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My Goals for Designing Collaborative Spaces

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My Goals for Designing Collaborative Spaces

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Incorporate modular furniture to promote flexible working spaces

Institute universal design in the library to ensure the facility is accessible to all students

Develop makerspaces that inspire collaborative and creative tactile learning

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How Universal Design Will Make Your Library More Inclusive

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How Universal Design Will Make Your Library More Inclusive

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Carli Spina's article discusses how to incorporate universal design and inclusive learning models to ensure that the library is accessible and and welcoming for everyone.

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When it comes to making libraries and other environments accessible for people with disabilities, the focus tends to be on meeting accessibility requirements set forth in laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). While this is certainly an admirable and necessary goal, retrofitting spaces, programs, and services to work for individuals with disabilities is generally less effective and inclusive than adopting Universal Design, from the preliminary planning stages to the final product.

Originally conceived of by Ronald L. Mace, an architect who used a wheelchair, as an approach to architectural design, Universal Design refers to the idea of designing spaces, products, services, and more in a way that makes them as functional as possible for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. This differs from an accessibility approach in two noteworthy ways. First, it looks to improve usability for all, not just those who identify as disabled. Second, it focuses on finding one solution that will function equally for everyone, rather than fragmented approaches that divide users.

One of the most common examples of Universal Design is a ramp (including a curb cut), which allows everyone to use the same design feature. Ramps are useful not only for those who use wheelchairs, but for anyone pushing a stroller or a cart. This contrasts with wheelchair lifts, which are often used to make staircases accessible-but are only a viable solution for those using wheelchairs. Another example that librarians almost certainly encounter is lever door handles, which are generally easier for people with certain disabilities, as well as small children. At its best, Universal Design produces an experience that is seamless and convenient for the widest array of individuals.

To help achieve these lofty goals, Universal Design has been distilled down to seven principles. As stated by the Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University, these principles are:

1. Equitable Use
2. Flexibility in Use
3. Simple and Intuitive Use
4. Perceptible Information
5. Tolerance for Error
6. Low Physical Effort
7. Size and Space for Approach and Use

Collectively, they can serve as a guide for everything from designing new spaces to creating signage to rethinking programming at your library. Even better, design projects guided by these principles can provide a single, optimized experience for a variety of patrons, including individuals with disabilities, older adults, English language learners, distracted users, and those who fall into several of these categories.

Touching on the needs of so many populations in a single project is also an act of advocacy. By demonstrating how a single, well-designed solution benefits everyone, librarians can advocate for putting additional resources toward these vital efforts, particularly if they also help the library to meet accessibility standards required by law. Though there are those who argue that no design project can ever result in a truly universal solution, application of these Universal Design principles, together with an openness to continual improvement through user feedback, can help to make spaces, programs, and services available to as many people as possible.

Inclusive learning models

This concept has been applied in many realms. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a subfield developed by Anne Meyer, cofounder and chief of education design, emeritus, and David Rose, cofounder and chief education officer, at CAST (the Center for Applied Special Technology), to apply these principles to the creation of learning materials.

As Rose describes it, UDL is "a framework for designing educational environments and products...that are accessible and optimum for all learners," and it includes at its core both the latest research on learning and individual differences, and the strategic application of modern technologies. This framework consists of three guidelines, which task educators with:
1. Representing their content in multiple ways, for example through a combination of text, images, multimedia content, and more. 2. Allowing students to demonstrate their mastery of a topic in multiple ways, for example by writing or drawing. 3. Offering a variety of ways for learners to engage with the content and develop their own motivation.
The flexibility built into this approach simultaneously provides a better learning experience for all students and offers a way for students with disabilities to participate without special accommodations. As Rose puts it, this makes it possible to "diminish the number of kids we pathologize, marginalize, exclude, or fail." This approach also allows educators to move beyond the focus on lower-level decoding activities and work with all students on comprehension tasks.

