Recent Submissions
Item Maker Literacy, Metaliteracy, and the ACRL Framework
(2022) Nagle, SarahThroughout the last decade, makerspaces and other experiential learning labs have grown in popularity in academic libraries, following trends set by community makerspaces, public libraries, and K–12 schools. Academic libraries have been established as ideal spaces on college campuses for makerspace technology and the experiential learning that it enables. The central, open nature of the campus library meshes well with the collaborative and interdisciplinary character of makerspaces. But trends move quickly in the realm of emerging technologies, and librarians must demonstrate the sustainability and enduring benefits of makerspaces in order to garner the continued support of administrators. The huge potential that makerspaces hold for student engagement and learning may be the key to ensuring that makerspaces remain relevant in the future. Most academic library instruction focuses on information literacy competencies as defined by the ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries) Framework for Information Literacy. This chapter will use two of the foundational concepts of the ACRL Framework—metaliteracy and liminality—to demonstrate how maker-centered learning can help librarians further their institutions’ information literacy goals.Item Growing Together: Legitimizing creativity through cross-departmental collaboration
Calabrese, Cara; Nagle, Sarah; Stepanova, MashaTechnical Services (TS) Staff have been interested in learning more about other departments and using the tools the library has to offer, but can lack the freedom to engage during their scheduled hours. TS has scheduled quite a few meet & greets and departments have been invited to TS meetings to share what their teams are working on. Unfortunately this has not fulfilled the goal of connecting TS staff to their colleagues across the library. So we took another approach by reaching out to the department we are closest to physically. The TS librarians spoke to Creation & Innovation Services Librarian, who routinely develops programming and classes to engage and empower patrons to use their space. Our idea was to plan necessary, but potentially mundane work interspersed with training on Makerspace tools. We wanted to empower our staff to engage with the space and their colleagues, bring the department closer together, & generally improve TS work. As a by-product we could facilitate increased buy-in for the Makerspace and their work. Through this collaboration we were able to reorganize internal documentation ahead of a new hire’s arrival and start a cyclical review process for our procedures. We will discuss best practices for developing maker-related staff enrichment opportunities. This type of alternative training involving creative activities is beneficial by bridging the divide between departments and building a culture of creativity.Item Planning your Technical Services Retreat: Have fun and get stuff done!
Calabrese, Cara; Nagle, SarahThe Technical Services (TS) Librarians were looking for ways to support staff’s professional development and growth. They hit on the idea of a TS Retreat and began research and planning. Initial research showed that retreats can be places to work out change in a positive way and that interspersing work with creative activities and movement led to better outcomes. The project started by celebrating the TS staff and accomplishments. Then the librarians partnered with the library Makerspace to bring some creativity to the process. Staff gained new skills and TS has been able to grow more together.Item Creating Inclusive Makerspaces
Nagle, SarahAs more universities embrace makerspaces as catalysts for creativity and innovation, the higher education community has the opportunity to address issues of inclusivity and intentionally create spaces that encourage participation from all. Simply having a physical space that is open to all is not enough to ensure that our makerspaces are the inclusive spaces that we want them to be. There are a host of reasons that students might feel uncomfortable or unwelcome in a makerspace. Ethnicity & race, religion, gender identity, socioeconomic status, age, ability level, mental health or countless other parts of identity may play a part in a person’s comfort level in a space. We must actively work to embrace diverse makers and to create inclusive spaces. In this presentation, we explore the history of diversity in the maker movement and discuss ways to work against historic inequalities and create environments that empower all members of our communities to become makers and all makers to realize their creative potential.Item Demonstrating Impact of Library Makerspaces: Examples and Future Directions
Nagle, Sarah; Kouse, CaraA common challenge for library makerspace organizers is demonstrating the value and impact of makerspaces to administrators, patrons, communities, and even other library staff. The value of makerspaces can be difficult to articulate through usage statistics or other traditional forms of library assessment. While many libraries have developed their own methods of assessment and reporting, no overarching methods for assessing library makerspaces exist. In this session, two makerspace librarians describe some current efforts to demonstrate the impact of library makerspaces. Finally, attendees will participate in a collaborative brainstorming session to discuss alternative methods and best practices of demonstrating impact to their communities and stakeholders. Since we’ll be meeting virtually, we’ll use a digital collaboration tool (e.g. Lino or Padlet) that will allow attendees to brainstorm together by sharing thoughts and ideas.Item Creating in Quarantine: Making Online During COVID-19
