Community Engagement at USQ Library 2017 and Beyond: develop

Community Engagement at USQ Library 2017 and Beyond: developing capacity and building understanding of community engagement at USQ Library

Economic Productivity

Accessing Resources

• Provide equipment such as 3D printers, 3D scanners, craft supplies and electronics consumables, develop capacity
• Provide workshops
• Where appropriate, provide How-to videos and media for distance students

• Collaboration, not competition is key. Make mutually beneficial partnerships with:
• (Community) Toowoomba Hackerspace
• (Council) Toowoomba Hackerspace
• Stratergenics
• Schools:
• Concordia Lutheran College (Looking at holding a Makerspace Day Camp in 2017, also have their own Makerspace
• Dream Factory (Pilot program to put Makerspaces in schools in Qld)
• USQ Bodies: Residential Colleges, Ellipsis Media, Engineering and Science.
• Toowoomba Starters and Canvas Co-working

• 3D printing basics to advanced
• 3D scanning basics
• 3D modelling basics to advanced
• Make yourself into a mythical creature with 3D scanning, 3D modelling and 3D printing
• Make a cactus with a 3D printed pen
• Learn how to knit
• Learn how to crochet
• Costume building for college events such as 'Semi-Formal'

• Learn basic woodworking
• Learn arduino basics
• Wearable technology: Learn how to use arduino with addressable LEDs
• Learn to combine 3D printing and arduino
• Make a terrarium with 3D printed figurines
• Micro-Flower Arranging Photography with Microscopes

Educational Attainment

Idea Building

Stephanie Piper

• Provide workshops and talks at low-cost or free to address disadvantage
• Provide non-formal education through a 'Code Club' or 'USQ MOOC Club'

• Allow self-directed learning & experimentation, free use of the space
• 'Challenge' style competition events to solve a problem, inquiry-based learning
• Become a GovHack Makernode to solve real-world, Toowoomba-relevant issues.

Health and Wellbeing

Civic Engagement

• Emotional Health: De-stress programs and workshops in the lead up to exams, for example, mindfulness, colouring in, craft/knitting/crochet for mature age students etc.
• Fitness-related projects such as adding LEDs or USB charger to a pushbike.

• Allow input from students and community to direct USQ Makerspace's equipment and workshops
• Host talks on societal issues
• Combine groups to strengthen each other, for example, USQ science and engineering clubs, cultural and academic clubs.

Cultural Participation

Community Development

Hackerspaces Wiki

Creative Spaces Impact Framework

• Invite guests (visiting experts, exchange students, members of the local community) to share knowledge through talks or workshops.
• Host celebration-specific events to commemorate community milestones and achievements.

• Organise productive meetups, similar to Brisbane Jelly at The Edge SLQ
• Introduce potential collaborative projects for students to work on as a team. Eg. build a Delta Rostock 3D Printer/Battlebot/Autonomous Vehicle
• Let the community donate required recycled materials for workshops, eg. Tin can upcycled dumbbells with 3D printed parts.
• Meet needs of the community by assisting with college community garden projects by designing planters, programming automatic watering, building vertical gardens etc.

• There are currently 1288 active hackerspaces across the globe.
• Most of these begin with the helping hand of the Hackerspace Wiki 'Design Patterns'
• These are an often-updated list of 'tried and true' methods for hackerspace management and approaches which have and haven't worked in a variety of subjects.
• This is the largest aggregation of evidence-based practice and has a large body of authors and associated discussion.

• 'The Impact of Libraries as Creative Spaces', the USQ Strategic Plan and the Hackerspaces wiki are valuable resources for developing a 2017 USQ Makerspace plan.
• 'The Impact of Libraries' report outlines evidence-based practice in this area well. It also provides a useful framework for approaching capacity building and building engagement.

Future Perspectives

Education Objective 2:

"Deploy learning environments that

are student-centred, authentic,

cooperative and engaging; and

supported by an extended range

of high quality resources, facilities

and technologies."

• USQ Toowoomba Makerfaire
• Become an authority in the Maker Movement
• Host a Queensland Makerspace/Fab Lab/Hackerspace Conference

Libraries are transforming

HSBNE Growth Statistics

• Libraries in the digital age need to find new ways to continue to be a valuable source of knowledge for the community
• Makerspaces provide this same environment for self-directed learning in a different format.