While the avenues for these approaches might be most obvious in the classroom, the framework can also be used in the more informal learning environments at libraries. Rose finds libraries' evolving roles encouraging, noting that "libraries used to be about books, but now they are much more about knowledge and information...[and] that is a good thing from a UDL perspective."

Welcoming everyone

Universal Design can bring a new perspective to virtually any library initiative, from the smallest remodeling project to the design of new services and programs.

When Renee Grassi, youth services manager at Dakota County (MN) Library, was youth department director at Glen Ellyn (IL) Public Library, she incorporated aspects of Universal Design into the youth department remodel. In particular, the Flexibility in Use principle guided Grassi to select a variety of types of seating, such as "bar-like stools that provided stability, soft couch-like sectionals, upright chairs with arms, and a new type of active seating, which allowed the user to wobble," she says. It also made her rethink the size and shape of a new staff service desk to better meet patron and staff needs; she did so by creating more space on each side of the computer station.

While making technology choices, librarians chose to incorporate iPads into the new space for patrons wishing to check the catalog. IPads offer many built-in accessibility features that wo rk for a range people. Ultimately, this approach made for a space that was more usable for more people, which was immediately reflected not only in patron comments but also in a decrease in directional questions at the desk. "Just as our service should be welcoming and inclusive to everyone, so should our space," says Grassi, also a Library Journal Mover & Shaker. "Incorporating Universal Design principles into remodeling projects allows for everyone to feel welcome-and that's at the heart of the mission of a library."

If your library doesn't have the resources to completely redesign spaces, these principles can be implemented in other ways. At Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), the Inclusive Services department has been following these concepts for all of its programs. Carrie Banks, supervising librarian for Inclusive Services, says, "We don't even think about it anymore. It's just how we do business." This approach permeates collection decisions, programming design, and more. In fact, Inclusive Services was the first section of BPL to purchase audiobooks. Since then, audiobooks have grown to be "a huge part of the library's circulation overall," says Banks, who was also a Library Journal Mover & Shaker.

Program design at Inclusive Services starts with the assumption of widespread, diverse patron interest in a topic. Each program "should be designed from the ground up to include everybody," Banks says, in order to reduce later adaptations and avoid excluding anyone. This means keeping a clear focus on Universal Design and UDL from start to finish.

For example, a typical children's program in one of BPL's five Inclusive Services locations starts with a combination of stories, songs, and movements. It finishes with an art project designed to be high-contrast and incorporate a broad range of materials. One of Banks's favorite programming themes, described in her 2004 Children & Libraries article, "All Kinds of Flowers Grow Here," is snow. During a craft activity, kids are given black construction paper and white supplies such as crayons, pens, and collage materials, to render a snowy scene. Blind and low-vision kids can select textured materials, and those with limited motor skills can make a collage or ask a staff member to serve as their scribe.

All of these features are natural options, rather than accommodations that might set certain children apart from their peers. Participants also talk about the day's theme, building inter- and intrapersonal skills. To make these events even more welcoming for all kids and caregivers, the library offers documents that, with words and pictures, help to walk kids through their trip to the library. A visual schedule of the day helps visual learners stay engaged. Librarians also use tech to improve access to their programs, such as a recent dissection event that allowed those with limited fine motor skills to use an app to simulate dissection of a squid rather than using small dissection tools. These programs have been hugely successful. Children with disabilities traveled for hours to participate, and the programs attract a very diverse group, with and without disabilities. "A real watershed moment for me was when...[a] Mandarin-speaking [father] told me through the interpreter that this was the first time he could bring his two daughters to a program together," Banks says. "That's what Universal Design does. It lets everyone participate, and it's a way of bringing people together."

Getting started

Bottom line: "If it is designed well, it will work for everybody," Banks says. Grassi's advice for librarians hoping to adopt Universal Design is to "think beyond libraries" when looking for inspiration. Some of the best ideas might come from "schools, museums, accessible living facilities, and other public buildings," she notes, since many of these organizations are also looking to create an inclusive environment. To ensure success, Banks advises involving individuals with disabilities in a design process early and building in time to continue revising and improving on your initial effort. For example, at BPL's Inclusive Services, librarians ran multiple focus groups with teens, after months of design and planning, to ensure that the programming they were launching would meet the needs of all their teenagers. Ultimately, no matter where you start applying Universal Design at your library, it is sure to help you create a better, more welcoming place for all.

