Makerspaces in libraries: : an analysis of existing research

The objective of this study is to create an overview of the existing research on makerspaces in libraries. It examines what the publication patterns look like and which subjects the research covers. Eleven academic articles have been studied and analysed with regards to bibliometric data and also by means of thematic content analysis. The analysis builds on R. David Lankes' theory that the mission of the library is to create a better society by facilitating knowledge creation in the community. The results show that research on makerspaces in libraries is still very limited, although the field covers many different aspects of the subject. Most of the research comes from USA and most of it has been published in the research area of Social science. The most cited article among the studied articles is written by Groenendyk & Gallant, and the article most cited by the studied authors is written by Lauren Britton. The themes discovered in the content analysis consists of descriptions of makerspaces, accessibility, makerspaces and users, makerspaces and society, the future of libraries and makerspaces in practice. The study also shows that makerspaces can be a way for libraries to fulfill R. David Lankes' mission of knowledge creation