Many libraries and museums have recently invesetd resources to implement maker programs or makerspaces. This project defines “making” as building or adapting objects using real tools and real materials and engaging learners in the process of using these tools and materials. While these programs and spaces serve a variety of goals, they overwhelmingly serve as sites of ambitious learning. As the maker movement grows by leaps and bounds, the field itself knows relatively little about how to support learning within these spaces.
This report introduces a framework to support learning in library and museum makerspaces. There are three elements
to the framework: purpose; people; and pieces and parts. Through a description of the framework, as well as case studies on how making and makerspaces are being implemented around the country, this document aims to share ways that we can nurture and grow conditions for learning within making experiences
