Tuesday, October 24, 2017

How can a technology lab provide a space for creativity and collaboration within your community? Librarians tell the story of the Carlsbad City Library Exploration HUB from concept to reality, describing challenges, successes, and ROI. During a 2015–16 renovation, a staff area was repurposed into patron space, where patrons explore new technology, take classes, and pursue their own creative endeavors. Hear about hardware, software, network capabilities, funding sources, staffing models, class schedules, staff training, and volunteer recruitment. Averaging 45 classes per month taught by librarians, library technicians, and volunteers, they cover Arduino, 3D design, photo editing, and paper/vinyl crafting. Kopecky discusses the journey to create a regular makerspace for a 2-year college. From the ground up, they blazed a trail, finding literature on makerspaces in schools mainly focused on public libraries and some 4-year academic libraries, but little information available for their specific type of school. With help from a variety of sources, and with boundless enthusiasm, they began a pop-up makerspace in the library. A new grant has allowed them to engage with various community stakeholders and learn more about the maker community, both inside and outside of California. Get tips and tricks on how to create your own library technology space. Our last speakers talk about how to maximum your budget for STEAM programs with fun and innovative activities. From simple to more in-depth experiments, gain some hands-on experience by using your everyday skills to complete a STEAM challenge. Get some practical advice to take the fear out of hosting a science-based library program—without the science background. Come ready to ask all your STEAM-related questions.