Infrastructure and Tools
- Virtual Tours with the ALA Maker Tech Interest Group – Indiana University
Description: This walk-through of two makerspaces was recorded on December 11, 2023. Lauren Haberstock shares the Genesis Lab at Pepperdine University and Alanna Risse gives a tour of the Rockwood Makerspace at Multnomah County Library. - Library Makers Tool Talks is a series of recorded sessions that provide a more in-depth look into a tool, machine or application that can commonly be found in a makerspace or maker program, and how they can be used in a library setting.
- Reaching Across Illinois Library System Maker Resources Spreadsheet – A community compiled list of maker resources and tools available in libraries throughout Illinois.
Communities of Practice
- Library Makers is a practitioner-led online community for people who run maker programs and/or manage makerspaces in libraries of all types.
- The Teacher Studio by UW-Madison PLACE, Wayne RESA, Building for Kids Children’s Museum, the Madison Public Library, and the Fermilab Office of Education and Public Engagement, is a hybrid learning community with monthly workshops for maker educators.
- The Association of Creative Technologies in Academic Libraries is a free-to-join association that is focused on providing support for people working in multimedia labs and makerspace labs within academic libraries.
Toolkits
- The Makers In the Library toolkit provides a library-tested process for creating and sustaining a community-driven makerspace, no matter what your constraints.
- Facilitating Computational Tinkering – is a collaborative project aimed at designing more equitable experiences for youth and families to engage with creativity and self expression through computation. Their website includes activity plans and facilitator guides, as well as a host of other resources.
- Public Library Innovation Exchange – MIT has facilitator resources for facilitating creative learning, as well as a repository of creative learning activities that can be led by public librarians, with recommended age ranges. There is also a PLIX Discussion forum for library professionals can share their experiences and ask questions.
Assessment Tools
- The Observation Deck is an easy-to-use toolkit to capture stories, Ah Ha! moments, and qualitative outcomes for hands-on library programming created by Rebecca Millerjohn (The Bubbler at Madison Public Library), Sue Abrahamson (Waupaca Public Library), and Amy Holcomb (Skokie Public Library) with support from a National Leadership Grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services.
- The Maker Literacies created by the University of Texas – Arlington Libraries includes an overview of the Maker Competencies, as well as selected curriculum, to incorporate the maker-based competencies into the undergraduate curriculum. This work resulted in Maker Literacies for Academic Libraries: Integration into Curriculum, and multiple other publications linked on their Publications page.
- Computational Thinking Assessment Tools by the University of Maryland, as part of the IMPACT Libraries project. The project aims to “identify computational thinking outcomes that youth develop by participating in programs offered at public libraries,” create assessment tools for library staff to use to measure these outcomes, and create guidance to help public library staff improve their programs (IMPACT Libraries Project Goals).
- Maker Skill Trees and Templates available as printable pages, including a variety of areas including less commonly seen skill areas such as Automotives, Baking, Dance, and Dungeons and Dragons.
Conferences
- Play Make Learn (in-person) is an annual conference that brings together educators (classroom, museum, libraries, etc.) with leaders, researchers, and designers.
- The Makerspaces for Innovation and Research in Academics Conference (Virtual) “seeks to bring together a group of makers, librarians, educators and practitioners for presentations, discussions and networking. We encourage participation from all types of makerspaces such as academic, community, museums, libraries (K-12, higher education, public, special), institutions, and organizations.”