C L A T e c h n o l o g y I n t e r e s t G r o u p

Volume 5, Issue 1

M a r c h 2 0 1 6

Tech Makerspaces 1

Wellness Wearables 2

Makerboxes 3

CLA-TIG Awards 4

CLA-TIG Information 6

Inside this issue:

Getting Started with Technology Makerspaces By Phil Ballo, Independent Researcher and Library Assistant at Southwestern College

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With a growing amount of makerspaces sprouting throughout the United States, new

opportunities and new skill sets are available to the library professional. If you are

thinking of developing a makerspace in your library, it’s best to understand maker tech-

nology first before investing time, effort, and money. This article will focus on Arduinos,

Raspberry Pis, and 3D printing.

Arduino (microcontrollers) and robotics programming: Arduinos are used to teach people

electronics and how to move machinery. Arduinos are best used for input / output elec-

tronics projects, particularly those that emit energy (lights) or things that move (motors),

to put it simply. There are many Arduino clones as well as affordable Arduino kits that

would be able to fit your library’s budget. The basic kit found in various Arduino web-

sites provides easy to follow instructions that guide you into the basics of electronics

plus a complete set of electronics components. There are also electronic kits available

for school and public libraries that serve the youth population, such as littleBits.

Continued, Page 5

A basic Arduino kit, complete with circuit board, project book, motor, wires, and display.

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CIRCULATING WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY FOR WELLNESS

Some companies, such as Lumoid, make these

tasks easier by having a “try before you buy” lending

program. The program affords consumers a way to

experience wearable technology if they pay a loan

fee or purchase one of the wearables after a trial

period. Libraries have also jumped onto bandwag-

on by lending wearable technology. Santa Clara City

Library circulates the FitBit Zip. The North Carolina

State University Libraries currently offer patrons a

great opportunity to learn about wearable technolo-

gy with their Techlending Beta Program, which in-

cludes devices such as a virtual reality headset and

a brainwave sensor. The Toronto Public Li-

brary has also encouraged patron learning by hold-

ing programs such as last year's Find Your Su-

per Powers with Wearable Tech, which invited chil-

dren to experience a variety of wearable technology

products at the library.    South San Francisco Public Library’s new Wearables

for Wellness project meshes well with the library’s

mission to develop new technology collections and

create services that keep seniors active and en-

gaged. With this project, South San Francisco Pub-

lic Library plans to take advantage of the recent

b u z z a b o u t w e a r a b l e t e c h n o l o -

gy by expanding its offerings of digital literacy and

health programs into the arena of wearable tech. It

will highlight the importance of physical fitness for

seniors and the community as a whole. According

to the CDC, chronic health conditions account for

86% of the nation’s healthcare costs, and are re-

sponsible for 7 out of 10 deaths per year. We hope

that by bringing attention to the importance of

health and chronic disease prevention via engag-

ing, new technology, community members will

be encouraged to consider their current health sta-

tus, consult with their health care providers, and put

a preventative health care plan into action.

South San Francisco Public Library is making preparations for a new circulating collection of wearable technology,

focused on health and wellness. Thanks to a grant from the Pacific Library Partnership, SSFPL will acquire a variety

of fitness and activity trackers and wearables that help with relaxation and posture.

Wearable technology such as Apple watches and Fitbit sleep and activity trackers have created a big buzz in recent

years. It's becoming hard to go a day without passing by someone wearing a fitness tracker, seeing commercials for

new wearable tech, or overhearing a conversation about which device is best for health improvement.  With so many

options on the market, and the relatively high cost of wearable technology (often around $100.00 or more for many

consumer wearables), determining the best wearable for one's needs and obtaining hands-on experience with vari-

ous models can be difficult.  

Above: Wearable technology packages from Lumoid. From

left to right, top to bottom: Mira wellness and activity bracelet,

Lumo Lift posture coach, Ringly smart ring, Fitbit One, Garmin

Vivoactive, Moov Now, Misfit Shine 2, Withings Activité Pop,

http://lumoid.com.

Below: Muse brain sensing headband and meditation assis-

tant, http://choosemuse.com.

