View Project

G2S Project Code: 2014-CA-72158
State: California
Fiscal Year: 2014

Grantee
CITY OF FULLERTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

Project Director
Director Name: Chaunacey Dunklee
Director Phone: 7147383343
Director Email: ChaunaceyD@ci.fullerton.ca.us

General Information
Title: Craft, Construct, Create: A Modular Makerspace
State Project Code: 40-8423
Start Date: 07/01/2014
End Date: 07/31/2015
Abstract: Through this project the Fullerton Public Library created maker modules and programming for adults and young adults to expand their experience and provide an outlet for their creativity. We purchased a significant number of tools to provide a large spectrum of ways to discover creativity which included sewing, gardening, cooking, digital arts creation, and 3D printing. We found that our community cannot get enough of the programs we are offering.

State Goal: Goal VII: Community Connections

Budget Information

LSTA

MATCH-State

MATCH-Other

Total

$21,000.00

$0.00

$52,043.00

$73,043.00

Intent(s)
Improve users' general knowledge and skills.
Arts, Culture & Humanities
Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math (STEM)

Activities
Activity Details
Title: Make! Workshops
Narrative:

Taught instructional classes for: Digitizing family memories, then practiced with the software and hardware; Creating items through sewing, papercrafting, and food programs; Using the 3D printer and scanner, then practiced with tools.

Intent: Improve users' general knowledge and skills.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Program
Format: In-person

Quantity
Session length (minutes): 180
Number of sessions in program: 1
Average number in attendance per session: 13
Number of times program administered: 15

Partner Information

Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: No
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No

Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No

Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: Targeted
Geographic community of the targeted group: Suburban
For what age groups: 18-25 years
26-49 years
50-59 years
60-69 years
70+ years
For what economic types: Economic Not Applicable
For what ethnicity types: Ethnicity Not Applicable
Is the activity directed at families: No
Is the activity directed at intergenerational groups: Yes
Is the activity directed at immigrants/refugees: No
Is the activity directed at those with disabilities: No
Limited functional literacy or informational skills: No
Is the activity category not already captured: No

Locale
Is the activity state-wide: No
Specific Locations: No
Library Types

Public Libraries: 1
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0

Activity Details
Title: Stitch Niche and Open Workshop Hours
Narrative:

Stitch Niche is an informal weekly gathering of needlecrafts enthusiasts. Makerspace open workshop hours provide access to the makerspace tools to the public for staff-assisted discovery and experimentation.

Intent: Improve users' general knowledge and skills.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Consultation/drop-in/referral
Format: In-person

Quantity
Total number of consultation/reference transactions: 141
Average number of consultation/reference transactions per month: 16

Partner Information

Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: General

Locale
Is the activity state-wide: No
Specific Locations: No
Library Types

Public Libraries: 1
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0

Activity Details
Title: Tool and Materials Acquisition
Narrative: Acquired materials for programs and workshops, as well as "maker" titles to add to the library's collection.

Intent: Improve users' general knowledge and skills.

Activity: Content
Mode: Acquisition
Format: Combined physical & digital

Quantity
Number of hardware acquired: 20
Number of software acquired: 2
Number of licensed databases acquired: 0
Number of print materials (books & government documents) acquired: 128
Number of electronic materials acquired: 6
Number of audio/visual units (audio discs, talking books, other recordings) acquired: 0

Partner Information

Public Libraries: 1
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0

Activity Details
Title: Digitizing Local History
Narrative:

Asked local residents to submit their photos for archiving in the Local History room, in conjunction with the digitization workshops held in the "programs" section.

Intent: Improve users' general knowledge and skills.

Activity: Content
Mode: Creation
Format: Digital

Quantity
Number of items digitized: 350
Number of items digitized and available to the public: 350
Number of physical items: 0
Number of open-source applications/software/systems: 0
Number of proprietary applications/software/systems: 0
Number of learning resources (e.g. toolkits, guides): 1
Number of plans/frameworks: 0

Partner Information

Public Libraries: 1
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0

Activity Details
Title: Growing the Maker Collection
Narrative:

Purchased materials specifically aimed toward STEAM and "maker" audiences.