Hilles, Stefanie; Nagle, SarahDuring spring 2020, universities found themselves navigating an unprecedented and sudden shift to online learning. Librarians play a crucial role in connecting students and faculty with digital tools and resources during this challenging time. However, it can be difficult to envision how hands-on, object-based, or maker workshops can be transitioned to online formats. This presentation will discuss how an art librarian and makerspace librarian are engaging their patrons with online maker projects during quarantine. They will share best practices for successfully reimagining in-class instruction for an online environment and how academic libraries can virtually support creative making outside the classroom.Item Making Connections: Multidisciplinary Makerspace Curriculum Integrations
Nagle, SarahBy partnering with faculty to incorporate maker learning into the curriculum, academic makerspace organizers have a unique opportunity to impact scholarship across their institutions. Maker-centered learning is beneficial to students in a myriad of ways, regardless of area of study. Faculty collaborations and curriculum integrations can also be an effective way to increase traffic and usage of academic makerspaces. This presentation will address the challenges and opportunities of faculty partnerships, addressing best practices for outreach and providing several case studies of specific makerspace curriculum integrations. Attendees will learn specific ways to collaborate with faculty and incorporate making into the curriculum at their own institutions.Item Making Changes: Sustaining Innovative Services During a Pandemic
Nagle, SarahMany libraries across the country are faced with the challenge of re-opening our doors in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some might encounter budget cuts, while at the same time the pressure to meet our universities’ new needs, including developing new services that support online learning. Makerspaces and other experiential learning spaces are tackling the unique challenge of devising online experiences and learning opportunities that capture the collaborative, hands-on spirit of in-person maker activities. In this presentation, managers of an academic library makerspace discuss their strategies for reaching patrons while working with administration to continue to invest in innovative services in a time where funding is limited. We will cover ways to justify new or existing emerging technologies in libraries, despite pressure to cut costs. We will also explore various strategies to create online learning and event experiences for students that replicate the casual collaboration of a makerspace environment.Item A Series of Fortunate Events: Planning Great Maker Events
Nagle, SarahNo matter the type of makerspace, holding maker events can be a key tool for attracting new users, securing funding from stakeholders, and building a community in your space. However, coordinating effective and inclusive events involves planning on numerous levels, a task which can be overwhelming for already-busy makerspace organizers. In this collaborative spark session, a makerspace librarian shares some best practices, lessons learned, and creative ideas drawn from planning dozens of makerspace events (with varying levels of success). Attendees will then have the opportunity to brainstorm and share their own experiences and ideas with each other.Item Maker Literacy & the ACRL Framework
Nagle, SarahAcademic library makerspaces enable maker-centered learning experiences that hold enduring benefits to students from all fields of study. Some may wonder, however, how maker literacy fits within traditional library information literacy instruction, and specifically how it connects to the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy. This presentation will use two foundational concepts of the ACRL Framework, metaliteracy and liminality, to demonstrate how maker-centered learning can support information literacy. We will explore connections between existing maker literacy frameworks and the ACRL Framework, and specifically how maker-centered learning connects to each frame. We will discuss how hands-on maker learning experiences can be employed as a supplement and enrichment to traditional information literacy instruction, regardless of whether your library has a dedicated makerspace. Attendees will be empowered to experiment with new forms of active and experiential learning in their information literacy instruction.Item Building Library Communities through Makerspace Engagement
