Vol. 7 No. 1 (2022): Journal of New Librarianship
Columns

Creating Belonging and Community in a Makerspace, Before and During COVID-19

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Carolyn Bishoff
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
DOI: https://doi.org/10.33011/newlibs/11/3%20

Published 2022-01-22

Keywords

  • Makerspace,
  • pandemic,
  • virtual community

How to Cite

Carlson, T., Bishoff, C., & Halaas, E. (2022). Creating Belonging and Community in a Makerspace, Before and During COVID-19. Journal of New Librarianship, 7(1), 17–26. https://doi.org/10.33011/newlibs/11/3

Abstract

The Breakerspace at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is a vibrant library makerspace open to all majors and skill levels and located right in the heart of campus. The design of the space and all of our decisions have been animated by the goal to empower and inspire students through access to creative materials, equipment, and programming. When our buildings closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Breakerspace closed as well. In this article, we discuss how we adapted our work in the makerspace to a socially distanced and remote environment, with an extra emphasis on virtual community.

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