Intent: Improve users' general knowledge and skills.

Activity: Content
Mode: Lending
Format: Combined physical & digital

Quantity
Total number of items circulated: 139
Average number of items circulated / month: 19
Total number of ILL transactions: 0
Average number of ILL transactions / month: 0

Partner Information

Public Libraries: 1
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0

Project Outcomes
Project Outcomes
List any important findings or outcomes from your project:
We were hoping for staff engagement, and found that there was more than we anticipated! 12 members of our staff led a workshop during the grant period, and others are looking forward to doing so during the next year. Participant feedback for learning new skills and honing old ones from the workshops was overwhelmingly positive. We had patrons say that they felt confident enough to pick up their sewing machine again for the first time in decades. Nearly all participants (at the end of the first workshop or project they attended) were surprised that the library offered these types of classes and stated that they would be interested in attending more of them. Nearly all of our attendees reported an increase in knowledge or skills, as well as the importance of the library in the community. The majority of our participants were also pleased to find that adult creativity had a place in the library.
Please briefly describe importance of findings:
We were pleased to see staff embrace the notion of teaching others. The most important aspect of engaging staff seemed to be tying a hobby they have outside of the library to something they wanted to share with others. The excitement of the opportunity to share their hobbies was a catalyst for staff to explode with creativity. Many new participants reported that they heard about the programming through word of mouth. This indicates we need to beef up our marketing. The enthusiasm patrons showed for the programming (and desire for more of it) was gratifying. It shows that we need to offer more interactive programming, instead of just lectures. Finally, this grant was geared toward adults, with some emphasis on intergenerational learning. That was the case for most of our workshops, but the Lego workshop was attended exclusively by school-age children and their families. We will be working with the Children's department to see what kind of offerings we can provide in the future that would be geared more toward the primary audience.
What methods did you use to determine your findings? Check all that apply:
Review of Administrative Data
Interview/Focus Group
Participant Observation
Based on outputs, outcomes and/or other results, explain any significant lessons learned from these findings for either the SLAA or others in the LIS field:
We had a goal of adding 100 items from the public to our Local History digital archives by the end of the grant period. We received less than 10. We anticipated that people would be more excited to share their family's history with others. There was, however, ongoing use of the scanner for personal digitizing projects. At our staffing levels, averaging a workshop per month is an ambitious goal. It can be done, but requires the coordination of many library departments and the expertise of varied staff members. We've learned much about the "hidden" skills that many of our colleagues have. We kept coming up with great ideas for programming, but due to staff limitations have had to scale back. Going to outreach events was a terrific way to drum up excitement for our modules, but did not seem to translate well to attendance statistics. However, by having workshops, we needed to limit the number of attendees. We provided many of the materials, as well as the tools, which was popular, but not sustainable. We need to find a better way to balance the number of participants versus the interactivity of the program. We found that the biggest concerns that patrons had with the workshops was the disparity in skill levels. This disparity was originally meant to be a "feature": it would encourage a feeling of community and collaboration. Unfortunately, some participants monopolized staff time and other participants were not willing to offer assistance. We will be offering classes for different skill levels in the future.
Do you anticipate continuing this project after the current reporting period ends:
Yes
Do you anticipate any change in level of effort:
No
Do you anticipate any change in the project's scope:
Yes: With no other grant or local funding, we will need to scale back our large-scale project-oriented workshops to a quarterly schedule. We will, however, continue to have twice-a-month digitization classes, weekly sewing group meetings, and weekly makerspace open hours for self-directed learning.
Do you anticipate any other changes in the project:
No

Exemplary: No
Exemplary Narrative

Project Tags: makerspace, adult, teens