Learning in Middle School Library Makerspaces: A Makerspace Collaboration Guide for School Librarians

This paper establishes an argument for the beneficial roles makerspaces can provide in school library programs. It builds a bridge between formal and informal education by grounding it in current accepted educational theories and frameworks including constructivism, constructionism, inquiry-based learning, and Backward Design. The paper stresses the importance of understanding adolescents and how they learn in a school library makerspace. It also addresses the role of school librarians as collaborators and their responsibility to conduct evidence-based practice. The final product resulting from this work is a makerspace collaboration guide intended for use by school librarians. It provides tools for facilitating productive collaborations between the school librarian, teachers, students, and community members. A version of this collaboration guide is available for download and modification at jennythelibrarian.wordpress.com.Master of Science in Library Scienc