Engaging With MakerSpaces

NEFLIN SEMINAR

BRIAN PICHMANOF THE EVOLVE PROJECT

Engaging with Maker Spaces

Let Me Introduce Myself

Hi I’m Brian Pichman

Today we will explore libraries, discover new learning spaces, define interaction and engagement. Libraries need to become more engaging.

Follow me on Twitter:@bpichman

Take Risks

“LIBRARIES ARE SCREWED” BY ELI NEIBURGER 

Libraries are like Candles

Create a Public VALUE

• Not be a “process” but an experience• Move from physical to digital• Create new ways to learn and explore• Libraries should be creating stories• Libraries HAVE TO BE ENGANGING!• Shift Focus To• Innovation, Interaction, Discovery, Collaboration and

Invention

Libraries Need to Become Engaging

Build out maker spaces/learning spaces to:

Encourage Creativity and InventionAllow DiscoveryIncrease CollaborationGenerate InteractionFoster Innovation

Creation and Inventions

Discovery

Collaboration

Interaction

Innovation

Evolve: A Library Playground

Fab Lab / “Hackerspace” / “MakerSpace A location where people with common interests

(usually in computers, technology, science, or digital or electronic art) meet, socialize and/or collaborate.

Can be viewed as open community labs incorporating elements of workshops and/or studios where people can come together to share resources and knowledge to build and make things and ideas.

Combining the positive & fun aspects of schools, museums, and playgrounds into one “entity”.

We All Have Creative Potential

Types of Maker Spaces

Collaborative Areas (Either Network Based or In A Room)

Provide Tools (Hardware and/or Software)

Learning Labs or Training Centers

http://makerspace.com/makerspace-directory

Recording Studios / Art Studios

• Macs

• Video Equipment

• Green Screens

• Sound Recording

3D Printing

The ability to print “objects”

Allen County Public Library

Multimedia Room / Learning Centers

Room Set Up Features: Clickers

Allows for jeopardy style gaming Smart Board (interactive white board) Full DVD/BluRay/Sound System Easy to use and start (Touch Panel System)

You Can Use This Room For Jeopardy Movie Nights Presentations / Interactive Style Board Game Night Create a Business Plan, Project Plan, etc

The 4th floor is a public laboratory and educational facility with a focus on information, design, technology, and the applied arts.The 14,000 sq foot space hosts equipment, expertise, programs, events, and meetings that work within this scope.While traditional library spaces support the consumption of knowledge by offering access to media, the 4th floor is unique because it supports the production, connection, and sharing of knowledge by offering access to tools and instruction.

Chattanooga ”Fourth Floor”

DOK Lab (www.doklab.nl)

If you build it they will come

INCORPORATE YOUR SPACE WITH TECHNOLOGY THAT PATRONS CAN TAKE

HOME

USE TECHNOLOGY

Kurio Tablet

Cheap TabletLocked DownSecure

Little Bits

littleBits is an open source library of electronic modules that snap together with tiny magnets for prototyping, learning, and fun.

Meet Sphero.

Creation Station – Lego We-Do

Robotic Legos that move; teaches how to program through a GUI interface

Laser Tag (Yes inside the library)

Ubisoft Laser Tag System Up to 8 can play Multiple different

game scenarios

The Menageri-E

A “Digital Petting Zoo” or “E-Bar”

Music Station

Your environment can have all the best tech toys and cool maker-spaces but it could still fall short.

It is up to the frontline staff to ENANGE their audiences. A friendly hello goes a long way. Allow the staff to play with the tech; get them involved to reflect that excitement to the users.

Social Media• Use the tools

your users use• Communicate

on their level• These are your

#1 Marketing Tools

Poetry, Music, Video, ArtDigital Content Curation

Encourage creativity

Zombie MovieFilm A Zombie Movie (Cameras and some Face Paint for Your Library)

QR Code Link Books to E-BooksFind New ContentScavenger Hunts

Augmented Reality

Open a new dimension in your library. Buy using an app, you can see a new “world” within your physical space.

Mystery Grab Bag

Place books into color themed bags. Barcode number written outside of bag. Allow patrons to check out and take them home.

Holiday Displays

During special holiday periods, find books that are colored the holiday colors (not necessarily about the holiday) and place them on a stand near your end caps.

Miniature Golf

Purchase Cheap Plastic and Foam to setup Paths and fairways with felt. Have it throughout the library, engage the participants through your space.