10 Ways to Bring Universal Design to Your Library

Physical Renovations For libraries that have the budget to make physical changes to their spaces or are already planning renovations, consider how you can make features inclusive. Rather than offering a separate accessible entrance, could you replace steps at your door with a ramp? Could your service desks be adjustable or have sections at different heights?

Maker spaces If your library has a maker space, you can join others that are making their spaces usable by all through Universal Design and feature projects of interest to participants with and without disabilities. Check out the work DIYability and libraries are doing for inspiration and project ideas.

Multimedia displays As you design book displays, consider how you can make them interesting for all kids by including large-print books, audiobooks, and other multimedia.

Flexible furniture From adjustable height tables to multiple seating options, there are many options for making your library more accessible, welcoming, and inclusive through furniture selection. For an example of these changes in a public library setting, check out Glen Ellyn Public Library's 2015 Youth Department Remodel.

Deploy technology thoughtfully As Renee Grassi noted, tech choices can make your library more usable for all patrons. When selecting what to buy, consider which accessibility features are built-in and how easy it will be to use for those with differing levels of ability and experience.

Inclusive craft projects Plan craft projects to feature a range of textures, multiple colors, and materials that will work for those who with limited dexterity.

Sensory storytimes Storytimes designed to involve all of the senses can appeal to kids with and without disabilities. For an example of how to structure such an event, read about Ashley Waring's experience at the Reading Public Library on the ALSC Blog.

Partner with the community An important element of succeeding with Universal Design is iterative improvement. The best way to achieve that is to partner with individuals with and without disabilities in order to learn more about how they use your library and how it could be improved to better meet their needs.

Garden club If your library has outside space, consider starting an inclusive garden club like the one at the Brooklyn Public Library. Outdoor and physical activities can offer lots of ways for patrons with and without disabilities to work together with each child offering their own unique skills.

Offer multiple types of spaces In addition to providing a variety of flexible furniture, it is important to offer spaces where kids can find different noise levels and activity types, such as quiet rooms and spaces where kids and their guardians can find more privacy and peace.
Carli Spina is head librarian of assessment and outreach at the Boston College Libraries.

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How Universal Design Will Make Your Library More Inclusive

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When it comes to making libraries and other environments accessible for people with disabilities, the focus tends to be on meeting accessibility requirements set forth in laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

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Alliance for Excellent Education: Designing Collaborative Spaces Webinar

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Alliance for Excellent Education: Designing Collaborative Spaces Webinar

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This webinar is led by Shannon McClintock Miller and guests, Carolynn Foote and Andy Plemmons. It explains ways that librarians can implement spaces that promote collaborative learning and support creativity, with personal examples of their libraries.

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Commons 2.0: Library Spaces Designed for Collaborative Learning

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Commons 2.0: Library Spaces Designed for Collaborative Learning

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Bryan Sinclair's essay discusses the importance of a creating a commons for facilitating collaborative learning, and that it needs to be adaptable for changing students' needs.

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Library Makerspaces: Advice from Your Peers on Budget, Space, Time & Tools

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Library Makerspaces: Advice from Your Peers on Budget, Space, Time & Tools

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This article written by Liz Bowie, provides advice for librarians in developing makerspaces. The article offers options for materials that can be incorporated, methods for acquiring funding, and ways for combatting challenges such as space and time.

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Time

Finding the time for planning makerspace activities posed problems for many of you. No one can argue that it doesn't require extra effort to start something new - and to keep it fresh once it's started. That's why learning from others' mistakes and their successes and getting buy-in from your coworkers is important.

There are a plethora of resources to help you get started and to keep the ideas flowing, including Colleen Graves's comprehensive list and the Demco Ideas + Inspiration blog. Having these resources at your fingertips and jumping in a little bit at a time can help ease the stress of additional planning.

