"If you build it, they will come." - Field of Dreams

You've designed a nurturing learning environment, and have developed a dynamic library program, but you still haven't been able to connect with some of your colleagues.  Most likely you've been told that these teachers don't have the time, but it could be that they aren't ready to leave their comfort zone.  When I was a middle school librarian, I was fortunate that our school had study hall periods, and most 6th graders had study halls built into their schedules.  This gave me the opportunity to work with students who wanted to visit the library on their own time.  With a flexible middle school schedule, library visitations were with by student choice or scheduled by classroom teachers.

Our library already had a makerspace that I was proud of, but how could I get those students and teachers interested in it if they had never visited it before?  Just because I built it didn't mean that everyone would come.

So I decided to create STEAM makerspace kits that teachers could borrow for their classrooms.  The kits were low tech (KEVA planks, Legos, sewing, coloring) and a few electronics (Snap Circuits and 3Doodler).  Each kit also included a related book to promote literacy.  For example, a kit would include a K'nex Levers and Pulleys set with Archimedes: The Man Who Invented the Death Ray.​

Each kit included a Flipgrid QR code so the students could record their reflections while using the hands-on activity and/or reading the book.  In this way, many more students and their teachers learned about the library program and the other activities we had to offer.  Here are some suggestions for creating your own interactive mobile STEAM and literacy kits:

Remember...if you build it, they might not come.  So, go out to them! 

​How have you used mobile makerspace kits in your library or classroom? I'd love to hear YOUR story!

I believe that libraries are worlds of possibilities for our children. They should be places of "yes, and" not "no, but." We really need balance, as do all aspects of education.

What's "new" can be just flashy gadgets and toys unless there is sound pedagogy and skilled educators. Sometimes "old school" techniques can transform classrooms and libraries. But making is nothing new. Our public librarians have run hands-on programs for decades and, before the age of testing and data-driven decisions, we used to have fun reading and making with crayons, glue, scissors, paper, and clay.

We need balance. We need something so EVERYONE has a reason to visit the library. We need a place where ALL students can explore and experiment. Libraries are places of equity and opportunity. It may be only place where our students will have access to materials that they can't afford at home. It can be the place where English language learners and special education students interact through collaboration, rather than being hindered by language and abilities.

Making isn't new.

Making is what makes us human.

---