UPDATED! DH and Makerspace Mashup

This is a talk session for those who are thinking about how to bring a maker space into an academic library. If you’ve been following the library and maker space movement, then you know that people usually don’t think about libraries when they think about maker spaces. And they especially don’t think about creative, collaborative, maker spaces when they think about academic libraries.

But as universities and colleges become more and more about the experience they offer and not just the degree one can attain, the learner’s experience in the library becomes a great opportunity to attract and retain students. Today’s students need the opportunity to move beyond what library information commons offer – computers, group study spaces, whiteboards – to tools to be producers – taking their knowledge and theory into application and prototyping.

Maker spaces tend to be STEM centric. (Another great opportunity for libraries!) In this session I’d like to facilitate a discussion on the idea of creating a ‘maker space’ in an academic library that incorporates the Digital Humanities. What would the guiding principles be? What would the space look like? What equipment would be needed? What software? What furniture? Supplies? What else? How should it be supported? Advertised? Assessed? And more.

If this topic interests you I hope you’ll come and contribute. I hope it will be a great opportunity to come away with a plan of action or at least a better vision for how it could be done.

Kate Ganski, Library Instruction Coordinator, University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee

Notes were compiled from our TALK on Google Docs titled: DH and Makerspace Mashup. Please continue to add ideas here and let us know what projects and conversations develope back at your home institutions.

Let’s keep the conversation going on Twitter: #DHMakerspace