For school librarians, scheduling time for students to use the makerspace also posed a challenge.

Every school and every library is different, but many have found ways to work maker activities into their schedules, such as award-winning librarian Andy Plemmons, who extends makerspace time into recess time.

There's no right way to schedule makerspace time, and our respondents in schools are finding time for creation in several different ways. Here are just a few:

During library time, after checkout

Before and after school and during the lunch hour

During RTI, homeroom or study hall time

After tests are done or during other down time

Scheduled by teachers during class periods using a shared calendar

During special event nights that are open to students and their parents

Daily slots during week-long workshops on a rotating monthly basis

Every other time students have library class

During recess on Fridays

As a reward

Once a week for 25 minutes, as a reward for students

3 days a week for an hour after school or 3 times per week during lunch

During Genius Hour, 50 minutes each week

Using mobile makerspaces checked out by the classroom teacher

Two weeks a year, once in the fall and once in the spring

Every day during the month of May

As a summer school class

On a flexible schedule to tie in with classroom projects

Other time-saving tips from your peers included organizing an older student group to design and teach activities; finding activities that can be left out and require minimal supervision; using stations; collaborating with teachers; and partnering with others on your campus who are already doing maker activities.

Public library respondents varied in their scheduling as well:

Two-hour events every two weeks

Always have passive programming materials out

Bi-weekly makerspace outreach programs at the high school

Makerspace program once a month

Weekly robotics and DIY groups

Once a week for an hour and a half after school

3 times a week after school and Saturdays

2 times a month

10-12 programs a month

Twice weekly in summer and 3 times a month during the school year

Weekly during summer reading program

Provide kits in boxes for families to use whenever they visit

Check-out kits

Patrons become members of the makerspace and use drop-in equipment or make reservations to use it

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The Library Makerspace: Advice From Your Peers

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The Demco Makerspace Survey revealed the pain points many librarians have with starting and running a makerspace, but it also revealed some great advice for meeting those challenges head on. See what your peers had to say about their makerspaces and get tips and pointers.

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Ryann Uden's article for The School Library Journal provides examples for how various libraries have reformed their teen spaces to ensure that the teens have spaces to promote tactile learning and the ability to work together.

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Teens are taking center stage-literally-at new library teen spaces throughout the country. From Boston to San Francisco, libraries are focusing on what their teens need and achieving great responses. These notable projects have a few things in common-teen involvement, multipurpose spaces, areas for hands-on creation, and enthusiastic repeat visitors.
San Antonio Public Library
Teen Library at Central
6,000 square feet
Opened May 2015

For Jennifer Velásquez, coordinator of teen services at the San Antonio Public Library, the new Teen Library at Central is a dream come true. A staff member since 1995, she's been carving out ad hoc space for teens with her enthusiastic staff for years. The project transformed previously used staff areas to create a flexible and neutral teen space capable of meeting teens' needs, now and into future, according to Velásquez. She and her staff worked with teens and "wore them down with pizza and ice cream" to get past expected responses to what teens really wanted. The result? Teens wanted places to do homework, hang out, work in groups, and participate in performance.

The Teen Library contains a lab (currently used as a maker space but ready to evolve when needed), a studio for audio and video production, gaming space, seating areas, and a computer lab. Teen response has been positive, and Velásquez has been thrilled to see all areas being used during peak times. She has had to modify the staff schedule to accommodate more usage on evenings and weekends.

The most popular element is a section of gray seating that is in constant use, says Velásquez. The traditional statistics have increased, but she doesn't think numbers tell the whole story, so she would like to explore how to foster and document teen engagement and ownership in programming. "Understand that teens are a sophisticated and diverse group," Velasquez would tell others getting ready to start a new design project. "Work to get teens beyond what they think you want to hear and to get teens and designers together during the planning stage." Finally, "Take pictures! Because at the end of the day-that's all you might have left."

