What is the EdHub? A 21st century learning commons

Posted by: Megan Enger

APA Citation: 

Boss, S. (2017, December 7). A small town school embraces a big vision. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/small-town-school-embraces-big-vision/

Summary: This Edutopia resource explains how Superintendent Buddy Barry transformed a high school with declining enrollment in Eminence, Kentucky: by identifying the needs of a 21st century learner, he helped create the “EdHub” and transform not only enrollment numbers but the whole community. A nickel tax raised $6 million dollars and renovated the entire building to look more like Google’s headquarters than a traditional high school. Materials for student checkouts still include books, but also power tools and robotics equipment. There are eight makerspaces and opportunities for dual enrollment through the local community college. This article also includes three embedded videos showing the EdHub in action and with testimonials from students, teachers, and administrators; one video gives an overview of the space, another focuses on the Early College Program, and another showcases a hands-on learning project.

Evaluation: This article is a fantastic starting place for those interested in learning about the EdHub. It comes from a reputable source and succinctly explains how Buddy Barry accomplished such a transformation. The videos are a nice bonus that clearly illustrate the community impact. Even schools with small footprints and smaller budgets will be inspired by the EdHub–it asks us all to reconsider how the library can still be the hub of the school and envisions a 21st century learning commons to best serve student needs. Those wanting to learn more about the EdHub should check out their website, especially for Eminence’s mini-credential program that is structured like merit badges (earned when students demonstrate competency in things like 3D printing and stop motion). Additionally, Dr. Loertscher interviewed the EdHub’s librarian and an ELA teacher turned “integration specialist” who speak to the value of having a dedicated staff supporting this community.

A university-wide collaborative effort to designing a makerspace at an academic health sciences library

Herron, J., & Kaneshiro, K. (2017). A university-wide collaborative effort to designing a makerspace at an academic health sciences library. Medical Reference Services Quarterly, 36(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/02763869.2017.1259878

Summary:

Herron and Kaneshiro’s article presents the process taken by the Ruth Lilly Medical Library’s new Tech Team at the Indiana University School of Medicine in designing and creating a makerspace. A heavy emphasis is made on the collaboration between the Tech Team and a variety of campus groups and departments. The paper is structured in a way that parallels the steps in which the Tech Team took in their process. First, conducting an environmental scan consisted of accumulating resources, meeting with other staff members with 3D printing expertise, and identifying who would be potential user groups. This collaborative step of speaking with students, staff, and faculty informed the Tech Team’s proposed focus for the makerspace to provide a gateway to 3D printing and prototyping. The team promoted the new service through word of mouth, sample prints, and an opportunity fair while the physical space was renovated to better serve as a makerspace. This paper offers a comprehensive synthesis of the collaborative process taken by the Tech Team in designing and building a successful makerspace within an academic library. 

Evaluation:

The relevance of Herron and Kaneshiro’s article lies in its value to academic libraries who are at the beginning of their journey to design and build their own makerspaces. The emphasis on collaboration between library staff and other university members provides valuable insight for library staff unfamiliar with makerspaces as they can gain a network of connections in their own campus community. Another significant takeaway from this article is how the Tech Team strategized to differentiate their new space from other similar 3D printing labs in the university. This resource can help library staff to position their own makerspaces in relation to specialized academic libraries, such as medical academic libraries in this case.

Egbert, M. (2016). Creating makers : How to start a learning revolution at your library. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Summary:

Makerspace materials have not typically been part of a library’s “collection”; however, programs that allow for the creation of various types of media are playing a vital role in attracting new patrons to the library. To utilize grant money for a library makerspace, the author approached its creation by studying human-centered design-thinking, that is, “what motivates makers, what  kind of learning takes place, and how can we help enhance their experience,” (Egbert, 2016, p. xiv).  She begins her book defining “makers” as separate from “crafters”--crafters are usually working in a solitary manner, focused on an end result, whereas makers are social innovators: collaborating, learning through mistakes, and gleaning new ideas from others. The goal of the makerspace should support the type of learning that leads to patrons taking risks and creating something entirely unique, or for a unique purpose. Through trial and error, the author realized that families are the most effective target audience to keep projects available to all ages and levels of expertise.  Older makers can support and encourage new ones, sharing their experience and most importantly, the maker mindset of learning by doing. In contrast to formal learning that expects a “correct” answer or result, makerspaces provide an informal learning environment that can lead to innovative thinking and empowered creators.  As stated in her title, they can start “a learning revolution at your library,” (Egbert, 2016).

