Last week, librarians in Hamilton County gathered for our second annual Librarian's Institute planned by the library leadership team in partnership with the Chattanooga Public Library.On the first day of the Institute, I hosted a mini maker party. The mini maker party included maker stations that could easily be introduced into any school library. Stations included: Art, Legos, littlebits, Cubelets, Paper Airplane Challenge, Design Thinking, foldable books (a great hook for writing), 3D printing and a display of helpful makerspace resources. At each station I included a sign created in PiktoChart with instructions and a QR code that linked to a manufacturer or lesson plans. Librarians were able to visit stations at their own pace and try out activities that interested them.
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| Making Foldable Books |
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| Cubelets |
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| littleBits |
After the maker party, I led a session on redesigning your library. It's exciting to be able to share my work with school librarians in my district. I didn't want to just give a step by step how to create a makerspace because that may not be the best thing for your school. Instead, I shared the design thinking method as a process for redesigning the library. This approach encourages librarians for form a diverse team and to focus on the needs of the students, teachers, and parents that they serve. After sharing the design thinking approach, I shared my journey to redesigning the Clifton Hills Elementary School Library as well as what I have learned.
Thinking about starting your own Library MakerSpace?
I love Symbaloo as a way to curate resources. The MakerSpace Symbaloo has a variety of resources to help you get started with creating your own MakerSpace in the library.
