Seeing the participant makerspaces and speaking to library patrons and workers allowed ABC to identify common motivations, necessary space characteristics and practices that best facilitated patron goals.
Motivators
A: Clarity – This is defined as clarity which becomes refined after several visits to determine whether the space is able to support the desired activities.
B: Discovery – This is defined as discovery, a journey the patron embarks on from one tool to the next to realize its capabilities.
C: Iteration – This is defined as iteration, and this is undertaken in order to learn and leverage the newly acquired skills for specific goals.
D: Practice – This is defined as practice and it becomes a regular part of the patron’s current activities for which they develop pride.
E: Identity – This is defined as identity and a new perspective the patron has of their abilities and who they might become.
F: Fulfillment – This is defined as fulfillment and enables the patron’s sense of well-roundedness and autonomy and choosing how they find this.
AB Profiles
Facilitator – These spaces provide a lot of DIY learning guides patrons must follow to practice their skills. There are few knowledgeable staff, and a large community of peer users.
Instruction – These spaces provide numerous staff with expertise who guide patrons. Skill acquisition may take longer but patrons achieve success sooner.
Exploration – These spaces focus more on hands-on tools with guides and limited office hours.