Leslie Lomasson is the Librarian at Amherst Regional High School
and the recipient of a 2017 Web Seal of Excellence.
and the recipient of a 2017 Web Seal of Excellence.
Not all school libraries are conducive to makerspaces. Perhaps, as a librarian, you need to preserve your limited space for the academic classes that come in; perhaps the noise from a makerspace section could disrupt other classes simultaneously meeting in the library. This was certainly my dilemma when considering a makerspace in a library which hosts up to three academic classes at a time. So, I simply tucked the idea of a makerspace into the back of my mind, thinking that it probably would not work in the ARHS Library.
Seeds, unexpectedly, grow new ideas:
But it’s those seeds of new ideas that are planted (by my amazing librarian colleagues) that sometimes pop up unexpectedly as a solution to a new problem.
Seeds, unexpectedly, grow new ideas:
But it’s those seeds of new ideas that are planted (by my amazing librarian colleagues) that sometimes pop up unexpectedly as a solution to a new problem.
Here, at ARHS, our 9th grade Social Studies curriculum was revamped and a new component had students re-create Medieval Asian art. While talking to the department chair about this unit, I asked him how students would be accessing the materials for their art reproductions. The department had not had the time to figure this out, so I suggested we write a grant to our Parent Guardian Organization (PGO) to request funding for a cart and art materials. Thus, was born our makerspace “Go-Cart” and the beginning of a complex and intensely satisfying collaboration that involved not only myself and the Social Studies department chair and teachers, but that of my two talented library paraprofessional colleagues. The project grew and evolved to also tap into one of our less-used state database resources, the BiblioBoard “Content Creator”, which we used to publish photographs of the students’ reproductions.
Recognizing my colleagues’ skills, knowledge, and talents:
Writing the grant for the PGO required knowing exactly what we needed so we could present an accurate request for funding. I knew how to research mobile makerspace carts, but I knew nothing about art or the materials to reproduce it. Luckily for me, my coworker, Annie Figliola, is very knowledgeable in this area. She researched images of Medieval Asian Art from various regions of the world and then studied art supply catalogs carefully to select the materials to duplicate art from that period. She took into consideration colors of the periods, media to reproduce certain effects, and materials that would not leave stains in clothing or on furniture and floors. We presented this list of materials, with art images and explanations as to why they were selected, in our grant to the PGO. Happily, we were awarded a “Big Idea” grant for $1,200 and could proceed with the project! While Annie was researching the supplies the students would need, I put together a libguide which included a tab to help students search for art by region and timeline.
Annie Figliola, “Ms. Fig”, demonstrating to students how art materials from the Library Go-Cart can be used to reproduce certain kinds of Medieval Asian Art. For each class section starting out on the project, Annie Figliola introduced the contents of the Makerspace cart and the various ways the materials could be used to reproduce effects student were trying to achieve. For example, she explained how the colors for the modeling clay were selected to approximate glaze colors of the period, also including flesh-tones for figure sculptures and neutral colors for re-creating unglazed clay sculptures. Two specific colors, red and green, were chosen for students who might want to re-create lacquerware and jade objects coming into prominence in the period. She chose watercolor pencils that could be used both for a colored pencil effect or with a water wash to create a watercolor effect common in the paintings of the period. I was especially impressed with the level of detail she brought to the project by adding gum erasers to the supply list: because red ink seals are often used on Asian calligraphy works and paintings of the period, these were purchased for students to carve and stamp with a red ink pad to approximate the look of these seals in their painting/calligraphy artwork.
Ken Ramos photographs students’ art reproductions. Taking it one step further: Publishing!
“Content Creator” is a feature in the state database, BiblioBoard, that offers a publishing option*. Students were informed at the beginning of the project that they could have their work photographed and published online. Thus began the next major phase of this project. Again, I am lucky to have skilled co-workers, and this time my other paraprofessional colleague, Ken Ramos, put his photography talents to work. Ken set up our small professional library as a photography lab and proceeded to photograph student creations. (Students signed permission forms to have their work published and those forms are kept on file in the librarian’s office.) The results were uploaded to BiblioBoard and were (in my opinion) spectacular! Here is the link to our students’ published work.
“Content Creator” is a feature in the state database, BiblioBoard, that offers a publishing option*. Students were informed at the beginning of the project that they could have their work photographed and published online. Thus began the next major phase of this project. Again, I am lucky to have skilled co-workers, and this time my other paraprofessional colleague, Ken Ramos, put his photography talents to work. Ken set up our small professional library as a photography lab and proceeded to photograph student creations. (Students signed permission forms to have their work published and those forms are kept on file in the librarian’s office.) The results were uploaded to BiblioBoard and were (in my opinion) spectacular! Here is the link to our students’ published work.
What’s next for our Makerspace Go-Cart?
The Makerspace Go-Cart is now available for all departments to “check out.” Any department may write a small PGO grant to stock it with supplies for a class project and use it to integrate hands-on activities into their curriculum units!
*Unfortunately, Biblio Board's Content Creator is no longer paid for by the state and must be purchased as an add-on to BiblioBoard.
The Makerspace Go-Cart is now available for all departments to “check out.” Any department may write a small PGO grant to stock it with supplies for a class project and use it to integrate hands-on activities into their curriculum units!
*Unfortunately, Biblio Board's Content Creator is no longer paid for by the state and must be purchased as an add-on to BiblioBoard.