Creating Belonging and Community in a Makerspace, Before and During COVID-19
Tiffany Carlson, Carolyn Bishoff, Erik Halaas · Journal of New Librarianship · 2022
The Breakerspace at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is a vibrant library makerspace open to all majors and skill levels and located right in the heart of campus. The design of the space and all of our decisions have been animated by the goal to empower and inspire students through access to creative materials, equipment, and programming. When our buildings closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Breakerspace closed as well. In this article, we discuss how we adapted our work in the makerspace to a socially distanced and remote environment, with an extra emphasis on virtual community.