C L A T e c h n o l o g y I n t e r e s t G r o u p
Volume 5, Issue 1
M a r c h 2 0 1 6
Tech Makerspaces 1
Wellness Wearables 2
Makerboxes 3
CLA-TIG Awards 4
CLA-TIG Information 6
Inside this issue:
Getting Started with Technology Makerspaces By Phil Ballo, Independent Researcher and Library Assistant at Southwestern College
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With a growing amount of makerspaces sprouting throughout the United States, new
opportunities and new skill sets are available to the library professional. If you are
thinking of developing a makerspace in your library, it’s best to understand maker tech-
nology first before investing time, effort, and money. This article will focus on Arduinos,
Raspberry Pis, and 3D printing.
Arduino (microcontrollers) and robotics programming: Arduinos are used to teach people
electronics and how to move machinery. Arduinos are best used for input / output elec-
tronics projects, particularly those that emit energy (lights) or things that move (motors),
to put it simply. There are many Arduino clones as well as affordable Arduino kits that
would be able to fit your library’s budget. The basic kit found in various Arduino web-
sites provides easy to follow instructions that guide you into the basics of electronics
plus a complete set of electronics components. There are also electronic kits available
for school and public libraries that serve the youth population, such as littleBits.
Continued, Page 5
A basic Arduino kit, complete with circuit board, project book, motor, wires, and display.
Page 2
CIRCULATING WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY FOR WELLNESS
Some companies, such as Lumoid, make these
tasks easier by having a “try before you buy” lending
program. The program affords consumers a way to
experience wearable technology if they pay a loan
fee or purchase one of the wearables after a trial
period. Libraries have also jumped onto bandwag-
on by lending wearable technology. Santa Clara City
Library circulates the FitBit Zip. The North Carolina
State University Libraries currently offer patrons a
great opportunity to learn about wearable technolo-
gy with their Techlending Beta Program, which in-
cludes devices such as a virtual reality headset and
a brainwave sensor. The Toronto Public Li-
brary has also encouraged patron learning by hold-
ing programs such as last year's Find Your Su-
per Powers with Wearable Tech, which invited chil-
dren to experience a variety of wearable technology
products at the library. South San Francisco Public Library’s new Wearables
for Wellness project meshes well with the library’s
mission to develop new technology collections and
create services that keep seniors active and en-
gaged. With this project, South San Francisco Pub-
lic Library plans to take advantage of the recent
b u z z a b o u t w e a r a b l e t e c h n o l o -
gy by expanding its offerings of digital literacy and
health programs into the arena of wearable tech. It
will highlight the importance of physical fitness for
seniors and the community as a whole. According
to the CDC, chronic health conditions account for
86% of the nation’s healthcare costs, and are re-
sponsible for 7 out of 10 deaths per year. We hope
that by bringing attention to the importance of
health and chronic disease prevention via engag-
ing, new technology, community members will
be encouraged to consider their current health sta-
tus, consult with their health care providers, and put
a preventative health care plan into action.
South San Francisco Public Library is making preparations for a new circulating collection of wearable technology,
focused on health and wellness. Thanks to a grant from the Pacific Library Partnership, SSFPL will acquire a variety
of fitness and activity trackers and wearables that help with relaxation and posture.
Wearable technology such as Apple watches and Fitbit sleep and activity trackers have created a big buzz in recent
years. It's becoming hard to go a day without passing by someone wearing a fitness tracker, seeing commercials for
new wearable tech, or overhearing a conversation about which device is best for health improvement. With so many
options on the market, and the relatively high cost of wearable technology (often around $100.00 or more for many
consumer wearables), determining the best wearable for one's needs and obtaining hands-on experience with vari-
ous models can be difficult.
Above: Wearable technology packages from Lumoid. From
left to right, top to bottom: Mira wellness and activity bracelet,
Lumo Lift posture coach, Ringly smart ring, Fitbit One, Garmin
Vivoactive, Moov Now, Misfit Shine 2, Withings Activité Pop,
http://lumoid.com.
Below: Muse brain sensing headband and meditation assis-
tant, http://choosemuse.com.
