School Libraries and Careers of Future Students

This report by littleBits was able to delve more deeply into the types of programs that are offered as part of maker and STEAM education, the challenges librarians face as they start and scale these programs, and some of the best practices to ensure an effective and engaging implementation for all students. This report highlights the importance of three initiatives to further enable librarians and media specialists:

1. PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES to librarians and media specialists so they can more successfully be the leading force of innovation in their schools.

2. DESIGNING STAFF MEETINGS AND A SCHOOL CALENDAR THAT ALLOW LIBRARIANS TO INTERACT MORE FREQUENTLY WITH TEACHERS in their school so they can better integrate maker activities with curriculum and scale these activities beyond the library space.

3. RETHINKING THE DESIGN OF SCHOOL LIBRARIES to allow integration of STEM and maker tools, collaboration between students, and opportunities to share knowledge in the community.

Jamalian, A. (2018). The role of school libraries in the 21^st century maker movement. New York, NY: littleBits. https://fs24.formsite.com/edweek/images/wp-littlebits-Research_Shows_School_Libraries_in_New_Light.pdf