Rethinking the (Maker)space for Rural Libraries

Increasingly, libraries are joining the making trend by establishing makerspaces that provide access to these tools within dedicated spaces. These trends have spanned all kinds of library types (from school to public) and settings (urban, suburban, and rural). While making brings with it a number of desirable qualities, such as the opportunity to democratize access to digital and fabrication technologies , we should be cautious about duplicating and uncritically importing traditional makerspace models into library spaces. Instead, libraries should be promoting maker activities that avoid gender bias and promote inclusivity and accessibility for all, regardless of social status or income.
In this chapter, we describe parts of a three-year collaborative research study in which we partnered with librarians in small-town and rural libraries to implement STEM-rich maker activities for their youth patrons. We focus on how librarians can adapt the traditional makerspace model to provide inclusive, low-cost, and sustainable maker programming in their libraries.