About the Project
Lack of funding, space, and technical expertise have been barriers for smaller and rural libraries wishing to participate in the "Makerspace" movement. Six Waupaca County libraries have collaborated on this project to develop portable Maker Boxes. The “pop-up” nature of these Maker Boxes enables libraries to use existing space on a temporary basis for maker programming, and then pack it up when the space is needed for other uses.
Curating just one or two boxes each, the owning library is responsible for developing program ideas, lesson plans, instructions and documentation, and building local expertise through staff training or by partnering with local experts. They will then share their experience and knowledge with other libraries who borrow their Maker Box.
This project serves school age, teen, and adult residents of Waupaca County, most of whom live in small towns or rural areas. The intended outcome of this project is to increase access to creative technology and programming that supports education, lifelong learning, and digital literacy for residents of Waupaca County by sharing resources among libraries and developing local partnerships.
