Thursday, March 30, 2017

This session talks about the development of library makerspaces from three different perspectives. The first presentation discusses how the makerspace concept is an excellent vehicle to promote critical thinking in the library environment. Jiang focuses on makerspace collaboration with the business school and college of art and science to serve as an incubator and entrepreneurship center for students. She talks about how the library started the maker program without even having a makerspace, how to get administration support and receive funding. She also discusses cultivating maker culture on campus with faculty, students, and staff through different activities such as mini makerfaire, pop up activities, and curriculum integration. Jiang tells how the library gives students real-world innovative projects and bridges science students’ innovation with business school students who would like to pursue entrepreneurship. Finally, she shares her vision on why every library should have a makerspace program serving their core mission and have direct impact on the university’s core value, admission and retention. Vaughn discusses the creation of Elon’s makerspace, which wasn’t the result of an administrative initiative, or an attempt to jump on a trend, but rather the result of a 2-year grassroots campaign, led by a motley consortium of staff, faculty, and students who wanted to pursue and promote maker culture on campus. During this campaign, the group seized the opportunity to reinvent an unused study room as a makerspace, named the Maker Hub. In collaboration with instructional & campus technologies, the room was renovated, expanded, and made available to the entire campus community. Students, faculty, and staff now have free access to tools, materials, and supplies for 3D design and printing, mobile app development, microcomputing, electronics, e-textiles, and LEGOs (how can you not have LEGOs?).