An essential resource for intermediate, middle, and high school librarians that guides the planning, learning, and implementation of a school library makerspace. 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.

An invaluable how-to text that details the workshop model, addresses the design challenges, and explains the best avenues for curriculum-based learning in the school library makerspace. A successful school makerspace needs an enthusiastic maker community, school-wide participation, and staff support. How do you build this type of learning at your school? The innovative team behind Challenge-Based Learning in the School Library Makerspace addresses common questions and concerns and describes step-by-step how to introduce challenge-based learning into the school library makerspace. Intended for librarians and school staff who have already started thinking in terms of makerspaces but need further help sustaining programming and want to know more about Makerspace 2.0, this helpful guide details the workshop model, various real-world design challenges, and the process for implementing curriculum-based learning in the school library makerspace. Readers will be empowered to go beyond the initial implementation of a makerspace and to draw from an arsenal of proven methodologies for designing challenges for student learning. Additionally, the book enables the addition of curriculum connections to library programming, shows how to connect your students to local experts and the global maker community, and eases you into more productive collaboration with other librarians.

Makerspaces: Your questions answered here! Get the nuts and bolts on imagining, planning, creating, and managing a cutting-edge Makerspace for your school community. Nationally recognized expert Laura Fleming provides all the answers in this breakthrough guide. From inception through implementation, you’ll find invaluable guidance for creating a vibrant Makerspace on any budget. Practical strategies and anecdotal examples help you: Create an action plan for your own personalized Makerspace Align activities to standards Showcase student creations Use this must-have guide to painlessly build a robust, unique learning environment that puts learning back in the hands of your students! The Corwin Connected Educators series is your key to unlocking the greatest resource available to all educators: other educators. Being a Connected Educator is more than a set of actions: it’s a belief in the potential of technology to fuel lifelong learning. "Laura Fleming does an exquisite job of creating a guide for all schools to tap into students’ innate desire to create, tinker, invent, and make to learn. Leveraging her experience as a practitioner she provides a compelling, yet simple recipe for any school or educator to transform any space into a makerspace on a shoestring budget. It is time to bring the fun back into learning!" —Eric Sheninger, Corwin Author, Digital Leadership "Fleming provides a concise overview of the Maker Movement as a revolution taking place in learning today. This book makes a case for the importance of creating a culture of innovation and offers practical tips and strategies for those interested in creating their own makerspaces." —Greg Toppo, Education Reporter USA Today

"Examines the limitations and challenges emerging from the "maker movement" emphasizing the critical work that is being done to cultivate anti-oppressive, inclusive and equitable making environments. Makerspaces in libraries are especially focused upon"

A must-read for elementary school librarians interested in starting a makerspace at their school, but who are concerned about the cost and are looking for curriculum links for getting started. Makerspaces are a powerful way to expand a school library's influence as an educational partner in the school community. However, many elementary school librarians and educators are hesitant to consider adding a makerspace to their programming due to concerns about costs. This book focuses on effective ways to start a makerspace in your school on a shoestring budget while simultaneously supporting curriculum standards and inviting the collaboration of other members of your school community. Today's school librarians have many responsibilities and often face a shrinking budget. The Elementary School Library Makerspace: A Start-Up Guide is a one-stop shop for learning the specific steps to successfully starting an elementary school library makerspace, without getting behind on managing your current school library tasks and responsibilities or blowing your budget. You'll learn how and where the makerspace movement started, and why; understand why today's young students crave hands-on experiences; and receive dozens of makerspace examples for each grade level by content area, including ones for language arts, math, science, engineering, arts, social studies, and technology. The book also covers how and why to track particular numbers regarding program performance, explains how to use creativity to start your makerspace with minimal dollars, and outlines how to make your PR efforts in letting others know about your school library makerspace effective in engaging many possible audiences.

Start-to-finish, fun projects for makers of all types, ages, and skill levels! This easy-to-follow guide features dozens of DIY, low-cost projects that will arm you with the skills necessary to dream up and build your own creations. The Big Book of Makerspace Projects: Inspiring Makers to Experiment, Create, and Learn offers practical tips for beginners and open-ended challenges for advanced makers. Each project features non-technical, step-by-step instructions with photos and illustrations to ensure success and expand your imagination. You will learn recyclables hacks, smartphone tweaks, paper circuits, e-textiles, musical instruments, coding and programming, 3-D printing, and much, much more! Discover how to create: • Brushbot warriors, scribble machines, and balloon hovercrafts • Smartphone illusions, holograms, and projections • Paper circuits, origami, greeting cards, and pop-ups • Dodgeball, mazes, and other interesting Scratch games • Organs, guitars, and percussion instruments • Sewed LED bracelets, art cuffs, and Arduino stuffie • Makey Makey and littleBits gadgets • Programs for plug-and-play and Bluetooth-enabled robots • 3D design and printing projects and enhancements

Maker learning spaces in schools and public libraries are made real through the narratives of professional librarians around the world, comprising the collaborative activities, experiences, and perspectives of librarians as they have implemented makerspaces for students of all ages. School Library Makerspaces in Action is for any librarian looking for inspiration for their own makerspaces, hackerspaces, fablabs, or DIY locations and how to use these spaces in libraries and educational settings. Contributions from authors around the world address the needs of most all readers, including how to provide the staff training necessary for a successful makerspace. Each chapter is written from an author's personal experience, and with only a little fine-tuning and imagination, many of these ideas can be used throughout all levels, disciplines, and subjects in K–12 education and carry over into higher education. The successes and optimism shared in this collection will inspire librarians and educators to think positively about how to implement maker learning locations, train staff, and use makerspaces in their libraries and classrooms to promote and share new ideas.