The seeds of The Mix were planted in 2012 when the San Francisco Public Library was awarded an IMLS Learning Lab grant. The grant funded the design of the space and stipends to the Teen Advisory Board members. These teens guided the overall look and feel of the space and even the name, according to Catherine Cormier, manager of The Mix. The purpose of The Mix was to provide a space designated for teens where there wasn't one before. "It is the only free space of its kind exclusively for teens in the San Francisco Bay area," says Cormier.

The Mix includes a video lab, sound recording lab, flexible seating, performance area, and an interactive multitouch wall from T1Visions that allows teens to draw on an image projected onto a glass wall, plus the teen collection. Cormier describes the space as having "an open feel that is inviting yet one that provides unique spaces that serve groups and individuals equitably."

The Mix and SFPL have several community partners such as the Bay Area Video Coalition, California Academy of Sciences, Blue Bear School of Music, SEO Scholars, KQED, and more. Memorandums of understanding outline expectations on both sides and monthly breakfast meetings are held for the partners to check in with each other.

Cormier suggests that when working with partners, make sure everyone knows the mission. Also be sure to have continued support for future programming and technology needs, (which The Mix does, from the library leadership as well as their Friends groups).
Boston Public Library
Teen Library at Central
2,000 square feet
Opened February 2015
The Boston Public Library has been undergoing an extensive renovation, which includes updating their 1971 teen space with new technology and adding a maker space and gaming areas. Designed by a team of administrators, designers, and the Teen Leadership Council, the focus was to create a space following the Hanging Out, Messing Around and Geeking Out (MIT Press, 2013) findings by Mizuko Ito and others, according to Jessi Snow, teen services team leader at Central.

Teen Central includes a gaming area (featuring two 80-inch monitors), a digital lab, seating areas, and collections shelved on wheeled units that can be moved out of the way when more space is needed. The gaming area and the seating options are the two most popular features, according to Snow. The best surprise has been the sheer number of teens visiting the space and seeing young adults bring their friends back with them. So far, there has been a 45 percent jump in attendance.

Looking ahead, Snow plans to hire teen tech mentors to work in the creation spaces and to cultivate program ideas from and with the teens. Overall, they plan to further develop the peer-to-peer model of having teens learning from other teens in the space.

For others starting a similar project, Snow would suggest getting teens involved as early in the project as possible. She feels that their participation improves the design and provides them with valuable leadership experiences. To prepare for a new space, she advises staff team building activities and brainstorming possible responses about situations that may arise after opening.
Monroe County Public Library
Bloomington, Indiana
Ground Floor 3,880 square feet
Opened March 2015
Monroe County Public Library also based their design principles on the Hanging Out findings, according to Michael Hoerger, communications and marketing manager. The Ground Floor was a part of a larger renovation project and was created for teens themselves to take ownership of as they move from the "Hanging Out" to "Geeking Out" phases.

Design of the space involved Kimberly Bolan and Associates and the project architect, Christine Matheu. Bolan gathered feedback from teens through focus groups, while Matheu worked with the staff to bring the community's input to life, says Hoerger.

The Ground Floor contains video games, laptops, iPads, art supplies, and board games, along with library materials popular with teens. The design team worked with staff to find functional and modular furniture that would hold collection materials and help define the space.

While the gaming area has been popular, the librarians have also been pleasantly surprised with the popularity of low-tech items, such as a sewing machine, button maker, and other arts and crafts materials. Their thoughts about teen programming are evolving. "We want to be ready to meet them where they are with programs we can break out at any given moment," says Hoerger. Teen librarian Becky Fyolek is creating pop-up/ready-to-go programming. They are also looking to add more adult volunteer mentors from the community to work with teens in the space.
Ramsey County Library, Maplewood Maplewood, MN The Brain Box Opened August 2015
Interested in creating your own version of the Ground Floor? "Listen to the teens and your community," advises Hoerger. He also suggests you dream big, imagining all the possibilities, and let the consultants and designers shape those dreams into the space available.
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Maker activities are nothing new to the Ramsey County Library. Recently they had the opportunity to trade in their scheduled maker events for a dedicated space for creation and hanging out, says teen librarian Amy Boese. By enclosing the space with a glass wall, they were able to add more furniture and equipment to make the space a teen destination for hands-on learning and collaboration.

