Low-Budget, Low-Space Maker Ideas

I would be amiss if I didn't tell you how much I love how popular makerspaces have become in libraries. Growing up a creative type, I always loved crafting, art, music, and anything that let me make something new. As much as I loved reading, the school libraries of my past never tailored to this side of a child's curiosity. Dr. Heather Moorefield-Lang addressed a lot of different approaches to the makerspace depending on the needs of the students being served. I would love to be able to offer my students 3D printing options, laser cutters, etc, but I absolutely love that she emphasized how the more expensive things are not always needed (TechFifteen, 2021).

As I have mentioned before, I work in a Title I school. Our students come from low-income homes. All of the funds we use in our schools are allocated very carefully and sometimes our students do not properly care for things. In a school like ours, I always appreciate being able to expose our students to things that they would likely not have the opportunity to use otherwise; however, having more budget friendly options that are more easily replaceable are great for longevity and being able to reach a larger number of our students.

One of the things that Dr. Heather Moorefield-Lang (TechFifteen, 2021) discussed that really stood out to me was the use of kits. I love the table she showed with the different options for the students to choose from: Making Grid: Cut, Attach, Build. I love how many options that gives students to come up with something unique on their own, and on a limited budget. I found a Pinterest account with a lot of valuable links and ideas for maker kits that I think could be incredibly useful at starting out with kits. You can find it at 32 No Space for a Makerspace - Circulating Maker Kits.

I also loved the portable makerspace that was demonstrated by one school in Dr. Moorefield-Lang's lecture, where everything was modular and on wheels so that it could be used in different areas of the school. I think this would be great for those collaborative lessons with individual classrooms and teachers. As Kyungwon, et. al (2022) mentions study findings that when teachers and librarians co-taught, 70-100% of students met or exceeding their expectations, which makes this invaluable to their education. The role of the school librarian in maker learning could only be aided by having portable options to help facilitate this type of co-teaching.

References:

Jakubowicz, C. (2020, March 24). 32 no space for a makerspace - circulating maker kits ideas: Makerspace, School Library, library media center. Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/mrsjinthelibrary/no-space-for-a-makerspace-circulating-maker-kits/

Kyungwon, K., Ge, X., & Petrella, J. B. (2022). Librarian-Teacher Co-Teaching and the Role of School Librarians Facilitating Inquiry and Maker Learning. School Library Research, 25, 1–33. www.ala.org/aasl/slr

TechFifteen. (2021, May 17). Makerspace summer. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/DWQ6B4UnZaA?si=WrvS84HnHPZow2Kv