham Public Library (MPL) is a library system operated by the municipal government of the City of Markham in Canada. There are eight branches in the city, serving about 250,000 residents in Markham. The libraries are managed by the Administration Centre, located at 6031 Highway 7.
A hackerspace is a community-operated, often "not for profit", workspace where people with common interests, such as computers, machining, technology, science, digital art, or electronic art, can meet, socialize, and collaborate. Hackerspaces are comparable to other community-operated spaces with similar aims and mechanisms such as Fab Lab, men's sheds, and commercial "for-profit" companies.
TechShop was a chain of membership-based, open-access, do-it-yourself (DIY) workshops and fabrication studios. As of 2017 they had ten locations in the United States: three in California, one in Arizona, one in Arlington, Virginia, one in Michigan, one in Texas, one in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, one in St. Louis, Missouri, and one in Brooklyn, New York, as well as four international locations.
With over 17,000 libraries and 2.5 billion materials circulated annually in the United States alone, libraries are a ubiquitous part of the American landscape. However, as libraries modernize, they face an increasingly harsh budget environment, as well as technological disruption in media, scholarship, and education. The political, social, and technological environment is one of transformation and uncertainty.
The maker culture is a contemporary subculture representing a technology-based extension of DIY culture that intersects with hardware-oriented parts of hacker culture and revels in the creation of new devices as well as tinkering with existing ones. The maker culture in general supports open-source hardware. Typical interests enjoyed by the maker culture include engineering-oriented pursuits such as electronics, robotics, 3-D printing, and the use of computer numeric control tools, as well as more traditional activities such as metalworking, woodworking, and, mainly, its predecessor, traditional arts and crafts.
The Pasco County Library Cooperative (PCLC) is the public library system that serves all residents of Pasco County, Florida, and is a member of the Tampa Bay Library Consortium. The Pasco County Library System, as it was originally known, was established by county ordinance in 1980.
The Brevard County Library System is a public library system in Brevard County, Florida that coordinates activities between its member public libraries, which collectively serve Brevard County. It is composed of 17 distinct branches stemming all the way from Mims to Micco, with the central administrative and largest of these libraries being the Catherine Schweinsberg Rood Central Library in Cocoa, Florida. It is governed by a board of trustees appointed and funded by the Brevard County Board of Commissioners. Its missions statement is "Brevard County Libraries enables people of all ages to improve their quality of life by providing information and enrichment through traditional resources and new technology." Its vision statement is "We will be recognized as a Library System that excels in providing efficient, modern, accessible and customer oriented services."
Repair Café is an organisation with venues setup to provide people with a place to gather and work on repairing objects of everyday life, such as electronics, mechanical devices, computers, bicycles, and clothing. Repair Cafés are typically held at community locations including churches, libraries, and college campuses where tools are available and device owners can fix their broken goods with the help of volunteers. Repair Café is a part of the grassroots movement that aims to reduce waste, overconsumption, and planned obsolescence. It can re-ignite the do-it-together and "do it yourself" spirit and strengthen social cohesion.
The Gold Coast Techspace is a Hackerspace and Makerspace focusing on electronics, computer programming, and 3D printing. It is currently located at the Mudgeeraba Old Post Office, Mudgeeraba, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Do Space is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community center for technology, digital library, education, and small makerspace featuring 3D printing technology in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Clearwater Public Library System (CPLS) is a public library system with five branches that provides service to the citizens of Clearwater, Florida and Pinellas County. The library system was founded in 1911. It is a member of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative.
Maker education closely associated with STEM learning, is an approach to problem-based and project-based learning that relies upon hands-on, often collaborative, learning experiences as a method for solving authentic problems. People who participate in making often call themselves "makers" of the maker movement and develop their projects in makerspaces, or development studios which emphasize prototyping and the repurposing of found objects in service of creating new inventions or innovations. Culturally, makerspaces, both inside and outside of schools, are associated with collaboration and the free flow of ideas. In schools, maker education stresses the importance of learner-driven experience, interdisciplinary learning, peer-to-peer teaching, iteration, and the notion of "failing forward", or the idea that mistake-based learning is crucial to the learning process and eventual success of a project.
SteamHead is a non-profit organization whose stated goal is to "increase the presence of design in education". SteamHead claims inspiration from the Maker movement and S.T.E.A.M. education. Initiatives credited to SteamHead aim to help communities increase their capacity to "make". Activities are supported sponsors including the British Council, local charities, and schools. The organization supports local events including MakeFashion Edu and School Maker Faires.
