Digital%20Media%20Labs%20and%20Maker%20Spaces

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Digital Media Labs and Maker Spaces

• New Roles for the Public Library
• Karen Hartman
• U.S. Embassy, Rome
• November 26, 2012

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21st Century Challenges

• Rapid economic, social and educational change
• Participatory learning
• Lifelong learning
• Multidisciplinary approach
• Government funding cuts
• Globalization
• Movement from a manufacturing/factory-based to a
  knowledge-based society
• Technological advances
• 24/7 Access to Internet on handheld devices
• Digital design, manufacturing

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21st Century Workforce Changes

• Jobs in a lifetime
• 20th Century 1-2 21st Century 10-15
• Job requirement
• 20th Century Mastery of one field 21st
  Century Simultaneous mastery of many fields
• Job competition
• 20th Century Local 21st Century Global
• Work model
• 20th Century Routine, fact-based 21st
  Century Non-routine technical creative
  interactive

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Educational/Organizational Culture Changes

• Education Model
• 20th Century Institution centered formal
  degree attainment is primary goal
• 21st Century Learner centered self-directed
  lifelong learning is primary goal
• Organizational Culture
• 20th Century Top down
• 21st Century Multi-directional (bottom-up,
  top-down, side-to-side, etc.)
• (from Institute of Museum and Library Services,
  Museums, Libraries, and 21st Century Skills)

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Digital Media Labs Learning Places

• Scheduled classes and one-on-one teaching
• Equipment and software
• Video production
• Photography
• Music production
• Web site design
• Game design
• App design
• Equipment check-out

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Digital Media Lab at Skokie Public Library,
Illinois

• The lab offers group workshops and one-on-one
  instruction
• Cutting edge equipment for video creation, music
  recording, and more.
• Participants are urged to post their projects on
  the labs website.

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YouMedia http//youmedia.org

• Digital media center for youth
• Started at Chicago Public Library
• Dozens more planned throughout U.S. with funding
  from MacArthur Foundation
• Heavily dependent on mentors to help with
  projects
• Teens learn by making and doing
• Based on research at Carnegie Mellon University

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YouMedia ChicagoHarold Washington Public Library

• Teens hanging out and messing around at the
  YouMedia center in Chicago.
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vyRG2Bf-me6k

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Maker Spaces

• Community-operated physical places where people
  of all ages can meet and work on their projects.
• Often referred to as hackerspaces and techshops.
• Maker spaces can have 3-D printers, laser
  cutters, and more.
• MITs Fab Lab (fabrication laboratory) project
  begun by Dr. Neil Gersonfelds course How to
  Make Just About Anything.
• Maker spaces help fill the opportunity gap.

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Tekventure Maker Station at Allen County Public
Library, Ft. Wayne, Indiana

• Tekventure, a non-profit organization, partners
  with the public library.
• The space is in a trailer outside the library.
• In addition to a 3-D printer, it also has a CNC
  router, and many power tools.
• Located in a city that is suffering from the
  economic downturn.

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Maker Space in Westport Public Library,
Connecticut

• The Maker Space opened July 2 as a place for
  people to connect, invent and create.

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3-D Printer at Westport Public Library,
Connecticut

• 3-D printers create computer designed plastic
  pieces
• Can be used for prototyping
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vQnChn7vtWHU

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Arduino

• Arduino is an open source electronics prototyping
  platform
• Based on flexibile, easy-to-use hardware and
  software
• It senses the environment by receiving input from
  a variety of sensors
• It can affect its surroundings by controlling
  lights, motors and other actuators.

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Arduino Workshop at Allen County Public Librarys
Tekventure Maker Station
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vFUR5NjsR1JQ
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The Library is Changing its Focus

• from education to learning
• from consumption of information to
  participatory learning
• from institutions to networks
• Connie Yowell, Director of Education, MacArthur
  Foundaton focus on fostering passion,
  creativity, innovation, and the skills that are
  needed to compete and thrive in a global,
  connected world.
• MacArthur Foundation, http//macfound.org/reimagi
  ne/learning

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References

• Museums, Libraries, and 21st Century Skills,
  Institute of Museum and Library Services,
  http//www.imls.gov/about/21stcskills.aspx
• YouMedia http//youmedia.org
• MacArthur Foundation http//macfound.org
• Providing the Tools, by Meredith Farkas,
  American Libraries Magazine, http//americanlibrar
  iesmagazine.org/columns/practice/providing-tools
• Content Creation, Media Labs, and Hackerspaces,
  by David Lee King, http//www.davidleeking.com/201
  1/12/15/content-creation-media-labs-and-hackerspac
  es
• Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out
  Kids Living and Learning with New Media, by
  Mikuzko Ito, etal. (free online)

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Thank you very much!

• Karen Hartman
• Hartmankp_at_state.gov