We're seeking new content and examples from libraries

At this time we are gathering new information to develop additional content from maker programs. We invite you to send us photos or resources from your library for our team to consider as we develop the new content. We are interested in all kinds of programs from low tech to high tech, arts focused or tech forward, serving any age group. A whole range!

• Are you in a small or rural library that offers maker programs in a multipurpose room? We would love to see photos of how you do it!

• Has your maker program/makerspace worked to increase accessibility to people with physical disabilities? Tell us what you have done!

• Do you take your maker program out to the community via an outreach program? Who do you reach out to, and how?

• We’d love to see your creative marketing examples and strategies for your programs, too.

• How is your maker program staffed? We're gathering examples of job descriptions for staff or volunteers that work in the makerspace or manage maker programs. Would love to add yours to the collection.

Send us your examples and photos via email before February 1 if possible via email @ info@librarymakers.org or on via Chat @Library Makers on our website and include a best way to reach you in case we have questions.

Since its founding in 2021, the Library Makers community, supported by a grant from the Institute of Library and Museum Services (IMLS), has dramatically increased its membership, as well as expanded the breadth of services and resources to the national library makerspace community.

The primary goal of the Library Makers community is to serve all libraries according to the community’s values which includes ensuring diversity and equity and the participation of small and rural libraries. Communities of practice, like Library Makers, help niche communities grow their engagement by providing a structured space for all members to exchange knowledge and ideas about a shared passion or interest.

As we wrap-up Year 1 of our IMLS grant, we wanted to pause and reflect on what we have been able to accomplish as a team, particularly in 2022. Our team of 7 Charter Member libraries from around the country have been hard at work and willing to be flexible as we navigate the building and sustainability of an inclusive community.

In Spring 2022 we conducted a survey to help us better understand how public libraries created new programs and delivery models for maker activities due to the pandemic. Libraries across the country responded, and the resulting report helps us understand how maker programs have shifted both temporarily and sometimes permanently, and will inform us as we develop new, updated content for the Makers in the Library Toolkit.

How do you define making? We think there are many benefits to trying to craft a definition, at least for making in the context of library maker programs and makerspaces. Here is our draft definition.

Are limited staff, space or budget preventing you from creating a makerspace in your library?

Did your maker programming pause due to the pandemic, and you are not sure how to get it up and running again?

Are you wondering how to develop maker programming that can be flexible and responsive to the unexpected? This webinar series will showcase steps for building and sustaining a maker program in any library and introduces an ongoing process that incorporates, shares and values insights of the community. It is based on the Makers in the Library Toolkit, a practical guide created over three years in collaboration with a group of diverse libraries throughout California.

The Libraries Working Group from Nation of Makers supports library staff who operate makerspaces and develop and deliver creative maker programs in all kinds of libraries.

In recent years, the maker movement has also become an important phenomenon in reconceptualizing libraries of all kinds and sizes. Through a diverse array of programming, libraries are finding ways to enhance civic engagement and help people become full participants in their local communities.