The roles of school library media specialists and school libraries themselves are ever changing in response to the needs of the community and the evolution of human thinking, interaction, and learning processes. A school library makerspace can provide patrons with a place for learning, doing, and creating. It offers a location for tackling inventions, fine arts, crafts, industrial technology, hobbies, e-textiles, foodcrafting, DIY couture, fabrication, upcycling, and STEM right in the middle of the information gateway—the library. This book completely explains the makerspace concept and supplies real-world implementation guidance and inexpensive programming ideas that can be used as-is or adapted to suit a specific library or community’s needs. Readers will be able to hit the ground running to implement their own makerspace with practical project ideas they can put to use immediately.

Features

• Explains how to transform school libraries—always considered a destination for thinking and learning—to also be the place of doing, creating, and producing
• Supplies practical guidance on makerspace design, safety, instruction, budget, mentoring, and more
• Includes a "Think, Create, Share, and Grow" section with each makerspace activity that supplies learning and enrichment resources, guidance, and step-by-step how-to instructions
• Provides appendixes of national and local events; of ideas and supplies for makerspace activities; and of maker communities and maker resources