Developing LIS curricula for information professionals in library makerspaces

Abstract

Despite the increasing popularity of academic and public library makerspaces, there remains little formal preparation and/or classroom training for burgeoning information professionals and librarians to develop and run makerspace environments. Moreover, as makerspaces continue to be adopted in libraries, librarians and paraprofessionals will continue to see their job duties and responsibilities shift as user needs and services evolve. This paper centers on a graduate/undergraduate course for informational professionals interested in working within makerspaces. While makerspaces around the world tend to emulate makerspaces emerging from Silicon Valley, this paper will highlight a tension emerging from the development of the course: How do we prepare burgeoning information professionals to manage makerspaces while also remain critically and ethically aware of the biases and issues inherent to the maker movement?