Nagle, SarahMakerspaces and other experiential learning labs are a growing addition to libraries of all types. But in order to ensure they are a lasting part of library services, these spaces must be more than just the technology and tools that they contain. Makerspaces can be powerful connectors that bring together members of a library’s community in an interdisciplinary, collaborative, and creative environment. In this session, a makerspace librarian with experience in public and academic library spaces discusses strategies for leveraging makerspaces to foster community connections and transdisciplinary partnerships. We will explore specific case studies of events, pedagogical approaches, and partnerships that have been implemented in an academic library makerspace in order to build a vibrant community of makers.Item An Inclusive and Creative Service for Experiential Learning
Chapin, Lori; Nagle, Sarah; Tzoc, EliasAs workforce requirements continue to transform, innovation and experiential learning are increasingly important topics in higher education. In this presentation, we showcase how a university library department has leveraged innovative services to connect faculty, staff, and students from various university departments through experiential learning. We outline how a makerspace has become an inclusive, collaborative, and creative space for students of all majors to explore new technology. From our diverse and knowledgeable staff of student workers, to faculty “champions”, to campus partnerships, we will share how we have brought together many moving parts to create a robust experiential learning environment. Additionally, our instruction librarian will share specific examples of embedding maker literacy into the curriculum across a wide variety of disciplines. Attendees will gain ideas for adding creative, maker-based activities into their teaching, or for developing programs surrounding innovation and experiential learning at their institutions.Item Makerspaces: Hubs for Interdisciplinary Learning
Nagle, SarahMakerspaces and maker-centered instruction continue to grow in academic libraries. However, it may not always be clear how makerspaces support the missions of academic libraries, or how they further the goals of information literacy. Explore makerspaces as tools for helping students develop non-cognitive skills that are crucial to mastering the threshold concepts for information literacy. Using specific interdisciplinary classroom examples, Nagle explores how connecting maker-centered learning to the ACRL Framework centers makerspaces within the core missions of academic libraries, ensuring that makerspaces remain relevant and on the cutting edge of library trends. These learning outcomes expand partnership possibilities across campus by demonstrating the impact of maker-centered learning on student success in any discipline.Item Ideas for Action: Creating and Collaborating for Inclusive Teaching
Nagle, Sarah; Morgan, AbigailThe process of embedding anti-racist practices into library instruction is vitally important, especially as we and our students navigate ongoing systemic injustices at our institutions, in our communities, and on a national level. But this process can also seem daunting for many reasons. In 2020, a group of twelve librarians at our institution came together to create an Inclusive Teaching Interest Group in order to develop or deepen our praxis of critical pedagogy. These librarians come from a variety of backgrounds and disciplinary focuses, allowing us to learn from each other as we read articles, discuss topics related to critical pedagogy, and develop shared goals and teaching practices. This session will provide an opportunity to begin a discussion on inclusive instructional practices and envision how librarians can feasibly incorporate these practices into their work with three example activities. Having a shared community of practice surrounding inclusive pedagogy safeguards individual librarians from burnout in the face of the sometimes overwhelming task of staying informed, analyzing our own biases, educating our students, and creating inclusive teaching environmentsItem Remaking the Makerspace: Transformational Student Training
Nagle, Sarah; Chapin, LoriIn a library makerspace, student training can be less straightforward than traditional library environments. Students are required to be aware of a wide variety of tools, techniques, software, and patron interactions. Makerspace student worker training presents new challenges, but also opportunities. This presentation demonstrates a unique model of student training developed by staff at an academic library makerspace. When 10 new student workers were hired in fall 2021, there was a need to establish a program of training that allowed students to gain confidence and take ownership of their employment experience. Because learning makerspace technology can sometimes be an intimidating undertaking, staff sought a training program that gave students an achievable path towards mastering a wide range of equipment and skills. As most of the newly-hired individuals were first-year students, retaining their employment during their entire time at the university was highly desired. With all of this in mind, staff developed a training program that used aprons as a canvas to display physical representations of students’ skills. For each machine that students mastered, they added an element created on that machine to their aprons. We will present attendees with the tools to implement similar training models in their own makerspaces.Item Building with The Bauhaus: Integrating art and maker education
