Makerspaces
Vivian Sanchez
LT130

Originally when I looked at the topic for this assignment, I was a little concerned as I’m not the creative type. What would I have to say about a Makerspace. I figured I’d have to do a lot of research for this assignment. At this writing, we are all part of a global pandemic that has turned our lives upsidedown, and we've had to adjust to some crazy changes. Staying at home, or rather no interaction with other people, for weeks on end, outside of maybe those who live with you. Crazy times for sure.

So where do I find myself? In the Makerspace at the Central Library. My normal workspace is the sort room. Then we were offered the task of making masks. As you all know we are required to wear them whenever we are, near or close; within 6 ft. of people. As I re-familiarize myself with the sewing machines, it all starts to come back.

I went to Junior High School in the early 70’s. It wasn’t called Middle School and we had 3 years to finish instead of just two. Regardless, we had these great classes called Home Economics. Some of you may remember.





I remember Miss Ennis. I loved her for her patience. After all we were a bunch of 7th, 8th and 9th graders. We had the greatest opportunity to learn how to sew and cook. My other favorite class was Graphic Arts.

I really like the concept of makerspaces which originally was not a program within the library, in the form it is today. In an article written by Jane Lofton, she quotes Leslie Preddy’s definition in School Library Makerspaces: Grades 6-12:

“... a destination of thinking, learning, doing, creating, and producing; where students are makers who think, create, share, and grow” (2013). A makerspace is not simply a space for constructing things; it encourages students to think, learn something new, be creative in accomplishing tasks, share their accomplishments with others, and grow as they do so. With each activity, they can move onto a higher level of thinking, doing, and creating. 

 And yes it did all that for me. I did things I normally would not have done. My Mom used to make and decorate cakes, and in graphic arts, I made her business cards. Making those cards was a lot more tedious than it is now. No computers in schools at that time.

In my opinion, makerspaces used to be home ec., graphic arts, auto, and metal shop.  And it was part of your school curriculum.  In current times they are called culinary classes and I think auto shops are still a part of the curriculum.  One part of the definition I can attest to is the “sharing their accomplishments with others”.  Since all my friends took the same classes, we shared our sewing craft with each other.  My best friend Norma (and next-door neighbor) was great at working on collars.  I was good at cuffs.  So we would work on our projects together.  Here are a few snapshots I found of what those classes looked like.

Now that I have made several masks. It was really not that hard. If I had never sewn, I may have passed up the opportunity. I had confidence that I could sew a mask, since I had sewn it in the past. I’m really thankful for those classes and how the current makerspaces in our libraries are continuing to encourage others to learn a craft, or experiment with all the current technology we have. Our Home Ec classes were great and I learned a craft, a skill, that someday would help me to make masks during a global pandemic. 

Stay Safe Everyone!

Works Cited

Lofton, J. (2017). Students Are Makers! Building Information Literacy Skills Through Makerspace Programs.
CSLA Journal, 40(2), 18–16.