The Makerspace Trend in School Libraries

The maker movement is a global, DIY movement of people who take charge of their
lives, solve their own problems and share how they solved them. And its growing in
schools that are searching for more authentic learning experiences for their students.
(Roscorla, 2013). At a recent county institute day for school librarians, a lunchtime
unconference discussion on makerspaces was by the far the most popular discussion;
school librarians were eager to learn more about incorporating makerspaces into their
libraries, however just three of the roughly thirty discussion participants had actually
implemented them yet. I was one of the twenty-seven librarians who were keen to learn
more about this growing trend, but have not yet begun to implement a makerspace;
therefore I chose to research this trend in education. While I have consulted a number
of resources, I was particularly interested in the ideas of three middle school
makerspace pioneers, Diana Rendina, Colleen Graves, and Kevin Jarrett, and so refer
to them often as sources for this paper.
The maker movement was a catalyst for creating the makerspace education trend.
Makerspaces partially evolved from digital fabrication labs or fab labs at MIT; they
became popular with adult hobbyists and makers and have been pushed. .. under the
Obama administration -- as a way to revive American advanced manufacturing
(Roscorla, 2013). Due to their ever-increasing popularity, a variety of definitions or
ideas of what constitutes a makerspace abound. Diana Rendina (2015) describes her
makerspace as a place where students gather to create, invent, tinker, explore, and
discover using a variety of tools and materials.
It is clear from a review of many sources that makerspaces are less about what specific
tools are available or what type of making can be done in the space, but are more about
the making mindset. From the Library as Incubator Project (2012), Makerspaces are
not necessarily born out of a specific set of materials or spaces, but rather a mindset of
community partnership, collaboration and creation. What a great fit with the 21st Skills
movement in education and the 4Cs: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and
creativity. Kevin Jarrett (2015) believes a true makerspace is defined not by whats in
it but rather by what comes out of it: projects, experiences, artifacts and learning.
So the concept of makerspaces sounds pretty cool, but why is important for our
students? They provide hands-on learning, help with critical thinking skills, and even
boost self-confidence (Miller, 2015). For older students, makerspaces help to bring
creativity and engagement back into the classroom, which has largely been lost due to
testing and other pressures. Roscorla (2013) writes, from kindergarten to second
grade, students traditionally make things with playdough, legos and other objects. But
somewhere along the way the maker mindset has been lost in older grades.

Makerspaces provide exposure to items and concepts that students might not otherwise
have exposure to, or as one Indianapolis school librarian believes, The maker space is
important in a sense that it helps kids try things out, try things on . . . maybe not even for
a career, but just for a personal interest or a hobby or a talent or strength they had that,
without the tools and resources in the maker space, they would never have been able to
sample (Bell, 2015).
What should one keep in mind as they consider creating their own makerspace? Diana
Rendina (2015) insists that one of the first steps should be to determine the goal of the
makerspace; is it for students to exercise their creativity, practice engineering skills, or
both? School makerspace leaders line up on both sides of the question. Some, like
Kevin Jarrett (2015) believe that a more problem-based learning approach is the way to
go: Its great to successfully complete a project or challenge . . . but if the creation or
solution doesnt solve a problem for someone, what good is it? The mantra of his
makerspace, which is prominently displayed, is Care. Think. Design. Act (Jarrett,
2015). An engineering and problem-based learning approach certainly offers a great
platform for implementing and collaborating on NGSS curriculum.
On the other hand, other educators believe that makerspaces should have a sense of
playfulness, inviting curiosity and inspiring wonder (Kurti, Kurti & Fleming, 2014):
Makerspaces outside of the educational environment are adult playgrounds for thinking
and whimsical construction . . . Educational makerspaces . . . harness the same
intellectual playground concept for the purpose of inspiring deeper learning through
deep questioning . . . Playfulness is an extremely important tool in the engagement of
learning. In fact, some of the longtime proponents of the maker movement fear that,
attempts to institutionalize making - through schools, afterschool programs, etc. - will
quash the emergence, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit that are all the
hallmarks of the maker revolution (Halverson & Sheridan, 2014).
I believe that when determining the goal of a middle school makerspace, one should
consider the other activities, curriculum and projects already in place at the school, as
well as available support from interested teachers, and what the students themselves
want and need. Along these lines, Colleen Graves (2015) suggests starting a steering
committee of interested teachers and students involving them in purchasing ideas, goal
setting and workshops, and also inviting parent and mentor/community member
involvement.
As for the requirements for the actual space, most experts again believe that the
philosophy of the space trumps any physical requirements. The feeling students
perceive in the makerspace is of the utmost importance. For inquiry-based learning to
occur, students must be attracted to the space and inspired to use it (Kurti, Kurti &

