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Read It, Make It: Low-Tech Maker Projects and Titles | Nonfiction Notions
When you think of maker programs and maker spaces, what comes to mind? Coding, 3-D printers, and computers? With all the new and exciting technology available, it can be easy to forget that “making”...
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My Love/Hate Relationship with 3-D Printers in Libraries
We need a 3-D printer because… “…it’s the only program adults will attend.” “ …our district might cut school librarians if we don’t look cutting edge.” “…for prototyping.” “…for the future of...
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School Library Budgets Rise 20%, Yet Challenges Remain | Spending Survey 2016
In this article SLJ Spending Survey Charts School librarians are known for their ability to stretch the limits of their budgets to meet the needs of students. Some, like Holly Ristau, a media...
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SLJ Reviews the littleBits STEAM Student Set
Making Art -Steam student set. Want to see middle school students get excited about science, technology, and art? Tell them you have the design to build a throwing arm. I handed students in my Maker...
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SLJ Reviews Sphero’s New Robot, SPRK+
In the past year, my library has been invaded and transformed by robots. Where once there was quiet, the sound of excited collaboration fills the room. In the past, a few students would approach me,...
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SLJ and Scholastic Announce 2016 School Librarian of the Year Award Winners
School Library Journal and Scholastic recognize School Librarian of the Year Award winner Todd Burleson, of Illinois, and finalists Anita Cellucci and Laura Gardner, both of Massachusetts. These school...
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Big Cash Prizes for Maker Spaces Up for Grabs
The U.S. Department of Education just launched the CTE Makeover Challenge with various cash prizes adding up to $200,000 and additional prizes from sponsors, including Autodesk, Dremel, Etsy...
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Mobile Maker Spaces
The production cart includes a tripod with iPad Pro mount, a piano keyboard, professional lighting, mics, headphones, and various items to help students produce movies, videos, and podcasts. The...
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Follett Launches New Maker Space Bundles for K–12 Libraries
Follett is now offering bundles of maker space supplies tailored for elementary, middle, and high school grades, which include books, building components, robotic kits, and more. See the press release...
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Wisconsin District Successfully Appeals for Maker Spaces in Every School Library
A recess-time design challenge at Longfellow Middle School. The voluntary activity served as a teaser of what kids can look forward to come fall. Photo by C.T. Kruger Maker spaces have finally made...
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ALA 2016: “This Is What a Maker Space Looks Like”
Heather Moorefield-Lang takes to the aisle to engage her audience. More than 160 school and public librarians crowded into a room at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL, to attend “This...
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Seven Surprising Benefits of Maker Spaces
“It is creative apperception more than anything else that makes life worth living.” (D.W. Winnicott, psychoanalyst and pediatrician) What purpose do libraries and librarians serve in a community?...
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Great Books: Mini-Makers
Starring kids who passionately craft, construct, concoct, and dream big, these enchanting picture books celebrate creativity and innovation. Share them to inspire the next generation of makers....
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Teen Maker Space Outreach: Behind the Scenes With Karen Jensen
SLJ‘s “Teen Librarian Toolbox” founder Karen Jensen recently posted a series of articles about the outreach she and her teens do at the Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County (OH). Here are...
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11 Lessons from a Maker Space, One Year In
In early 2016, my library, the Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County (OH), opened Teen MakerSpace. I wrote about the process of planning and creating our space for SLJ (“Small Space, Big...
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Study on Maker Educators Outlines How Their Needs Can Be Met
Photo: courtesy of the Maker Education Initiative A new study of nearly 500 educators in the United States and around the world details how current communities serve makers, identifies their needs, and...
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Make, Write, Excel: Alisha Wilson, 2017 Maker Hero
Winner Tamiko Brown Finalists April Wathen Liz Phipps Soeiro Jan Wilson About the Award Basic materials make a difference at Booker T. Washington High School’s Innovation Center....
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Maker Movement Grows in K-12, with Librarians Leading the Way, Finds SLJ Survey
Illustration by Traci Daberko Old-fashioned board games and puzzles are what first drew students at a Jacksonville, NC, middle school into the library’s maker space. Now they’re experimenting with...
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Want To Build a Great Maker Space? Plan Before You Play, Say Experts.
Got the maker space bug but don’t know where to start? Check with the very people you hope to entice: your students. Laura Fleming “Without the student voice, you have nothing more than a bunch of...
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21 Series for Crafters and Maker Spaces
There’s a lot of wisdom to be gained from craft books. Each title in ABDO’s “Cool Makerspace” series, reviewed below, starts with these precepts: “Have a plan. Ask for permission. Be respectful. Keep...
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