By Monica Frenchman, South San Francisco Public Library

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MAKERBOX COLLECTIVE FOR VENTURA COUNTY LIBRARIES

A group of libraries, mostly based in Ventura County,

were looking for ways to pool their resources and be-

come an active participant in the Makerspace move-

ment. The group received a grant from the State Li-

brary to create a MakerBox Collective. The libraries in-

volved are Calabasas, Camarillo, Moorpark, Oxnard,

Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, and Ventura County. The

Collective have put together MakerBoxes consisting of

materials to expose the patrons to 21st technology and

STEAM related skills and show the adaptability and im-

portance of libraries. Our approach would provide a

broad range of programming and to develop and share

our resources in an efficient way to meet the needs of

our patrons. These programs would help the member

libraries that would otherwise be unable to afford or

manage a Makerspace. It’s important for our libraries

to continue to adapt to new technologies and ways to

share resources.

The Boxes we have created consist of three boxes of

mini 3D printers and one box each of Brushbots, Makey

Makey, Squishy Circuits, and LED Conductive Sewing.

The Boxes are rotated on a monthly basis to each li-

brary. Each library plans and executes at least one pro-

gram a month. We have different age groups and com-

munities, so the boxes are flexible enough for a library

to use the box for their particular library. We have basic

outlines as guides, but come up with new ideas all the

time for how to present the programs.

The Maker movement is an expanding approach to the

creative and collaborative learning experience. Maker

programs provide a new mode of learning and support

the schools’ new STEAM and Common Core Curriculum.

With the overwhelming demand for more STEAM pro-

gramming, this project has multiply our ability to provide

these opportunities to our patrons. We also want to

make sure we have programs for adults to learn skills

and have exposed to 21st century technology because of

the growing number of seniors.

We had an Open House for dignitaries and press and

are planning a hands-on workshop for Southern Califor-

nia Librarians in late April. We have had more than 40

programs since December and our surveys and other

statistical information show that we are creating patrons

who are more confident in learning about or being ex-

posed to new technology.

We hope to reach new populations and the people that

may have not yet been served by our libraries. We will

continue to foster new community partnerships while

continually preserving those we have. We want to bring

technology, new skills, and learning opportunities to

patrons of all ages.

Above, left: Experimenting with Makey Makey and Gummie

Bear candies

Above, right: LED conductive sewing.

Below: Finished LED conductive sewing project

By Karilyn Steward, City of Calabasas Library

MAKER FAIRE BAY AREA

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NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR CLA’S TECHNOLOGY INTEREST GROUP AWARDS

CLA Technology Interest Group

New Leader Award

Sponsored by The Galecia Group

Cultivates new leadership in the field of library

and information science services

Enables them to attend and actively participate in

the CLA conference

Encourages and inspires them to accept leader-

ship roles within TIG and CLA as a whole

The 2016 nomination period runs until March 18

2016, and the successful recipient will be notified

by June 2016

Full Award details are available on the CLA TIG

website

For questions, contact Mellanie Reeve:

mkreeve@gmail.com

CLA Technology Interest Group

Professional Award

Sponsored by Springshare

Acknowledges outstanding achievement in the

library profession and areas of technology

Nominees will have contributed significantly in the

innovation, implementation, or improvements of

libraries and technology

Nominees will have contributed significantly to

professional literature, studies, or research

The 2016 nomination period runs until March 18,

and the successful recipient will be notified by

June 2016

Full award details are available on the CLA TIG

website

For questions, contact Mellanie Reeve:

mkreeve@gmail.com

Apply for CLA Awards at http://www.cla-net.org/?192

For more maker inspiration, consider attending the “Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth,” the 11th Annual Maker

Faire by Maker Media, the publishers of Make: magazine. The Maker Faire brings together tech enthusiasts,

crafters, educators, engineers, artists, commercial exhibitors, and tinkerers of all kinds. Makers will showcase

their crafts, inventions, and innovations, and share what they have learned.

The Maker Faire will be held at the San Mateo Event Center in San Mateo, CA.

For more information, visit http://makerfaire.com/bay-area.

