The Formation of a Library Makerspace Collective as an Inclusive Member-driven Organization
Channel: Connected Learning Alliance
Date: 31/08/2022

This presentation focuses on the formation and structure of a new library makerspace professional Collective and the process by which it has developed its identity and purpose, functionality, routines and activities, and plans for expansion and growth to serve libraries across the nation.

The New Face of Library Makerspaces, funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), is an initiative to create a national Collective, where member librarians can share resources and learnings about how library makerspaces have and will continue to shift their programming throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and after. The team at Makers in the Library (Lisa Regalla, PhD, CEO of Regallium Consulting LLC, Pamela Van Halsema, MLIS, of P. Van Halsema Consulting and evaluator Scott Burg of Rockman, et al) assembled a group of partner organizations (Nation of Makers, Association of Small and Rural Libraries, CALIFA and the project funder, IMLS) and an advisory board to help guide and inform the initiative.

Advisors and partners helped design the call to identify the Collective’s Charter members who have become co-creators and distributed leaders of the initiative. The Charter members are a group of seven libraries chosen through an application and interview process from locations across the USA, representing both large and small public libraries with maker programs that were active during the pandemic. They became institutional members of the Collective, serving as geographic hubs from which the Collective might grow in later phases of the organization. Half of these leaders hailed from small or rural libraries. This group set norms and expectations for their leadership group as well as for the larger Collective, and makes consensus-based decisions about how and what work to prioritize at this beginning stage of the organization. It also worked on crafting an identity and structure for the group. While the Collective has started out with public libraries, the project aims to encapsulate other library types in later phases, including academic and school libraries, tribal libraries and more.

From the start, time and attention were invested in building relationships within the Charter Group, offering opportunities to talk to one another in small groups, share details about their libraries and programs. Twice a month Zoom meetings for the group followed up by conversations via SLACK and Zoom to work collaboratively helped the organization. This work involved establishing and defining shared values which were rooted in personal values, and related to professional values that are embedded in their library makerspaces. These ideas were synthesized into values for the work of this new professional network: a continuous culture of learning, making personal connections and building a community a priority and ensuring that everyone is welcome.

Concurrently the Charter Members reported from their own experience the Problems of Practice that library makerspaces face, and wrestled with which might be the first and highest priority for the Collective to address. Prioritizing those issues helped shape the goals, purpose and vision for our work as a Collective. These fell into five categories: Reaching New Audiences, Sustainability, Overcoming Cultural and Socio-Economic Barriers, Making the Case for the Maker Program, Staff Training and Operational Challenges.

The Charter Members will continue to work together using a framework allied Community Canvas to lay the foundation for this new organization in three distinct areas: Structure (Governance, Finance, Platform), Identity (Purpose, Branding, Member roles) and Experience (Habits, Routines, Activities). The group aims to have this structural base drafted (albeit somewhat flexible) by the end of the first project year, and work on expansion and sustainability over the long term in the second year. The activities and output will focus on addressing the problems of practice as defined by the libraries themselves, using evaluation methods throughout to inform work.

Collectives are non-hierarchical member-driven organizations. This initiative aims to keep its ear to the ground and be a model of inclusive professional practice as it bolsters the capacity of libraries to support one another for both high tech and low tech maker programs for all ages. The power of connection and mutual support will be the fuel for this Collective’s growth as it continues to evolve and help new leaders emerge as The New Face of Library Makerspaces, and innovate and provide support and inspiration.

Learn more at https://www.makersinthelibrary.org/