Simply Say“Hello”

Engagement Tips• Stand, Not Sit• Walk Around• Go to patrons, and ask them how the are doing, show

them things

• Create Staff “Experts”• Each member of your staff probably has a hobby, a genre

of book they enjoy. Give them badges to say “I Fish” or “I Love Mystery”.• Create “Patron Experts”

• Staff and Youth• Remove Fines. Don’t punish for returning a book that took

longer to read.• Instead of a fine, ask the younger patron, “well tell me

about this book”

Gamification

Interactive Library Cards• Put a “Reward System” into the library card• Badges• Prizes• Exclusive Programming / Event registration

• Low Tech:• Print new more colorful library cards, allow patrons to

customize their card with different and increasingly more desired badges – based off books read, programs attended, etc.

• High Tech:• Create Library Cards with screens• Send Messages to card when they are in the library

(wirelessly connected)• Display “reading level” or “badges they own”

Just Press Play• Rochester Institute of Technology• https://play.rit.edu/ • http://youtu.be/xjK1dQHmzss

Game of Books• The Game of Books is gamifying the reading

experience.• In the Game, you are the character that you are

leveling up; books are the magical items that give you rewards.• This is a project from BookLamp.Org• Each Book in the world has a very specific DNA, a

structure that contains specific themes, writing style, density, etc.

• The themes in the book relate to points – and those points apply to your character.

• More Details: www.gameofbooks.com

Technology As An Evolution

1990 – 2000: Internet Burst2000 – 2010: Value Adds to Technology2010 – 2020: Technology Burst

Future of Technology

To discover and curate of informationValue adds (efficiency, reliability)To build or discover new “things”

Future of Search Has Changed

Searches based off of visuals instead of keywords

Clicking Images rather than entering in words

General Themes

Touch-BasedGesture-BasedObject OrientatedOpen Source Hardware

Touch Based

People want to touch everything Discover Through Touch Search Through Touch Learn Through Touch

Gesture Based

Communicate with Technology Hands FreeUses multiple cameras to detect

depth/movement Microsoft Kinect

Sites to Explore: Microsoft Kinect PrimeSense Evoluce

Wearable Gesture Based Computing

http://www.pranavmistry.com/projects/sixthsense/

Object Orientated

Use Objects to interact with surfaces

Back To Searching

Technology is becoming more “visual” orientated Whether it be from touch, gesture, or objects

Search Dynamics are changing

Future Concepts

People watching TV can point and click to buy content (clothes, cars, etc)

Predictive searches (Amazon does it now)

Ask yourself, what do you want to create?

Open Source

We have the ability to create “things” cheaper now Open Source Hardware (Arduino, RaspberryPi) Open Source Software

There never seems to be enough money to do anything

So Where Can Money Come From?

Crowd-Source Funding

• People across the world group together to fund new projects and ideas

• People are encouraged to donate by either the attractive name or “awards” based off the amount they donate.

• Kickstarter.com• Indiegogo.com

Social Media

• Market your “Brand” heavy through social media– And Blogging

• Solid companies pro-actively manage their social media accounts.– They watch what people are saying because everyone else

can see what people say– They want only positivity about their company on the web,

they will work to only have positive comments. – If a company does provide assistance, always show your

support through social media • (you may need more support later on down the road).

Social Media is a way to develop relationships

Tips - Twitter

• Only use positivity when communicating on twitter

• 140 Characters, make them count!– Wow! @COMPANYX has some really great stuff. I need

to get my hands on it– Who would like to see @PRODUCT in our library

space?• Once you build a good relationship ask the hard

questions– Can you help me on the cost @COMPANYZ

Tips - Facebook

• Go to the Company’s Pages, be sure to “Like” their page before commenting

• Again, be only positive. Tell your story, pitch your idea.

Handling Objections

• You will hear “no”– A LOT

• But that just means phrased the question wrong or asked the incorrect person.– Who else can I talk to about discounted pricing/donations– Does anyone make a similar product that would be more

inline with our budget (ask them about their competitors).– What other things would you recommend?

• Don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions of “why”• Everyone has a bottom line.

Just Ask

Places to save money

• Buy Refurbished– Refurbishment is the distribution of products (usually electronics)

that have been previously returned to a manufacturer or vendor for various reasons. Refurbished products are normally tested for functionality and defects before they are sold, and thus are the approximate equivalent of certified pre-owned cars. - Wikipedia

– Refurbs are OK!!!• Discount Sites:

– 1SaleADay.Com– Woot.Com– Monoprice.Com – E-Bay

Questions?

@bpichman815.534.0403bpichman@evolveproject.org

Brian Pichman