Teen Makerspaces @ Your Library

Have you gotten your August 2013 issue of VOYA yet?  There are several articles in there about creating teen makerspaces in your library. 

The first part of my Mobile Makerspace involves storage carts on wheels, a ton of Legos, a ton of Duct Tape, cutting boards and, scariest of all, safety cutting blades (regular scissors don’t work well for Duct Tape).  My goal is to be able to easily move the items in and out of the meeting room to have my makerspace programs.  The initial cost wasn’t bad, around $1,000.  And it has broad appeal for school age, tween and teens.  It allows them to get their creativity and problem solving on in a safe, social environment.  Eventually I would love to add some higher tech elements, but this is the right starting point for my library.

Definitely check out the August issue for more discussion.  There is a great article in there by Erinn Batykefer from The Library as Incubator Project, “The Youth Maker Library” (page 20), as well as two articles by yours truly.  There is also a good article from Nicola McDonald on incorporating maker ideas at your library.  You can read it all in the digital issue of VOYA which is available online at the moment.

Does your library incorporate any makerspace ideas?  Please share with us.  We’d love to know what you are doing.

Read More:
Is It Time to Rebuild & Retool Public Libraries and Make Them “Tech Shops”?
The Library as Incubator Project posts tagged “Makerspace”
ALA: Manufacturing Makerspaces
Library as Makerspace

Karen

Filed under: Makerspace, Programming