You have a maker-space; so what’s next? Join Brian Pichman from the Evolve Project as he walks you through how plan, market, and organize your programming events for your MakerSpace. Brian will also share successful programming ideas learn about programming regardless of library type. Allow your public library or school library to foster innovation and offer unique opportunities to encourage more patrons to interact, grow, and learn.

1. Programming Ideas in
Makerspaces
BRIAN PICHMAN | EVOLVE PROJECT

2. Organizing Your
Makerspace
So many things…so little time.

3. http://renovatedlearning.com/2016/10/10
/how-to-create-makerspace-
organization-that-actually-works/

4. Organization: Storage?
VS

5. Overcoming Space Restrictions
 Maker “Table”
 Nominate a table and have a different
activity out each week.
 Could be a project that each patron adds
to, or an individual project that gets reset
at each completion
 Rotating Collection
 Share some “Maker-Kits” with fellow
libraries/branches and spread out your
activities across the area.

6. Overcoming Security Concerns
 Is it Really Needed
 Based on the studies reported, there is a
loss of .15% to .5% per year; or overall loss
rates of 4–8% when an inventory, or
inventory sample, is conducted periodically.
 Why do books go missing? Some are simply
miss shelved and will eventually resurface;
others are lost by library users, with the lost
item fees paid. Sadly, many are stolen,
though electronic detection systems do
minimize that risk
http://www.ala.org/tools/loss-rate

7. Organization: Instructions?
 Instructions:
 People read. Follow. Complete.
 No Instructions:
 People Fail. Try Again.
 People Innovate Something New
 Help
 People Fail. Ask for help. Succeed.
 People Innovative Something New

8. Organization: Rules?
 Rules can offer a sense of
 Security
 Peace
 Order
 Rules about Rules:
 Avoid the use of “No….”
 Choose colors carefully
 Use Positive Language
 Don’t write and post a rule about that one
incident that occurred

9. Marketing Your
Space
It’s a lot easier if you make
someone else do it for you.

11. Tips n Tricks
Facebook
 Engage
 Share the “fun”
 Offer Challenges
 Lots of Commenting / Liking
Twitter
 Influence
 Promote Milestones
 Major Innovations
 Ask for people to share

13. Self Promotions
 Recording Studio
 Add the outputs (videos, music, etc.) to the
collection
 Host movie nights, share the works.
 Programming
 Robots: Do a “robot night”
 Game: Do a “game night”
 Engineering
 Circuits: Build Displays / Wall Displays
 Robots: Build Displays / Demo Areas
 Art or Craft Orientated
 Display
 Allow things to be ”Borrowed”

14. Local Businesses
 Advertise What You Can Do For
Businesses:
 3D Print Prototypes/Fixes
 Space to make marketing materials
 Space to tinker
 Space to “Hang Out”
 Having something to “tinker” with while
brainstorming can actually help innovate.

15. Local Business Experts
 Turn local businesses into educators for
your space.
 Train staff/patrons on coding, engineering,
electricity, robotics, photography,
cinematography, and more!
 Get them to promote to the program
 If they have a strong customer base, they
will share what they are doing with their
customers…and in turn, advertise your
library.
 Open up your “phonebook” and look at
what’s local to your area.

16. Planning Your
Makerspace

17. Planning for Staff
 Staff Involvement
 Promoters and Challengers
 Encouragement of new ideas is key
 Staff Training
 Teaching non-technical people the
technical.
 Teaching the technical people empathy.

18. Planning for Future
 Work with school curriculum
 Find out what they are trying to focus on.
 Many of the tech gadget companies build
curriculum for free that matches what
schools accomplish through all the core
competencies.
 Start small
 Don’t have to buy multiples of a single
item. Get one as a “demo” and see where it
goes.
 Survey your users.
 What works
 What didn’t
 Remove the bad!
 Budget appropriately
 Or fundraise appropriately.

20. Survey Tips
 Short and Sweet (less than five minutes)
 Open Ended vs Closed Ended Questions
 Evaluating Loyalty and Satisfaction
 The average satisfied person will only tell 1 or 2 people how “happy” they are
 The average unsatisfied person will tell 3-6 people how ”unhappy” they are.
 Loyal users will return and encourage others to come.
 NPS Scoring
 Methods of Delivery
 Phone, Email, On the Spot

21. Places to Watch for Ideas
 Crowdfunding Websites
 Kickstarter/Indiegogo
 Consumer Electronic Show
 Living In Digital Times
 http://livingindigitaltimes.com/
 Social Media
 Be active (please).
 Community Start-Up Hubs

22. Programming
Ideas
Other than Open Play

23. Robotics and Programming
Activity Based Ideas

24. Programming Ideas for Coding/Robotics
 Tactile Programming (programming without a computer)
 Mazes
 Get from Point A to Point B and avoid Obstacles 1, 2, and 3.
 Coding on A Computer
 Goal Orientated
 Make Character do XYZ
 Design Orientated
 Build a story and program to that story.
 Coding a Robot / Built Robot
 Obstacle Courses
 Races
 Battle Bots

25. Circuits and Engineering
Activity Based Ideas

26. Programming Ideas for
Circuits/Engineering
 Simple Circuits
 Challenge Based: Process Driven (turning on a light switch)
 Story Based: Tell a story with interaction
 Maps: Create a map of the town and light it up.
 Complex Circuits
 Design Challenges (accomplish this scenario)
 Build “art” as an output.
 Circuits/Programming (Arduinos)
 Transition from “Lights and sounds” to “movement” to “interactive”

27. 3D Printing and Prototyping
Activity Based Ideas

28. Programming Ideas for 3D Printing
 Basic
 Group: Build a design (or edit one) and see what occurs.
 Advance
 Build a Drone, 3D Printer, Robot
 Solving Issues
 Community Project to “print” models of buildings in town
 Printing prosthetics

29. Virtual/Augmented Reality
Activity Based Ideas

30. Programming Ideas for
Virtual/Augmented Reality
 At its core, its about “transporting” to another place
 You can re-build a lost city, relive a recent moment (recorded with a 360 Degree
Camera)
 Moving in a direction of Virtual/Augmented reality where interactions are taking
place on a new “layer” of reality.

31. Key Objectives (Recap)
 You want to be a fun environment.
 People and space are key
 You don’t have to have structure within your environment.
 Open play is great!
 Failure is OK
 Not all ideas work. Not all gadgets are awesome.

32. Questions?
 Contact me!
 Brian Pichman
 bpichman@evolveproject.org
 Twitter: @BPichman