Fleming, 2014). They continue, that students must understand that Its OK to fail and
breaking things is not a cardinal sin. Diana Rendina (2015) writes, Even if you dont
have access to expensive hardware . . . every classroom can become a makerspace
where kids and teachers learn together through direct experience with an assortment of
high and low tech tools. For more specific space and tool recommendations, there is a
proliferation of lists available on the internet.
Numerous sources stress the importance of school makerspaces being learner driven.
Kurti, Kurti & Fleming (2014) write, To preserve the true aspect of maker education, it is
imperative that the process remain learner driven rather than teacher driven. And yet,
importantly, administrator support is also a necessity. In fact, it would be virtually
impossible to run a vibrant makerspace without the support of the school community.
However, the lack of data around maker spaces can present problems for
administrators and librarians when justifying the need for the spaces in their schools or
when determining the scope of their makerspace projects (Bell, 2015). Thus, in the
absence of hard data, one is left to rely on instinct and individual testimonials of maker
learning and success to justify the creation of a makerspace.
As a school librarian, it is interesting to note that many school makerspaces are hosted
in libraries. The trend for school libraries to begin hosting makerspaces is believed to
have been triggered by the American Association of School Librarians 2009 release of
guidelines specifying the primary role of a school librarian is one of teacher, thus shifting
the focus from the facility and the collection to meeting the instructional, emotional and
cultural needs of students (Bell, 2015). While undoubtedly libraries offered some of the
best physical space to host a makerspace, libraries also offer a wonderful philosophical
match for makerspaces: If we believe that making activities and maker identities are
crucial for empowerment, then . . . all learners (must) have the opportunity to engage.
Libraries in particular hold promise for democratization, given their history as free,
embedded community resources open to all (Halverson & Sheridan, 2014).
However with the arrival of makerspaces in libraries, come certain challenges. One oftmentioned challenge is funding for maker tools and equipment, although many sources
insist an expensive 3D printer is not a requirement for a makerspace. If the
makerspace is to have any sort of engineering or problem-based learning focus, it will
be necessary to create some STEM curricular tie-ins and teacher collaborations, which
may be more difficult for many librarians since they typically interact less frequently with
math and science classes. Even in the absence of an engineering focus, to encourage
real learning the librarian will need to spend time creating occasional programming and
design challenges for students, all while continuing, as Colleen Graves (2015) points
out, the more traditional responsibilities of a school librarian, such as advocating for
literacy skills and promoting a love of reading. Graves (2015) suggests Google Maker

Camps as an excellent resource for inexpensive, entry-level maker projects. And while
the library may have a corner or nook to carve out for a makerspace, there is also the
challenge of finding space and appropriate shelving for in-progress work, as well as
space to display completed work, for as Roscorla (2013) states in the opening sentence
of this paper, sharing learning and solutions is a key component of the maker
movement.
As I consider the current curriculum and schedule in my middle school, I believe an
After School Maker Club may be the best way to introduce a makerspace culture into
our school. Diana Rendina (2015) proposed several suggestions for building an After
School Maker Club: combine design challenges with free days; build a sense of
community with student-designed t-shirts; have a set of agreed upon norms for the
space; build in opportunities for reflection, and for sharing, ideally beyond the school
community. My research here has both inspired me to try to create a makerspace for
our school, and reassured me that we can begin small and continue to grow and
improve as we learn from our making.

References
Bell, J. (n.d.). School librarians push for more 'maker spaces'. Retrieved March 20,
2016, from EdWeek.org website:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/05/13/school-librarians-push-for-moremaker-spaces.html
Graves, C. (n.d.). Evolution of a maker space, from Monstie stuffie Projects to a giant
catapult. Retrieved March 20, 2016, from slj.com website:
http://www.slj.com/2015/06/programs/evolution-of-a-middle-school-maker-spacefrom-monster-stuffie-projects-to-a-giant-catapult/#_
Halverson, E. R., & Sheridan, K. (2014). The maker movement in education. Harvard
Educational Review, 84(4), 495-504.
Jarrett, K. (n.d.). Middle school maker journey: Top 20 technologies and tools. Retrieved
March 20, 2016, from Edutopia.org website:
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/making-makerspace-top-20-technologies-toolskevin-jarrett
Kurti, R. S., Kurti, D. L., & Fleming, L. (n.d.). The philosophy of educational
makerspaces part 1 of making an educational makerspace. Retrieved March 20,
2016, from TeacherLibrarian.com website:
http://www.teacherlibrarian.com/2014/06/18/educational-makerspaces/
Miller, A. (n.d.). What is a makerspace? Retrieved March 20, 2016, from
Makerspaces.com website: https://www.makerspaces.com/what-is-amakerspace/

Rendina, D. (n.d.). Defining makerspaces: What the research says. Retrieved March 20,
2016, from RenovatedLearning.com website:
http://renovatedlearning.com/2015/04/02/defining-makerspaces-part-1/
Roscorla, T. (n.d.). Why the 'maker movement' is popular in schools. Retrieved March
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http://www.centerdigitaled.com/news/Maker-Movement-Popular-Schools.html
A WAPL recap. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2016, from LibraryAsIncubatorProject.org
website: http://www.libraryasincubatorproject.org/?p=4594