We are all hearing a lot about makerspaces in school libraries. Wouldn’t it be great if there was the time and money to visit other school libraries to see how they have solved the various challenges that come with creating a makerspace within a school library?
MakerSpace at Main Library, by 5chw4r7z, https://www.flickr.com/photos/5chw4r7z/15756583153, CC by SA-2.0
With the magic of video, you can do just that. On the QSLiN YouTube channel, you will find a brand new playlist called School Library Makerspaces. The playlist has 20 videos that concentrate on makerspaces in school libraries (as opposed to public libraries on which there is an abundance of videos). You will find how-to films as well as films that demonstrate a variety of projects that can be tried. In these videos, librarians and students talk about how engaging learning can be when it happens in a makerspace.
Recently, at the OLA Super Conference, Carla Warnholtz and Sheila Morgan conducted a workshop entitled, Making Space for Makerspaces in Your School Library/Learning Commons. You can view the slides for this presentation at the above link. The slides cover such issues as logistics, challenges, what works, simple experiments as well as the various materials that can be used like Legos, Locktagons, robotics, various crafts and more.
Take a virtual tour of all the wonderful makerspaces
