Charter Member Libraries Selected to Set Stage for National Collective
The New Face of Library Makerspaces project, which aims to build a diverse national collective of library makerspace professionals, will begin with a backbone group of institutional Charter members who will work together to define the vision and values of this new organization, and design the first platforms for interaction, resources sharing, collaboration and networking. After several months of outreach and review of an impressive number of applications we have learned some pretty amazing things!
What we learned so far
Innovation is happening everywhere, especially in light of COVID adaptations
Libraries big and small are engaging with their communities, listening and responding to their needs
Veteran library makerspace staff really want to mentor novice staff, give advice and help them gain new skills
People are hungry for this network and this is a particularly pivotal moment for library makerspaces
What factors we weighed in selecting this group of libraries
In addition to an application and interview, our team selected the group of seven Charter Member libraries with several criteria in mind. First, we needed to spread these libraries geographically across the country, so they might be regional hubs as we build the Collective over the next two years (for example, although we had multiple strong applications in a state, we could not pick more than one in that state). Second, we looked at the type of maker programming their libraries offered both before the pandemic, and during it, to find a mix of approaches and models for delivering the programs both in person and virtually, and how their relationship with their community helped drive how they shaped their programs.
We looked for libraries that already have a strong network with other libraries in their county and state, so that might be leveraged to help grow the collective. We wanted to understand how these libraries were making JEDI (justice, equity, diversity and inclusion) a priority, both in their program decisions and their approach to staffing, since these factors are going to be essential to goal of helping support the professional growth of a diverse workforce in library makerspaces.
And we made a commitment to include at least three rural or small libraries in this leadership group, so we would always have the concerns and needs of these rural libraries at the table as we design and grow the Collective. While we expected to have a mix of public, academic, school and tribal libraries in the Charter group, we shifted our plans based on the application pool to focus on public libraries first, and then once we get this first phase established, reach back out to other library types.
Seven libraries, across the map
We were faced with the hard choice to pick from a strong group of qualified libraries—and we want all of them to be part of the Collective! But in the end we could only select 7 for this specific role. Once we get some of the groundwork established, we will be reaching back out to the other applicants—and beyond—to get involved in a variety of ways, too.
We are delighted to announce our group of Charter Members:
What will the Charter Members do?
Charter Members will work together to create systems and processes for how the Collective will be run such as:
shaping the mission/vision
fostering communication channels
building systems to grow the membership
monitor important issues that arise in the field and help to lead activities (e.g., a survey of the field) to learn how libraries have modified services during the pandemic.
Serve as a mentor for other libraries to help build their capacity to create community-centered maker programming. Charter Members will also act as a spokesperson for the Collective by participating in activities such as:
Recruiting and promoting the work of future leaders of the Collective.
Building relationships that encourage others to join the Collective.
Being an active member of either the Slack channel or Facebook group or both.
Sharing knowledge on a webinar, conference, workshop, blog, or other Collective platform at least 2- 3 times per year
In the coming months, look for more new content and opportunities to engage
To those library folks who want to connect, learn and grow with this project, this means we are getting closer to having ways for you to be engaged and involved! Thanks for your patience as we work with our Charter Members to lay the foundation over the next several weeks! We will continue to share updates via our blog, on the Nation of Makers #libraries Slack channel, the Makers in the Library Facebook Group, on LinkedIn, Twitter and more.
Note: The New Face of Library Makerspaces project (2021-2023) was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services in partnerships with CALIFA, Nation of Makers, Regallium Consulting, P. Van Halsema Consulting and Rockman, et al.
