YALSA announces winners of its 2014 Maker Contest

CHICAGO – The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has announced the winners of its 2014 Maker Contest.

Over the summer, libraries were encouraged to implement ‘making’ activities into their summer reading and learning programming efforts. At the conclusion of their making programming, libraries were invited to enter YALSA’s Maker Contest. YALSA received a total of 27 entries from across the country, which were vetted by a taskforce of YALSA members.

The winners of the Maker Contest along with descriptions of their activities are as follows:

• Jaclyn Anderson from the Madison County Library System in Canton, Mississippi, offered ArtBot workshops that challenged teens to create robots that could create drawings.
• Dianne Connery from the Pottsboro (Texas) Area Public Library offered digital media training for teens at her library. Classes in video and still photography, video editing, InDesign and Photoshop were held.
• Christie Gibrich from the Tony Shotwell Life Center Library in Grand Prairie, Texas implemented a lab that allowed teens to learn the basics of coding and design through Raspberry Pi.
• Ivy Weir from the Bayard Taylor Memorial Library in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, created a six-week long Maker Camp that explored technology, art and design.
• Gail Zachariah from the Keene (New Hampshire) Public Library implemented various making programs into her summer reading and learning program, one of which was a four week workshop series called “Sew Electric.” Teen participants created light up bookmarks using conductive thread, LEDs, batteries and fabric.

Winners will receive a prize pack with various STEM and making related tools and resources.

Learn more about making in libraries via the resources on YALSA’s wiki, including a free webinar and downloadable toolkit. In addition, Teen Tech Week™ takes place March 8 – 14, 2015 with the theme “Libraries are for Making.” Visit www.ala.org/teentechweek in mid-November for information on how to plan a celebration in your community.

Special thanks go out to YALSA’s Makerspace Resources Taskforce members: Erica Compton, Amy Boese, Jaina Lewis, Steve Teeri and Shauna Yusko for vetting the applications and creating the wiki resources.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has worked to build the capacity of libraries and librarians to engage, serve and empower teens. For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to www.ala.org/yalsa, or contact the YALSA office by phone, (800) 545-2433, ext. 4390, or e-mail: yalsa@ala.org.