The newly formed space hasn't been in place long, although Boese has already been surprised by how dynamic the activity has been. Though smaller in scale compared to the other projects listed here, Boese has similar goals for the future. She would like to explore and expand her mentor network and help give more teens assistance and encouragement. She also hopes to open up the space to adults on Saturday mornings, a time when teens are not often there.

These spaces all have a common thread beyond the audience they serve. They are making a concerted effort to turn the spaces over the teens, involving them in the design and planning process, encouraging them to suggest and plan programs, hiring them to work in the space and more. These spaces are also striving to fill the space with personnel, whether staff or volunteer, that can empower teens to take learning into their own hands and into the future.

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Teens are taking center stage-literally-at new library teen spaces throughout the country. From Boston to San Francisco, libraries are focusing on what their teens need and achieving great responses. These notable projects have a few things in common-teen involvement, multipurpose spaces, areas for hands-on creation, and enthusiastic repeat visitors.

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HORIZON REPORT 2017 – RETHINKING LIBRARY SPACES

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HORIZON REPORT 2017 – RETHINKING LIBRARY SPACES

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This Horizon Report issue contains multiple resources for librarians to revamp their library space to create a more collaborative environment.

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"The transformation of physical spaces is an ongoing trend within higher education. Listed as a long-term trend in the NMC Horizon Report > 2015 Library Edition, the 2017 expert panelists believe that the reconceptualization of library spaces is maturing. Recent studies are helping to highlight the ways in which these changes are occurring. The report Planning and Designing Academic Library Spaces, for example, identified the approaches, challenges, and best practices in designing new academic library learning spaces. Through a series of interviews, the authors found that 77% of architects and 50% of librarians prioritized flexibility, favoring spaces that are movable and customizable based. Supporting a spectrum of learning needs was another shared goal. Most interviewees noted that new library spaces were being designed to support academic learning activities, with collaboration at 83%, individual study at 73%, and point-of-need services at 63%." (see original report here by Project Information Literacy.)
Here are some great resources for rethinking library spaces, from the 2017 Horizon Report:
Coalition for Networked Information Introduction and Program Plan 2016-17 go.nmc.org/cnipro (Consortium of Networked Information, accessed 20 February 2017.) CNI has produced a program plan that has three major features, including transforming organizations, professions, and individuals, under which spaces and services that support technology-enhanced research and learning reside.

Evaluating and Designing Learning Spaces Guide go.nmc.org/jisceval (Jisc, accessed 20 February 2017.) Jisc's website provides a quick guide to the evaluation and design of learning spaces, covering assessment methods, project management, and the design process.

Imagine Our Library go.nmc.org/ucdlib (UC Davis University Library, accessed 20 February 2017.) The UC Davis Library is soliciting suggestions from students, faculty, and researchers about how the library's space, technology, and services can best serve their needs. Phase one involves visioning, phase two focuses on detailed programming, and phase three is the actual design.

Learning Spaces Collaboratory go.nmc.org/lsc (Learning Spaces Collaboratory, accessed 20 February 2017.) The Learning Spaces Collaboratory is synthesizing findings from research and practice in learning space design to build resources to shape and assess undergraduate learning environments, such as an "Emerging Template for Assessing Learning Spaces."

Library Refurbishments go.nmc.org/refurbish (The University of Western Australia Library, accessed 20 February 2017.) The University of Western Australia libraries are transforming to provide more interactive, flexible, and collaborative spaces. Once home to print collections, the Medical and Dental Library will be renovated with e-learning suites, computer training facilities, and collaborative learning areas.

