The troubling trend of academic makerspaces
Juliana Mestre · Public & Access Services Quarterly · 2020
Technology-centered makerspaces are increasingly being built in academic libraries, typically featuring high tech machines and software that facilitate creation and design. In this essay, Juliana Mestre offers a critique such spaces highlighting several potential downsides including cost, the threat to library autonomy, and an adherence to design epistemology that overvalues the monetization of knowledge products. The essay encourages academic librarians to engage thoughtfully on the possible ramifications of makerspaces.