Evaluation:

This book guides librarians to "dive deep" into the why of makerspace, before they begin rolling up their sleeves and spending money. Having a vision for the makerspace will help guide decisions about who will be reached, how they will be engaged, and the types of learning that will take place. If the library is to become a "learning commons," learning should be the cornerstone of all maker programs and expenditures.

Making Spaces for STEM in the School Library

Chambers, Louise

APA Citation:

Woods, S., & Hsu, Y.-C. (2019). Making spaces for STEM in the school library. TechTrends, 64(3), 388-394. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-019-00460-9

Summary:

In this paper, Woods and Hsu share a vision for how K-12 school libraries could address the inequality of STEM or STEAM education within the United States. They discuss the history of both the STEM/STEAM education and makerspace movement, and propose that the library is the perfect place to democratize and offer balance opportunities for STEM/STEAM education. Woods and Hsu offer practical advice for how school librarians will need to adjust their practice in order to achieve success, considerations for how to structure the library as a makerspace environments, and a clear discussion of what types of activities support the maker mindset and philosophy.

Evaluation:

Libraries offer a unique opportunity to integrate all subject areas within K-12 education, and this article shares a concise and clear roadmap for librarians to consult if they are interested in shifting their practice and purpose of the school library. The list of possible materials to include and ideas for learning activities to consider sharing with students is extremely helpful. The reminder to include tangible materials and creation opportunities is excellent as much of the literature and attention within the LIS community is focused on technology within makerspaces. This article emphasizes that makerspaces are at their core about the act and mindset of making, rather than the use of technology.

Virtual Reality in Los Angeles

Enszer, Greta

Piper, N. (2017). Los Angeles’s New Circus Act. Bloomberg Businessweek, (4517), 44–46. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=122159348&site=ehost-live&scope=site

For my colleague's birthday, he invited us to the new Two Bit Circus in Los Angeles.  Seeing as it was a school night, I did not think I could revisit my twenties, galavanting the city when I had to wake up early the next day and teach.  But after visiting their website, I thought, this could be one of those LA events that you don't want to miss and is the reason you endure the high cost of living here. 

Having never experienced virtual reality, I never realized the VR craze.  Well, after putting on the VR backpack and headset, I was transported to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.  So real.  I felt like I was walking over a rickety wooden bridge with skeletons jumping out at me.  For only $7, this is one of the best experiences in Los Angeles.  I'm not saying it beats swimming in the ocean, but I am considering a field trip here for my high school library advisory committee.

Of course, I wanted to know more about how this business came to be.  While we were there, companies had sponsored bonding nights for their employees.  They were given game cards loaded with money!  This is not what happens in public school events. 

Brent Bushnell, the co-founder of Two Bit Circus, is the son of Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese.  Intel Corp. invested in Two Bit Circus after Bushnell and Gradman

provided games, robots, lasers, and the entertainment at a few of its events. 

Two Bit Circus has raised $21.5 million in venture capital since it incorporated in 2012. (Nolan Bushnell isn’t an investor, but he has a seat on the eight-person board.) For their first location, the founders have signed a lease on a 50,000-square-foot warehouse space in Downtown L.A.

The high tech adult arcade includes a 30-minute “story room,” a variant of the popular type of adventure game in which players have to solve a series of puzzles to exit a locked room.  There is also be a 1,000-square-foot virtual reality arena where guests compete against one another in video games. Unlike in regular arcade games, which have a limited set of outcomes, the plot lines in the VR games vary, so visitors have a reason to come back.

Solving the Self-Published Puzzle.

Macchio, Monica

Landgraf, G. (2015).  Solving the Self-Published Puzzle.  American Libraries, 46 (11/12), 44-47.  Retrieved from http://libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?

 Summary

     This article from 2015 highlights the problems that public libraries are faced with when local authors want to have their items included in collections.  One of the public libraries mentioned is in Canada.  The staff at the Glen Ellyn Public Library has decided to include some self-published books only if they don’t have books on those topics.  The library launched a makerspace area to facilitate the creation of these materials. 

     Another library profiled is Mulnomah County Library in Oregon.  This library partnered with an e-book self-publishing platform called Smashwords.  Since Smashwords has a partnership with OverDrive, the library’s e-book vendor, it helps make purchasing these titles easier and less time-consuming.  In 2015, about 2,000 people were visiting the library’s Overdrive site per day.  Another stipulation that is placed on the self-published author is that these items must be donated to the library.  Librarians will then provide original cataloging to provide bibliographic records for these self-published works.  The library had 300 requests per year from self-published authors, but it accepts significantly less works. 

