Growing a Makerspace Organically
MakerFest
09/30/2020
Trying to plant seeds for a Makerspace in your library or nourish the one(s) you already have? Get some great tips and tricks from the Mandel Public Librarians as they talk about how they grew their makerspaces from one device into multi-functional, robust, and well-used rooms for various types of projects! Topics of discussion will include making a case for funding your spaces and equipment, determining community needs, and maintaining a variety of maker-focused programs from lectures to art creation to digital creation in a sustainable and realistic manner for your library.
Speakers:
Sarah Fetzer is a Reference Librarian at the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach. She graduated from UNCG with her MLIS in May 2019. Prior to working for the Mandel Public Library, Sarah worked at the Central Piedmont Community College Library in Charlotte, NC. She also worked for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library in Charlotte, NC. Currently Sarah handles a variety of tasks at the Mandel Library from archival preservation to social media promotion to program budgeting and contract processing to GIS data analysis.
Antoinette Giamalva is a Programming Librarian at the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach. She graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with her MLIS. She has previously worked in libraries in Mississippi for over 11 years and strives in bringing unique programming to libraries. She has put on Comic Conventions and brought gaming groups inside libraries. Currently, Antoinette is working at bringing in these unique programs to the Mandel Library and keep the current programs thriving.
Faith Wahlers is a Reference and Programming Librarian at the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach. Wahlers graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2019 with her MLIS, with a concentration on public libraries and accessibility. Wahlers coordinates art programs for Studio 411, facilitates exercise programs, and generally tries to keep patron’s fingers safe from hot glue and sewing needles.
Stephen Barlow is the technology librarian at the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach. He received his MLIS from Simmons College. He previously worked for 3 years in libraries throughout North Georgia and taught English as a Second Language in Korea and Japan for 6 years. As the Adult Program Coordinator of Toccoa-Stephens County Library, he created a makerspace from scratch and brought many new computer and technology-based programs into the library. He now runs the Digital Studios, Mandel’s adult-oriented makerspace, and organizes 3D design and virtual reality-related programming.