Quick post to share my slides!  I’ll update later with more context.

UPDATE: I wanted to add a bit more to this post since all that it is are a bunch of photos that really make no sense unless you were there.  Here’s the deal: the makerspace movement isn’t new.  Youth Services librarians have been making and creating for years.  It can be as simple as duct tape and construction paper or you can take it all the way to the 3D printer.  What’s true is this: Youth Services librarians have been doing it for ages in a variety of forms and this is a good moment for our population to stand up and say, “yes, this is what we’ve done and this is how we’re leading the change.”

Why is this important?  In my 8 (!) years in this profession, I’ve heard a lot of librarians who work with youth (ages 0-18) say that they don’t feel like they get the respect they deserve for the things they do, that so many people brush off their work as “well, they work with the kids and they love the kids and that’s who they are and that’s who they’ll always be.”  I’ve never bought into that in my career.  I’ve always believed that Youth Services librarians have been leading the change and pushing forward with innovation.  I believe that this is a great moment for youth services librarians: this is our moment to grow up a little bit and change the way we’re seen and the way we work.