Brian Pichman's seminar emphasizes the need for libraries to transform into engaging learning spaces that foster creativity, collaboration, and innovation through maker spaces and interactive technology. He advocates for incorporating elements like hackspaces, digital content curation, and gamified reading experiences to enhance patron interaction and create memorable library experiences. Additionally, Pichman discusses fundraising strategies, social media engagement, and the importance of staff involvement in utilizing technology to better serve library users.

1. NEFLIN SEMINAR
BRIAN PICHMAN
OF THE EVOLVE PROJECT
Engaging with
Maker Spaces

2. Let Me Introduce Myself
Hi I’m Brian Pichman
Today we will explore libraries, discover new learning spaces,
define interaction and engagement. Libraries need to become
more engaging.
Follow me on Twitter:
@bpichman

3. Take Risks

4. “LIBRARIES ARE SCREWED” BY
ELI NEIBURGER
Libraries are like Candles

5. Create a Public VALUE
• Not be a “process” but an experience
• Move from physical to digital
• Create new ways to learn and explore
• Libraries should be creating stories
• Libraries HAVE TO BE ENGANGING!
• Shift Focus To
• Innovation, Interaction, Discovery, Collaboration and
Invention

6. Libraries Need to Become Engaging
Build out maker spaces/learning spaces to:
 Encourage Creativity and Invention
 Allow Discovery
 Increase Collaboration
 Generate Interaction
 Foster Innovation

7. Creation and Inventions

8. Discovery

9. Collaboration

10. Interaction

11. Innovation

12. Evolve: A Library Playground
 Fab Lab / “Hackerspace” / “MakerSpace
 A location where people with common interests (usually in
computers, technology, science, or digital or electronic art)
meet, socialize and/or collaborate.
 Can be viewed as open community labs incorporating elements
of workshops and/or studios where people can come together
to share resources and knowledge to build and make things
and ideas.
 Combining the positive & fun aspects of schools, museums,
and playgrounds into one “entity”.

13. We All Have
Creative Potential

14. Types of Maker Spaces
Collaborative Areas
(Either Network Based
or In A Room)
Provide Tools
(Hardware and/or
Software)
Learning Labs or
Training Centers

15. http://makerspace.com/makerspace-directory

18. Recording Studios / Art Studios
• Macs
• Video Equipment
• Green Screens
• Sound Recording

19. 3D Printing
The ability to print
“objects”

20. Allen County Public Library

21. Multimedia Room / Learning Centers
 Room Set Up Features:
 Clickers
 Allows for jeopardy style gaming
 Smart Board (interactive white board)
 Full DVD/BluRay/Sound System
 Easy to use and start (Touch Panel System)
 You Can Use This Room For
 Jeopardy
 Movie Nights
 Presentations / Interactive Style Board Game Night
 Create a Business Plan, Project Plan, etc

23. The 4th floor is a public laboratory
and educational facility with a focus
on information, design, technology,
and the applied arts.
The 14,000 sq foot space hosts equipment,
expertise, programs, events, and meetings
that work within this scope.
While traditional library spaces support the
consumption of knowledge by offering
access to media, the 4th floor is unique
because it supports the production,
connection, and sharing of knowledge by
offering access to tools and instruction.
Chattanooga ”Fourth Floor”

24. DOK Lab (www.doklab.nl)

25. If you build it they will come

26. I N C O R P O R A T E Y O U R S P A C E W I T H
T E C H N O L O G Y T H A T P A T R O N S C A N T A K E
H O M E
USE TECHNOLOGY

27. Kurio Tablet
 Cheap Tablet
 Locked Down
 Secure

28. Little Bits
 littleBits is an open source library of electronic
modules that snap together with tiny magnets for
prototyping, learning, and fun.

29. Meet Sphero.

30. Creation Station – Lego We-Do
Robotic Legos that
move;
teaches how to
program
through a GUI
interface

32. Laser Tag (Yes inside the library)
 Ubisoft Laser Tag System
 Up to 8 can play
 Multiple different game
scenarios

34. The Menageri-E
 A “Digital Petting Zoo” or “E-Bar”

35. Music Station

37. Your environment can have all the best tech toys and cool
maker-spaces but it could still fall short.
It is up to the frontline staff to ENANGE their audiences. A
friendly hello goes a long way. Allow the staff to play with the
tech; get them involved to reflect that excitement to the users.

38. • Use the tools your
users use
• Communicate on
their level
• These are your #1
Marketing Tools

39. Digital Content
Curation
Encourage creativity

40. Film A Zombie Movie
(Cameras and some
Face Paint for Your
Library)

41. Link Books to E-
Books
Find New Content
Scavenger Hunts

42. Open a new
dimension in your
library.
Buy using an app,
you can see a new
“world” within your
physical space.

43. Place books into
color themed bags.
Barcode number
written outside of
bag. Allow patrons to
check out and take
them home.

44. During special
holiday periods, find
books that are
colored the holiday
colors (not
necessarily about the
holiday) and place
them on a stand near
your end caps.

