Library Makerspaces - by Theresa Willingham (Paperback)

About the Book

Library Makerspaces: The Complete Guide is a road map for libraries of any size, with any budget, seeking to redesign or repurpose space or develop maker style programming. This book covers developing makerspaces, writing grant proposals, and helping staff and administrators l...

Book Synopsis

Library Makerspaces: The Complete Guide is a road map for libraries of any size, with any budget, seeking to redesign or repurpose space or develop maker style programming. This book covers developing makerspaces, writing grant proposals, and helping staff and administrators learn about the technologies and processes involved.

Review Quotes

A remarkable guide for librarians who want to know more about makerspaces, this volume provides a wealth of up-to-date information about types of makerspaces and their communities, whether academic, public, community, independent, or fee based. The book's ten chapters offer information about creation, programs, policies, inventories, and facilities. A plethora of excellent examples, case studies, and references provide evidence of the great variety and depth of existing makerspaces that have succeeded and a few that could have done better. Willingham and her fellow contributors are leaders in the field and have trained hundreds of librarians and others in the creation and effective use of spaces. Librarians will appreciate the discussion of community involvement, budget development, and scale of space. Timely given the contemporary turn from a traditional culture of producers to a culture of consumers, this interesting guidebook puts the focus on communities (of all sorts) that have spaces dedicated to making, creating, and producing.

Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, and professionals.

Makerspaces are bringing back relevancy to libraries as we enter an ever-changing digital age. This fantastic book emphasizes the ease of youth and community engagement while providing concrete strategies for making it happen with the scalability to meet the needs of any venue. Easily having the perfect environment and space to deliver the life-changing and STEM-enriching FIRST programs is merely a major bonus.

Makerspaces are transforming libraries into hubs of hands-on 21st century learning. They are allowing consumers to be creators again. This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in starting or growing a library makerspace.

The new libraries described here harbor the creative nature of young people and help revive and revolutionize the old view of libraries to a more modern frame of mind.

About the Author

Theresa Willingham is director and chief operations officer with Eureka! Factory, where she works to help libraries and other organizations develop public creative spaces and programming. She was the regional director for FIRST youth robotics in Central Florida from 2011 to 2017.