Page 5

Makerspaces, Continued from 1

Raspberry Pis (computers): Raspberry Pis are low-cost,

credit card sized computers capable of performing a varie-

ty of tasks. They can be used as simple OPACs, internet

browsers, and word and spreadsheet processing. Unfortu-

nately, typical windows software, such as Microsoft Office,

will not work with the Raspberry Pi. However, free alterna-

tives, such as LibreOffice, are available and offer the same

functions. With a few other accessories, such as a cheap

monitor, keyboard, mouse, wireless dongle (or LAN cable),

and a microSD card you have a fully functioning computer

for a total cost of no more than $150. While you can learn

software programming with any computer, due to the low

equipment costs, learning and teaching the basics of soft-

ware programming with the Raspberry Pi is the cheapest

and most effective route for low budget libraries and

providing an affordable alternative for low income families.

3D printing: the current majority of library and home-based

3D printing is plastic prototyping, crafting, and manufactur-

ing. These types of printers melt plastic which is added on

layer by layer through a process called fused deposition

modelling (FDM). RepRap.org provides a nice guide to

open source printing in which you can build your own 3D

printers. However, I personally cannot recommend building

your first 3D printer due to the difficulty and time. Pur-

chase your 3D printer through reputable sites or ask

around various listservs for a suggestion. Be sure to look

at whether or not the printer has filament restrictions to

prevent dependency from brand name products. By learn-

ing the purpose and design of open source 3D printing

hard, library professionals would be able to service open

source printers without having to depend on an outside

agency. Brand name printers are safer and come with a

warranty, but they usually come with restrictions such as

hardware, software, or filament.

It is not necessary to learn the little intricacies that require

a college degree to understand electronics, manufactur-

ing, or computer programming. The idea of self-training is

to provide library professionals enough basic knowledge to

encourage and assist your library’s demographic who wish

to explore technology and eliminate dependency on sub-

scription based services and expensive technology.

Above: Raspberry Pi computer board

Below: Prusa i3 3D printer, a low-cost option

printer that is built from a kit.

Resources:

3D Printers: Reprap.org

3D Printing Listserv: http://lists.ala.org/sympa/info/lita-3d

Arduino Kits: Arduino.cc or Arduino.org

Raspberry Pi Computers: Raspberrypi.org

Components for Raspberry Pi: https://www.adafruit.com/

CLA TECHNOLOGY INTEREST GROUP

Submit to SYNC Want to share exciting and successful implementations or use of

technologies in your library? Or discuss new innovations and technologies?

We want to hear from you!

Submissions for our Fall 2016 issue will be accepted through October 1, 2016.

Please send submissions for upcoming issues to the editors at clatignews@gmail.com.

Articles should be between 200-500 words in length; pictures (with captions) are also accepted; and the article may receive editing upon

entry into the newsletter. Exceptions can be made for longer articles, please contact the editors at clatignews@gmail.com to correspond.

Our Mission:

To evaluate past,

current, and future

technology trends to

improve the

technology

experience for both

library patrons and

library staff.

Get Active with the Technology Interest Group!

Are you interested in getting more involved in the Technology Interest Group? We're looking for mem-

bers who would like to assist with upcoming events on all different levels including event planning,

publicity for events and the group or strategic planning. Whether you'd like to add some experience to

your resume, network or just learn more about new technologies, your help could be invaluable.

Please email clatignews@gmail.com if you’re interested in getting more involved. Students are welcome!

Lena Pham

Technology Interest Group Chair

Awards Committee Chair Mellanie Reeve

Reference Librarian Chaffey College mkreeve@gmail.com

Sync Editor Carla Arbagey

Electronic Resources Librarian UC Riverside

carlar@ucr.edu

TIG Chair Lena Pham

Library Programs Consultant California State Library

lena.pham@library.ca.gov

Steering Committee:

Carla Arbagey, Electronic Resources Librarian, UC Riverside: carlar@ucr.edu

Julie Oborny, Youth Services Librarian, San Benito County Free Library: j.oborny@gmail.com

Crystal Schimpf, Librarian and Co-Founder, Kixal: crystal@kixal.com

Phillip Ballo, Independent Researcher and Library Assistant, Southwestern College: historicalphil@gmail.com

Tim Ream, Librarian, Southwest College: reamtr@lasc.edu

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