Giving Compass' Take:

• The author describes how he transforms schools libraries into makerspaces by collecting inspiration, showcasing cross-curricular value, and incorporating digital tools into the space. 

• What barriers are there for schools that do not have the same funding or resources to create makerspaces? How do educators bring those same opportunities to their students? 

• Read about creating more accessible makerspaces for STEM education. 

I’ve been called the “Willy Wonka of school librarians” because I, with the help of multiple educators, transformed our traditional library into what I call an IDEA (Innovation, Design, Engineering, and Art) Lab. What’s an IDEA Lab? It’s a makerspace full of flexible furniture, robotics, engineering tools, iPads, laptops, and sewing machines.

For other schools interested in turning their own library into an IDEA lab of their own, here are four insights that will help make it happen:

Collect your inspirations in one place: In 2015, I received a lump sum of funding from my parent-teacher organization (PTO) to help transform our traditional library into a flexible, collaborative makerspace. I had been searching the Internet and library magazines for ideas and inspiration.  Using pictures of furniture and spaces was a great way for me to communicate my ideas and make them come to life.

Don’t invest in the same technology everyone else does: During the process of building our makerspace, a group of parents and teachers visited schools all over Illinois, Wisconsin, and even Colorado to see the spaces that other schools had created.

Showcase the cross-curricular value: I love to incorporate coding and robotics into my library, and the kids love it too. Part of my role as a librarian is to help classroom educators see the cross-curricular value that coding and robotics have for students.

 Incorporate digital and physical tools: We have a wide variety of engineering tools and materials that I use alongside traditional robots to encourage students to prototype solutions to problems.

Read the full article about makerspace by Todd Burleson at Getting Smart