On September 22, Dr. Maggie Melo, Laura March, and Dr. Kimberly Hirsh will present “Examining the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Library Makerspaces and LIS Makerspace Curricula” at the 2021 Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) virtual conference.

Paper/Session Description

This paper outlines two synergistic analyses that engage with the themes of resilient futures and education related to the COVID-19 pandemic. First, we describe the results of a research study on how makerspace information professionals in higher education adapted their services in response to additional safety protocols and needs of their user communities. Second, we illustrate how preliminary findings from this research were incorporated into a case study on transitioning LIS makerspace course curricula from face-to-face to remote learning.

By presenting both analyses together, this work contributes to conversations surrounding LIS curricula as it pertains to teaching and training information professionals for careers in makerspaces, while also contextualizing these adaptations within the larger changes implemented by academic library makerspaces in North Carolina.

This project was made possible in part by the National Science Foundation Award # 1942930.