By Monica Frenchman, South San Francisco Public Library
Page 3
MAKERBOX COLLECTIVE FOR VENTURA COUNTY LIBRARIES
A group of libraries, mostly based in Ventura County,
were looking for ways to pool their resources and be-
come an active participant in the Makerspace move-
ment. The group received a grant from the State Li-
brary to create a MakerBox Collective. The libraries in-
volved are Calabasas, Camarillo, Moorpark, Oxnard,
Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, and Ventura County. The
Collective have put together MakerBoxes consisting of
materials to expose the patrons to 21st technology and
STEAM related skills and show the adaptability and im-
portance of libraries. Our approach would provide a
broad range of programming and to develop and share
our resources in an efficient way to meet the needs of
our patrons. These programs would help the member
libraries that would otherwise be unable to afford or
manage a Makerspace. It’s important for our libraries
to continue to adapt to new technologies and ways to
share resources.
The Boxes we have created consist of three boxes of
mini 3D printers and one box each of Brushbots, Makey
Makey, Squishy Circuits, and LED Conductive Sewing.
The Boxes are rotated on a monthly basis to each li-
brary. Each library plans and executes at least one pro-
gram a month. We have different age groups and com-
munities, so the boxes are flexible enough for a library
to use the box for their particular library. We have basic
outlines as guides, but come up with new ideas all the
time for how to present the programs.
The Maker movement is an expanding approach to the
creative and collaborative learning experience. Maker
programs provide a new mode of learning and support
the schools’ new STEAM and Common Core Curriculum.
With the overwhelming demand for more STEAM pro-
gramming, this project has multiply our ability to provide
these opportunities to our patrons. We also want to
make sure we have programs for adults to learn skills
and have exposed to 21st century technology because of
the growing number of seniors.
We had an Open House for dignitaries and press and
are planning a hands-on workshop for Southern Califor-
nia Librarians in late April. We have had more than 40
programs since December and our surveys and other
statistical information show that we are creating patrons
who are more confident in learning about or being ex-
posed to new technology.
We hope to reach new populations and the people that
may have not yet been served by our libraries. We will
continue to foster new community partnerships while
continually preserving those we have. We want to bring
technology, new skills, and learning opportunities to
patrons of all ages.
Above, left: Experimenting with Makey Makey and Gummie
Bear candies
Above, right: LED conductive sewing.
Below: Finished LED conductive sewing project
By Karilyn Steward, City of Calabasas Library
MAKER FAIRE BAY AREA
Page 4
NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR CLA’S TECHNOLOGY INTEREST GROUP AWARDS
CLA Technology Interest Group
New Leader Award
Sponsored by The Galecia Group
Cultivates new leadership in the field of library
and information science services
Enables them to attend and actively participate in
the CLA conference
Encourages and inspires them to accept leader-
ship roles within TIG and CLA as a whole
The 2016 nomination period runs until March 18
2016, and the successful recipient will be notified
by June 2016
Full Award details are available on the CLA TIG
website
For questions, contact Mellanie Reeve:
CLA Technology Interest Group
Professional Award
Sponsored by Springshare
Acknowledges outstanding achievement in the
library profession and areas of technology
Nominees will have contributed significantly in the
innovation, implementation, or improvements of
libraries and technology
Nominees will have contributed significantly to
professional literature, studies, or research
The 2016 nomination period runs until March 18,
and the successful recipient will be notified by
June 2016
Full award details are available on the CLA TIG
website
For questions, contact Mellanie Reeve:
Apply for CLA Awards at http://www.cla-net.org/?192
For more maker inspiration, consider attending the “Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth,” the 11th Annual Maker
Faire by Maker Media, the publishers of Make: magazine. The Maker Faire brings together tech enthusiasts,
crafters, educators, engineers, artists, commercial exhibitors, and tinkerers of all kinds. Makers will showcase
their crafts, inventions, and innovations, and share what they have learned.
The Maker Faire will be held at the San Mateo Event Center in San Mateo, CA.
For more information, visit http://makerfaire.com/bay-area.