Measure the Future go.nmc.org/measure (Measure the Future, accessed 20 February 2017.) Using inexpensive sensors that collect data about a building's usage, the Measure the Future project will help libraries track the number of visits, items patrons browsed, and which parts of the library were busy during specific times. The data collected will inform the strategic dec

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Horizon Report 2017 - Rethinking Library Spaces

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"The transformation of physical spaces is an ongoing trend within higher education. Listed as a long-term trend in the NMC Horizon Report > 2015 Library Edition, the 2017 expert panelists believe that the reconceptualization of library spaces is maturing. Recent studies are helping to highlight the ways in which these changes are occurring.

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Launching a Makerspace: Lessons Learned From a Transformed School Library

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Launching a Makerspace: Lessons Learned From a Transformed School Library

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Kristina Schwartz writes about the experience of Michelle Luhtala, a librarian for New Canaan High School, who transformed her library's space to create design and technology areas for her students.

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"We had no budget for furniture, zero, none," Luhtala said in an edWeb webinar. "I had this big empty space, but no furniture." But, she found some old science tables in the district's storage area and some unused stools to go with them. That was enough.

"Find the storage space for your district and see what's available because chances are there's stuff no one wants," Luhtala said. "Those are conversations worth having. I encourage you to be bold."

Luhtala also didn't want to over-plan what would happen in the makerspace. She wanted it to develop naturally from student interests. So, she didn't spend much money buying materials at the outset. She picked up a few things like basic craft supplies and Legos that other teachers had recommended, but she took her cues from the students.

"I really didn't want to go beyond that because I wanted to see what the kids wanted," Luhtala said.

Early in the school year students immediately took over the sofa spaces, but they didn't really know what to do with the rest of it. One day a student asked Luhtala what she was planning to do with the space. She asked what he wanted. He suggested Legos. She had those, so she brought them out. Another student suggested craft supplies. Luhtala brought those out, too. Pretty soon students were asking for all kinds of things, mostly recyclables, and Luhtala now keeps track of requests on a spreadsheet.

EVOLUTION OF THE SPACE
Luhtala soon started covering the tables with butcher paper to hide the old, scratched surfaces. Teachers would often meet in the makerspace and sometimes doodle on the butcher paper. Students recognized their teachers' artwork and soon students started doodling, too, sometimes adding to each other's designs, but mostly respecting whatever artwork was already there.

"That students and the teachers started to make those connections in the space was really important," Luhtala said. The makerspace became a neutral place where students and teachers could create together and interact more casually. New Canaan High School has an open campus, so students come to the makerspace in their free time. Sometimes they use the space to work quietly on a project alone; other times they come in groups.

"Sometimes de-stressing alone is really important," Luhtala said. She's also found that there's an ebb and flow to the popularity of the makerspace throughout the week. It's usually slow on Mondays, but busy on Fridays, which Luhtala believes indicates students are prioritizing their time well. "By Friday they are ready to unwind and they are ready to get more creative," Luhtala said.

Some students work on projects for class in the makerspace, and some teachers assign projects with the knowledge that the makerspace can be a resource for students. For example, students in a ninth-grade class were each assigned a planet and had to create an extraterrestrial who could survive on the conditions of that planet. Another time an English teacher asked students to create something that represented a theme or character from the most recent book they'd read.

"They invent their own learning," Luhtala said of the students. A few students asked for pullback motors to use with the Lego cars they had built. Luhtala immediately saw the motors were well worth the investment because they turn a Lego project into a physics experiment. Students got interested in questions of friction and started researching on their own how speed and weight affected the movement of their cars.

By the end of the year, the makerspace was a casual meetup area. Luhtala might be teaching a group of students about citations in the same area as another student working to build a monster truck. And teachers would sometimes hold book discussions in the makerspace, finding that students were more engaged in the conversation when they could doodle on the butcher paper or make a Lego structure at the same time.
TECHXPERTS
" TechXperts " are student-experts that help out in the library. With the advent of the makerspace, Luhtala asked this group of students to work on a bigger project to solve a problem around the school. They decided garbage was an issue and programmed a zumba to roam around the school hallways and yell out, "hurray," whenever someone threw a piece of garbage in the can.

