Just as our lives need tidying up from time to time, so do our libraries. Decluttering the library can be daunting at first, but it’s totally worth it. Here’s some more on why we should tidy up: The Magic of Tidying Up Your Library: An AASL Post I read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying … Read more
(Post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using them, I get a small commission that helps support running this blog) How to Create a Floorplan in Excel Confession time: I’m a slight spreadsheet nerd. My dad worked for IBM and I remember seeing him working on spreadsheets on our home computer at a … Read more
How to Create Makerspace Procedures that Work When we set up our libraries and classrooms, we create procedures to help keep things running smoothly. In the same way, we need to create makerspace procedures that help our students understand how to utilize and participate in our spaces. It can be tricky to figure out the … Read more
How to Deal When Things Go Wrong in Your Makerspace: An AASL Knowledge Quest Post In my recent AASL Knowledge Quest post, I get into the messier and less pleasant aspects of running a makerspace. The fact is that things go wrong in makerspaces, and it helps to be equipped with how to deal with … Read more
3 Ways Your MakerFair Can Be An Awesome Advocacy Tool As I reflect back on these three MakerFairs, I’ve come to realize what a powerful advocacy tool they have been for our space. You can tell people about how awesome your makerspace is all you want, but when they actually get to see it in … Read more
Figuring out the Design Problems in Your Space In my latest post at AASL Knowledge Quest, I focus on how to identify the various design problems in your space and how to advocate for changing them. Check out this preview below: Many of us are rethinking and redesigning our library spaces. We have visions of … Read more
You CAN start a makerspace even if you’re broke In my recent post on AASL Knowledge Quest, I decided to revisit and revamp a popular article that I wrote for the ISTE Librarians Network Scanner about starting a makerspace on a budget. Since writing that article in November 2014, I’ve talked to many more educators and … Read more
AASL Awesomeness Last week I went to my first ever American Association of School Librarians conference in Columbus, OH (thanks to ABC-CLIO and the France Henne award). It was an amazing and wonderful whirlwind of hanging out with friends, listening to fantastic speakers, meeting my favorite authors and getting to share with so many people … Read more
Transform Your Library Space Recently, I’ve been looking back through photos of my media center at Stewart Middle Magnet from the past five years… As I look back over these photos, I’m struck by how the space slowly evolved over this span of time. It’s easy to just focus on all the big sweeping changes we … Read more
Valuable Lessons from my First Makerspace Year In my article for AASL’s Knowledge Quest blog, I decided to reflect on my first year of having a Makerspace in my library. I started our Makerspace back in January of 2014, so 2014-2015 was my first full school year with a Makerspace, our first makerspace year. Check … Read more