Page 5
Makerspaces, Continued from 1
Raspberry Pis (computers): Raspberry Pis are low-cost,
credit card sized computers capable of performing a varie-
ty of tasks. They can be used as simple OPACs, internet
browsers, and word and spreadsheet processing. Unfortu-
nately, typical windows software, such as Microsoft Office,
will not work with the Raspberry Pi. However, free alterna-
tives, such as LibreOffice, are available and offer the same
functions. With a few other accessories, such as a cheap
monitor, keyboard, mouse, wireless dongle (or LAN cable),
and a microSD card you have a fully functioning computer
for a total cost of no more than $150. While you can learn
software programming with any computer, due to the low
equipment costs, learning and teaching the basics of soft-
ware programming with the Raspberry Pi is the cheapest
and most effective route for low budget libraries and
providing an affordable alternative for low income families.
3D printing: the current majority of library and home-based
3D printing is plastic prototyping, crafting, and manufactur-
ing. These types of printers melt plastic which is added on
layer by layer through a process called fused deposition
modelling (FDM). RepRap.org provides a nice guide to
open source printing in which you can build your own 3D
printers. However, I personally cannot recommend building
your first 3D printer due to the difficulty and time. Pur-
chase your 3D printer through reputable sites or ask
around various listservs for a suggestion. Be sure to look
at whether or not the printer has filament restrictions to
prevent dependency from brand name products. By learn-
ing the purpose and design of open source 3D printing
hard, library professionals would be able to service open
source printers without having to depend on an outside
agency. Brand name printers are safer and come with a
warranty, but they usually come with restrictions such as
hardware, software, or filament.
It is not necessary to learn the little intricacies that require
a college degree to understand electronics, manufactur-
ing, or computer programming. The idea of self-training is
to provide library professionals enough basic knowledge to
encourage and assist your library’s demographic who wish
to explore technology and eliminate dependency on sub-
scription based services and expensive technology.
Above: Raspberry Pi computer board
Below: Prusa i3 3D printer, a low-cost option
printer that is built from a kit.
Resources:
3D Printers: Reprap.org
3D Printing Listserv: http://lists.ala.org/sympa/info/lita-3d
Arduino Kits: Arduino.cc or Arduino.org
Raspberry Pi Computers: Raspberrypi.org
Components for Raspberry Pi: https://www.adafruit.com/
CLA TECHNOLOGY INTEREST GROUP
Submit to SYNC Want to share exciting and successful implementations or use of
technologies in your library? Or discuss new innovations and technologies?
We want to hear from you!
Submissions for our Fall 2016 issue will be accepted through October 1, 2016.
Please send submissions for upcoming issues to the editors at [email protected].
Articles should be between 200-500 words in length; pictures (with captions) are also accepted; and the article may receive editing upon
entry into the newsletter. Exceptions can be made for longer articles, please contact the editors at [email protected] to correspond.
Our Mission:
To evaluate past,
current, and future
technology trends to
improve the
technology
experience for both
library patrons and
library staff.
Get Active with the Technology Interest Group!
Are you interested in getting more involved in the Technology Interest Group? We're looking for mem-
bers who would like to assist with upcoming events on all different levels including event planning,
publicity for events and the group or strategic planning. Whether you'd like to add some experience to
your resume, network or just learn more about new technologies, your help could be invaluable.
Please email [email protected] if you’re interested in getting more involved. Students are welcome!
Lena Pham
Technology Interest Group Chair
Awards Committee Chair Mellanie Reeve
Reference Librarian Chaffey College [email protected]
Sync Editor Carla Arbagey
Electronic Resources Librarian UC Riverside
TIG Chair Lena Pham
Library Programs Consultant California State Library
Steering Committee:
Carla Arbagey, Electronic Resources Librarian, UC Riverside: [email protected]
Julie Oborny, Youth Services Librarian, San Benito County Free Library: [email protected]
Crystal Schimpf, Librarian and Co-Founder, Kixal: [email protected]
Phillip Ballo, Independent Researcher and Library Assistant, Southwestern College: [email protected]
Tim Ream, Librarian, Southwest College: [email protected]
Page 6
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