Hilles, Stefanie; Nagle, SarahThe Bauhaus, a German art and design school active from 1919-1933, changed how artists and designers are educated. Previously, art students were typically trained at Royal Academies where they learned by copying the masters. At the Bauhaus, students completed foundational courses before declaring a medium-based major (ceramics, metals, weaving, etc.), a method still used today. After a brief introduction to the Bauhaus, it’s history, and it’s educational philosophy, this interactive workshop, led by an art librarian and a makerspace librarian, will identify the connections between the Bauhaus and the learning that takes place in contemporary makerspaces, including experiential learning, collaborative learning, distributed learning, and using basic understanding of materials as a gateway to creativity . We will also explore how some of the outcomes of maker-centered learning, empowerment and civic-mindedness, connect to the utopian vision of the Bauhaus. Participants will then complete maker projects inspired by the Bauhaus’ curriculum , allowing them to gain hands-on experience with the methods of the Bauhaus and how those methods connect to modern maker-centered learning experiences. The session will also include examples of how the presenters have led workshops for university students that unite Bauhaus and maker-centered learning practices, giving participants actionable tools to use in art and maker classrooms of all ages.Item Moving Beyond Craft Programs: Encouraging Creative Confidence in Adult Learners
Nagle, SarahAccording to a landmark longitudinal study by George Land, creativity peaks in early childhood, and drops drastically as we grow older. Ninety-eight percent of children between the ages of 4 and 5 score at the genius level on creativity assessments, yet by the age of 15, only 12% of those children still scored at this level. When the same assessment was given to adults, that number dropped to just 2%. These statistics support a trend that many library professionals have witnessed -- today’s adults tend to have a much harder time than children with tinkering, playing, and using their imagination. This trend is concerning because, according to a recent report by the World Economic Forum, creativity will be the third most important employable skill by 2020. As emerging technology transforms the landscape of work, the success of individuals and of society as a whole will depend on creative thinking. Yet when it comes to maker projects, many adults are afraid of trying new things. They’re afraid of failing, and they have simply forgotten how to experiment and play without a set outcome in mind. Consequently, adults often come to library maker programs expecting to be given step-by-step instructions, to be told exactly what to make and how to make it. Many libraries offer such programs in which participants follow a set pattern, use pre-prepped materials, and everyone makes the same thing. While there’s certainly merit for these types of crafting programs, their lack of experimentation, exploration, and personalization reduce the opportunity for participants to learn translatable skills. In place of these “make & take” craft programs, librarians can encourage adult learners to experiment, explore, and embrace uncertainty through making and tinkering. This change cannot be done overnight, however. If craft programs have been long offered at your library, your regular attendees may be taken aback by drastic changes to programming. Without doing away with craft programs that your patrons enjoy and love, changes can be made incrementally that begin challenging adult learners in new ways. This chapter provides guidance on moving beyond craft programs to engage adult learners with higher level creative thinking. It discusses the difference between crafting, making, and tinkering, and how it applies to adult library programs. Finally, it provides specific program implementations to incorporate making and tinkering into preexisting craft programs, and to ease adult learners into the world of making. By doing so, we can help adults flex their creative muscles, let go of inhibitions, and make amazing things.Item Maker Services in Academic Libraries: A Review of Case Studies
Nagle, Sarah BethMakerspaces and maker-centered learning have surged in popularity in higher education and particularly academic libraries in recent years, following trends that initially emerged in primary and secondary education and public libraries. As academic libraries develop services around maker activities and technologies, many case studies have emerged to share examples, best practices, and lessons learned from these endeavours. The purpose of this literature review is to summarise the information from the available case studies to answer the following research questions: How are academic libraries implementing makerspaces? What can we learn from case studies of academic library makerspaces? What are the prevailing gaps in the published literature on academic library makerspaces? The results of this review of case studies will be a guide for library staff who wish to implement makerspaces in their libraries, and will also serve to identify avenues for future research and scholarship on creative spaces in academic libraries.