making & innovation in academic libraries

MAKING & INNOVATION

Why it needs to be happening in academic libraries

Tara RadnieckiBibliothekartag: Bremen,

GermanyJune 6, 2014

DeLaMare Library

DeLaMare Library

But WHY in an academic

library?

If individual departments begin

managing electronic journal

subscriptions and the student union

provides comfy couches for students

to study in (and eat/drink/sleep) –

why on earth will any university

continue to spend millions on the

library ?

Making + Innovation in Academic

Libraries = Indispensible

Our Missions

History of Supporting Making

Papers

Experiments

Making Software

Posters KnowledgeConnections

Collaborations

Literacies

• Digital / Media literacy

• Computational literacy

• Tactile literacy

Literacies

Literacies

The stuff resumes are built of…

Expert 3D modeling skills

Multiple students working on patent applications

Apps created in hackathons

Robotics knowledge

Creative thinking skills

Tactile & computations knowledge

Connect People

Accelerate Serendipity

Make Collaborations

• Joint proposal with Psychology for handheld 3D

scanners

• Joint proposal with 31 faculty across campus for

makerspace (in DeLaMare)

• Engineering dept giving us 3D printer & laser cutter

– make accessible to entire community

• Faculty members having office hours in DeLaMare

Library

• Computer Science asking us to co-produce a teens

Arduino summer camp

Make & Strengthen Collaborations

Maker culture

• Inclusiveness

• Open source

• Access to tools / resources

• Foster collaboration

• Champion innovation

• Sharing of knowledge / skills

• Hands-on learning

• DIY

The Wisconsin Idea

The Wisconsin Idea is the principle that the university

should improve people’s lives beyond the classroom.

It spans UW–Madison’s teaching, research, outreach and public

service.

Public Outreach

• First academic library to offer 3D printing to anyone and everyone, regardless of major or university status – completely open to greater public.

• Workshops and tours are open to the public

• Attending local collectives, makerspaces, inventor groups, high schools, networking communities to share resources

Supporting Startups

• Startup Weekend

• Inexpensive Prototyping

• Patent & Trademark Information

“I never thought I’d be able to

create anything I can imagine.”

- A student upon hearing about our 3D printer.

“The End.”

Tara RadnieckiEngineering LibrarianDeLaMare Science & Engineering LibraryUniversity of Nevada, Renotradniecki@unr.edu@tmradniecki