This Friday, the three of us had the opportunity to speak at the Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries (WAPL) Conference in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.  Thanks to everyone who came and heard us present, and thank you to OSRT, MATS, & NMRT for sponsoring our program!

Post- WAPL smiles!

Our presentation was about the “makerspace mindset” in public libraries.  Makerspaces are collaborative learning environments where people come together to share materials and learn new skills.  We spoke about how makerspaces are not necessarily born out of a specific set of materials or spaces, but rather a mindset of community partnership, collaboration, and creation.  A perfect match for public libraries!

To illustrate this, we spoke about the future Madison Public Library makerspace, which is currently in the planning stages but will exemplify the “makerspace mindset” through it’s partnerships and “pop-up” programming model. We explained how this model can be scaled to work at almost any library, and shared our idea to create a National Art Your Library Day, which would connect makers at libraries all over the country.

After the program, we had some great conversation.  Attendees shared experiences, ideas and questions about makerspaces.  We want to keep the ball rolling!  Look for future kits and features about creating the “makerspace mindset” at your library on the Library as Incubator Project website.  If you want to share what your library is doing, join us in creating a National Art Your Library Day, or just want to learn more, please contact us!  Email us, tweet at us, or facebook us.  We’re so excited to see where this conversation goes.

-Christina

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