New Roles for the Public Library Karen Hartman U.S. Embassy, Rome November 26, 2012

21 st Century Challenges Rapid economic, social and educational change Participatory learning Lifelong learning Multidisciplinary approach Government funding cuts Globalization Movement from a manufacturing/factory-based to a knowledge-based society Technological advances 24/7 Access to Internet on handheld devices Digital design, manufacturing

21st Century Workforce Changes Jobs in a lifetime 20 th Century: st Century: Job requirement 20 th Century: Mastery of one field 21 st Century: Simultaneous mastery of many fields Job competition 20 th Century: Local 21 st Century: Global Work model 20 th Century: Routine, fact-based 21 st Century: Non-routine; technical; creative; interactive

Educational/Organizational Culture Changes Education Model 20 th Century: Institution centered; formal degree attainment is primary goal 21 st Century: Learner centered; self-directed; lifelong learning is primary goal Organizational Culture 20 th Century: Top down 21 st Century: Multi-directional (bottom-up, top- down, side-to-side, etc.) (from: Institute of Museum and Library Services, “Museums, Libraries, and 21 st Century Skills”)

Digital Media Labs: Learning Places Scheduled classes and one-on-one teaching Equipment and software Video production Photography Music production Web site design Game design App design Equipment check-out

Digital Media Lab at Skokie Public Library, Illinois The lab offers group workshops and one-on-one instruction Cutting edge equipment for video creation, music recording, and more. Participants are urged to post their projects on the lab’s website.

YouMedia: Digital media center for youth Started at Chicago Public Library Dozens more planned throughout U.S. with funding from MacArthur Foundation Heavily dependent on mentors to help with projects “Teens learn by making and doing” Based on research at Carnegie Mellon University

YouMedia Chicago Harold Washington Public Library Teens hanging out and messing around at the YouMedia center in Chicago. ube.com/watch? v=yRG2Bf-me6k

Maker Spaces Community-operated physical places where people of all ages can meet and work on their projects. Often referred to as hackerspaces and techshops. Maker spaces can have 3-D printers, laser cutters, and more. MIT’s Fab Lab (fabrication laboratory) project begun by Dr. Neil Gersonfeld’s course “How to Make Just About Anything.” Maker spaces help fill the “opportunity gap.”

Tekventure Maker Station at Allen County Public Library, Ft. Wayne, Indiana Tekventure, a non-profit organization, partners with the public library. The space is in a trailer outside the library. In addition to a 3-D printer, it also has a CNC router, and many power tools. Located in a city that is suffering from the economic downturn.

Maker Space in Westport Public Library, Connecticut The Maker Space opened July 2 as a place for people to connect, invent and create.

3-D Printer at Westport Public Library, Connecticut 3-D printers create computer designed plastic pieces Can be used for prototyping watch?v=QnChn7vtWHU watch?v=QnChn7vtWHU

Arduino Arduino is an open source electronics prototyping platform Based on flexibile, easy-to-use hardware and software It senses the environment by receiving input from a variety of sensors It can affect its surroundings by controlling lights, motors and other actuators.

Arduino Workshop at Allen County Public Library’s Tekventure Maker Station

The Library is Changing its Focus … from education to learning … from consumption of information to participatory learning … from institutions to networks* Connie Yowell, Director of Education, MacArthur Foundaton: “…focus on fostering passion, creativity, innovation, and the skills that are needed to compete and thrive in a global, connected world.” *MacArthur Foundation,

References “Museums, Libraries, and 21st Century Skills,” Institute of Museum and Library Services, YouMedia MacArthur Foundation “Providing the Tools,” by Meredith Farkas, American Libraries Magazine, tools tools “Content Creation, Media Labs, and Hackerspaces,” by David Lee King, media-labs-and-hackerspaceshttp:// media-labs-and-hackerspaces “Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out:” Kids Living and Learning with New Media,” by Mikuzko Ito, etal. (free online)

Thank you very much! Karen Hartman