by: Marcela Miramontes

Neal-Schuman's Library Technology Companion defines a makerspace as a place where technology tools are available for interested community members to create audio, video, or physical items (Neal-Schulman 212). I do not recall having seen makerspaces at the schools I attended when I was younger, but I have seen similarly described spaces in the school libraries I've visited throughout the San Diego Unified School District and often wondered what the purpose of these spaces was. Walking into a library and seeing a group of students hard at work on some crafts one day , I asked the librarian if they were making decorations for the library, but she replied that, no, the students were actually working on creating cars out of miscellaneous objects and that they would be holding a race the following day. She also told me a bit about how their makerspace came to be; most of the students at the makerspace had attended the Gizmos and Gadgets Kids Labs Camp during the summer where they had a blast creating and testing science projects, making art, learned about new technology, and learned from each other.

Below is a description of the Gizmos and Gadgets ethos and mission:

Gizmos & Gadgets Creative Lab

Gizmos & Gadgets is a creative lab for kids where they are free to develop and pursue their own ideas through hands-on project based learning experiences in science, technology, engineering, art, math & maker (STEAM).

At Gizmos & Gadgets, our goals are to:

Expose children to the real vocabulary, tools, processes, and content of STEAM fields and give them a head start in those subjects
Provide a fun and engaging experience for children so they view STEAM fields in a positive way.
Create confident children who are able to follow their own ideas, problem solve, work in teams, and who don’t give up.

Once back at school, some of the students continued working on and adding to their summer projects during lunch, which ignited curiosity among their peers. After some parents proposed a makerspace in the library, the school allowed the use of a part of the library as a makerspace two days a week.