Evaluation

     The author, David Landgraf is a regular contributor to American Libraries magazine.  I liked his use of typewriter graphics because it was a reminder that not all self-published authors know the latest tools to use when creating their works.  I liked his touch of including the hot topic of Makerspaces to showcase the partnerships created between Public Libraries and the communities these writers live in.  He used quotes sparingly yet effectively to engage my attention. 

Makerspaces for All: Serving LGBTQ Makers in School Libraries.

Ramirez, Carmina

Moorefield-Lang, H. hmoorefield@gmail. co., & Kitzie, V. kitzie@mailbox. sc. ed. (2018). Makerspaces for All: Serving LGBTQ Makers in School Libraries. Knowledge Quest, 47(1), 46–50. Retrieved from http://libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lls&AN=131625597&site=ehost-live&scope=site  

Heather Moorefield and Vanessa Kitzie list in this article the questions librarians should be asking themselves to provide MakerSpaces for all. These learning spaces are locations for problem solving, creativity, critical thinking and collaboration. But they can also become safe spaces for LGBTQ youth. Librarians can reflect about their MakerSpces and think about the rules in the library to see if they include respect for all visitors and makers. Also, does the librarian intervene when there is bullying either in person or online. Does the library offer LGBTQ books, and other media for its makers? Is diversity exhibited across the library in displays, posters or bulletin boards? Other recommendations to encourage LGBTQ making is to allow students to run making activities and for them to create a code of conduct for the MakersSpace. Also, recognize that different types of making might be considered gendered (ex. sewing is for girls; engineering is for boys).  Therefore create spaces where students are encouraged to pursue the activities that are in their interest.

This is an extremely useful guide to reflect on library spaces and MakerSpaces. It is important to be aware of our own guidelines and rules so that they are inclusive. All students should feel safe at school no matter where they are but as librarians we can provide safe spaces for students and makers.

The state of library makerspaces

Rivera, Destiny

Wang, F., Wang, W., Wilson, S., & Ahmed, N. (2016). The state of library makerspaces. International Journal of Librarianship, 1(1), 2-16.

This article offers us the important reminder that makerspaces are not only the tools that it provides, but is also the communities they create, the relationships they build between novices and masters, the development of new skill sets, the engagement of the imagination, and the empowering of individuals to not simply be passive consumers but active creators in the economy. The maker movement, while not a recent phenomenon and may even be considered rather old news in terms of library developments, is still an area of expansion within the library world.  While this article stresses that a makerspace is not merely the technology but the human resource and community involved, the emergence of these new technologies is still an exciting feature! Some examples of the technology provided by makerspaces are 3D printing, wood-working and laser-etching tools, metalworking, arts and crafts, robotics and more. We also see in The Creation Lab at the Fayetteville Free Library, one of their makerspaces includes “a wide range of digital media hardware and software such as video cameras, podcasting equipment, a green screen wall, and computers geared for media creation”. These tools help user take theoretical ideas and turn them into working knowledge through doing. It is no surprise that the maker culture is often considered “an extension of Do It Yourself (DIY) culture with a strong technology focus”. There have even been talks, projects and funding by Google within various libraries, which proves its legitimacy, mainstream appeal as well as its potential for growth.

To 3D or not to 3D: Is practicality the question?

Guzman, Laura
Fall 2016

Becker, B. W. (2016). To 3D or not to 3D: Is practicality the question?. Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian, 35(2), 83-86.

Summary:

This article talks about the differing opinions concerning 3D printing in academic libraries.  When a new technology is introduced into a library, controversy usually arises shortly after.  One new technological trend is 3D printing.  The maker culture is increasing in popularity, which is a do-it-yourself approach to creating objects with open-source software and hardware.  Certain librarians have objected to this trend saying that 3D printing has nothing to do with the business of libraries which is information storage and retrieval.  

While there is not much academic literature out there on the subject, academic libraries have started to use case studies to defend their use of 3D printing.  The case studies have shown that 3D printing can bring more students into the library and introduce them to other library services.  The studies also show that students are using the printers in direct relation to assignments and research projects and that their experiences can apply to job training. 

The academic library is no longer bound to traditional information storage and retrieval; it has become in addition to this a collaborative work and social space.  Students are using 3D printing to support their studies, collaborate with others, and visualize big data.  

Evaluation: 

I think that libraries are certainly more than just information storage and retrieval and that an important emerging aspect of libraries deals with providing collaboration spaces and resources.   Makerspaces, media labs, data visualization labs, and any other kind of technological labs will be of great importance to college students.