Sustaining library makerspaces: Perspectives on participation, expertise, and embeddedness
ÁM Einarsson - The Library Quarterly, 2021 - journals.uchicago.edu
The Library Quarterly, 2021•journals.uchicago.edu
As the novelty of makerspaces in libraries slowly fades, this study examines how
participation, expertise, and embeddedness in the library organization and surrounding
community are sustained in library makerspaces. Based on interviews with makerspace
practitioners in 13 Danish libraries, practices of maintaining, scaling, replicating, and
evolving library makerspaces are analyzed. The findings propose a variety of practices and
tensions concerning sharing ownership with user communities; scaling and prolonging …
participation, expertise, and embeddedness in the library organization and surrounding
community are sustained in library makerspaces. Based on interviews with makerspace
practitioners in 13 Danish libraries, practices of maintaining, scaling, replicating, and
evolving library makerspaces are analyzed. The findings propose a variety of practices and
tensions concerning sharing ownership with user communities; scaling and prolonging …
Abstract
As the novelty of makerspaces in libraries slowly fades, this study examines how participation, expertise, and embeddedness in the library organization and surrounding community are sustained in library makerspaces. Based on interviews with makerspace practitioners in 13 Danish libraries, practices of maintaining, scaling, replicating, and evolving library makerspaces are analyzed. The findings propose a variety of practices and tensions concerning sharing ownership with user communities; scaling and prolonging users’ participation; building expertise through documentation, repetition, and sharing; collaborating with local community partners; and embedding makerspace practices into existing library practices, resources, and values. The results inform a discussion of participation, expertise, and embeddedness, which are distilled into three guiding principles that can help libraries reflect and address the sustainability of their makerspace over time.
The University of Chicago Press