45. Purchase Cheap
Plastic and Foam to
setup Paths and
fairways with felt.
Have it throughout the
library, engage the
participants through
your space.

46. “Hello”

47. • Stand, Not Sit
• Walk Around
• Go to patrons, and ask them how the are doing, show them things
• Create Staff “Experts”
• Each member of your staff probably has a hobby, a genre of book
they enjoy. Give them badges to say “I Fish” or “I Love Mystery”.
• Create “Patron Experts”
• Staff and Youth
• Remove Fines. Don’t punish for returning a book that took longer
to read.
• Instead of a fine, ask the younger patron, “well tell me about this
book”

49. • Put a “Reward System” into the library card
• Badges
• Prizes
• Exclusive Programming / Event registration
• Low Tech:
• Print new more colorful library cards, allow patrons to customize
their card with different and increasingly more desired badges –
based off books read, programs attended, etc.
• High Tech:
• Create Library Cards with screens
• Send Messages to card when they are in the library (wirelessly
connected)
• Display “reading level” or “badges they own”

51. • Rochester Institute of Technology
• https://play.rit.edu/
• http://youtu.be/xjK1dQHmzss

52. • The Game of Books is gamifying the reading experience.
• In the Game, you are the character that you are leveling
up; books are the magical items that give you rewards.
• This is a project from BookLamp.Org
• Each Book in the world has a very specific DNA, a structure
that contains specific themes, writing style, density, etc.
• The themes in the book relate to points – and those points
apply to your character.
• More Details: www.gameofbooks.com

55. Technology As An Evolution
 1990 – 2000: Internet Burst
 2000 – 2010: Value Adds to Technology
 2010 – 2020: Technology Burst

56. Future of Technology
 To discover and curate of information
 Value adds (efficiency, reliability)
 To build or discover new “things”

57. Future of Search Has Changed
Searches based off of
visuals instead of
keywords
Clicking Images
rather than entering
in words

58. General Themes
 Touch-Based
 Gesture-Based
 Object Orientated
 Open Source Hardware

59. Touch Based
 People want to touch everything
 Discover Through Touch
 Search Through Touch
 Learn Through Touch

66. Gesture Based
 Communicate with Technology Hands Free
 Uses multiple cameras to detect depth/movement
 Microsoft Kinect
 Sites to Explore:
 Microsoft Kinect
 PrimeSense
 Evoluce

72. Wearable Gesture Based Computing
http://www.pranavmistry.com/projects/sixthsense/

73. Object Orientated
 Use Objects to interact with surfaces

78. Back To Searching
 Technology is becoming more “visual” orientated
 Whether it be from touch, gesture, or objects
 Search Dynamics are changing

79. Future Concepts
 People watching TV can point and click to buy
content (clothes, cars, etc)
 Predictive searches (Amazon does it now)
 Ask yourself, what do you want to create?

80. Open Source
 We have the ability to create “things” cheaper now
 Open Source Hardware (Arduino, RaspberryPi)
 Open Source Software

81. There never seems to be enough
money to do anything

82. So Where Can Money Come From?

83. Crowd-Source Funding
• People across the world group together to fund
new projects and ideas
• People are encouraged to donate by either the
attractive name or “awards” based off the
amount they donate.
• Kickstarter.com
• Indiegogo.com

87. Social Media
• Market your “Brand” heavy through social media
– And Blogging
• Solid companies pro-actively manage their social
media accounts.
– They watch what people are saying because everyone
else can see what people say
– They want only positivity about their company on the
web, they will work to only have positive comments.
– If a company does provide assistance, always show
your support through social media
• (you may need more support later on down the road).
Social Media is a way to develop relationships

89. Tips - Twitter
• Only use positivity when communicating on
twitter
• 140 Characters, make them count!
– Wow! @COMPANYX has some really great stuff. I need
to get my hands on it
– Who would like to see @PRODUCT in our library
space?
• Once you build a good relationship ask the hard
questions
– Can you help me on the cost @COMPANYZ

90. Tips - Facebook
• Go to the Company’s Pages, be sure to “Like”
their page before commenting
• Again, be only positive. Tell your story, pitch
your idea.

92. Handling Objections
• You will hear “no”
– A LOT
• But that just means phrased the question wrong or
asked the incorrect person.
– Who else can I talk to about discounted pricing/donations
– Does anyone make a similar product that would be more
inline with our budget (ask them about their competitors).
– What other things would you recommend?
• Don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions of “why”
• Everyone has a bottom line.

93. Just Ask

94. Places to save money
• Buy Refurbished
– Refurbishment is the distribution of products (usually
electronics) that have been previously returned to a
manufacturer or vendor for various reasons. Refurbished
products are normally tested for functionality and defects
before they are sold, and thus are the approximate
equivalent of certified pre-owned cars. - Wikipedia
– Refurbs are OK!!!
• Discount Sites:
– 1SaleADay.Com
– Woot.Com
– Monoprice.Com
– E-Bay

95. Questions?
@bpichman
815.534.0403
bpichman@evolveproject.org
Brian Pichman