The TechXperts have also been a huge help managing the makerspace. Each student naturally gravitated toward certain materials and tools and became the go-to person when anyone had a question about how to use them.

Luhtala's careful way of making sure students direct what happens in the makerspace has paid off in a number of ways. Students feel like the space is their own and work to keep it clean. Luhtala allows food in this part of the library, a move she was worried would lead to the makerspace looking like the pigsty that is the school's cafeteria. But instead, students are careful with their food and trash. Luhtala found that when she gave students the trust and responsibility to take care of the space, they rose to the challenge.

One student, Miles, was so excited about the makerspace that he spent an entire semester laying the groundwork for a program that would allow students to get credit for doing a large, long-term project in the makerspace. He wrote a curriculum that would require students to write a paper about their project as well as lead a workshop. He made a wiki, set up a blog, created a Twitter handle and even gathered articles and other ideas for coursework.

"He set up the groundwork for us to really make this meaningful so we can carry this forward," Luhtala said. Miles will be a freshman at Duke next year. When the university accepted him they made specific note of how impressed they were at his involvement in the makerspace.
LOGISTICS
Luhtala has found that the space works best when she puts out one project at a time and rotates them frequently. That doesn't mean students can't use other tools, but she does try to intentionally offer up a project to spark interest. The materials are stored in labeled bins and Luhtala has put together a photo album with a picture of the item and where it is located.

Luhtala didn't buy a 3-D printer until January. "I would love to say it was transformational, but it wasn't," Luhtala said. Students seemed more excited to make things out of recycled materials than they were about the fancier technology. That may not be true in other makerspaces, but Luhtala found that engagement and buy-in throughout the building was very high at relatively small expense in her first year of running a makerspace.
AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MAKERSPACE
Makerspaces can be a positive experience for kids at all ages, but there are different considerations for different grade levels. In elementary school students all have the same schedule, so a library makerspace may need to be part of the formal library program. And, unlike high school where students can manage the space, little kids need more supervision.

"My first big challenge was how to balance matching curriculum and giving students some free opportunity to explore," said Andy Plemmons, the librarian at David C Barrow Elementary in Athens, Georgia. He has facilitated a makerspace for the past several years. Demand is so high he often must choose between using the space to support teachers in curriculum-based projects and honoring the learning that happens when kids have freedom to tinker and pursue their own projects.

"It seems to me that when kids come into the makerspace, they sort of all get put on the same level," Plemmons said. "Most of the stuff is new to all of them." He says the makerspace has helped him connect with students who didn't seem to have any interests or who are seen as behavior problems in class. Anyone can excel at making, and many kids show a different side of themselves when given the chance.

"You see kids jump in and start trying things and taking risks that they might not take in other subject areas," Plemmons said. Students often have perceptions of themselves as certain kinds of learners that the makerspace can disrupt. Plemmons likes to remind students of how they struggled through a making problem when they encountered difficulty in an academic subject.

"When you move into an area where a student puts up a wall, you can go back to the makerspace and help them make that connection that it's really the same type of skill for approaching a problem in another area of life," Plemmons said.

Like most teachers and librarians, Plemmons wears many hats and running the makerspace is just part of his job. He encourages teachers to come to him if they have even the seed of an idea to see how the makerspace might be able to add a quality hands-on element to a unit. And, he has partnered with the University of Georgia school of education to bring in student teachers who help run the makerspace during open tinkering times. Kids come in at recess to tinker, and some teachers will even let students go to open-tinker times while the class is doing something else.

While not every school will have a teaching college right next door, Plemmons encourages anyone planning a makerspace to think broadly about possible community partners. "A lot of times there are people who want to volunteer but don't know what to do," Plemmons said. He also hopes people won't get too hung up on having a separate space. To him, a makerspace is more of an attitude and approach to learning than a physical space.

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Launching a Makerspace: Lessons Learned From a Transformed School Library

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"We had no budget for furniture, zero, none," Luhtala said in an edWeb webinar. "I had this big empty space, but no furniture." But, she found some old science tables in the district's storage area and some unused stools to go with them. That was enough.