The aim of this Master thesis is to examine the challenges public libraries face when implementing makerspaces into their library services, focusing on organizational issues. Our empirical material was derived from document analysis and semi-structured interviews with public library employees connected to makerspace activities in five libraries throughout Sweden. Our chosen subject emerged from a perceived lack of critical studies connected to introducing makerspaces in a public library setting, and also a scarcity of literature that speak of how the implementation needs to be organizationally sustainable long term. We have identified organizational challenges such as policy strategies, allocation of resources, as well as societal views on the changes in public library activities that makerspaces contribute to, and through qualitative content analysis based on our theoretical framework of organizational theories, the empirical material is analyzed. The results of the study show that long term planning of both financial and human resources is needed for public libraries to implement makerspaces that are sustainable in the long run. We can also conclude that it is of importance for public libraries to include makerspaces in official policy documents, to avoid questioning and to show how the connection to the Swedish library law is evident.

Economic downturns and the subsequent trends of privatization and marketization that follow have prompted the development and expansion of urban commons as the commoner searches for more participatory forms of governance. Modern member-driven and non-profit organizations, like makerspaces, are utilizing the digital commons to provide more accessibility and autonomy, reducing the need for external funding and providing a means to crowdsource information and manage shared resources. This research investigates how combining digital and physical forms of governance, communication and learning can enable urban commons to sustain themselves and eventually compete with the mainstream market. In this research the case study of the Stockholm Makerspace is analyzed through two theoretical lenses, firstly Ostrom’s eight design principles and secondly the community capitals framework. The research methodology involved an open-ended survey, desktop study, and a digital ethnography. I found that digital commons provide an accessible arena for conflict resolution, community planning, and informal education by facilitating interpersonal relations for urban dwellers with weak social ties. The digital infrastructure also provides a platform for group monitoring and community awareness that I think is vital to maintaining a satisfied body of members.

In an increasingly digitised world, the pedagogy of education is at risk of being dictated by technological advancement. As fragments of teaching practice left over from previous curricula are adapted and amalgamated into new curricula, the educational landscape becomes a sea of learning terminologies used interchangeably. In many cases these terminologies are then disconnected from an underlying understanding of what learning is and how the best possible form and quality of learning can be brought about. Two recent technological advancements in the field of education is Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) and the MakerSpace movement. However, these fields need to be engaged with as avenues of investigation in the pursuit of the highest possible learning quality outcome required by a world that is super-complex. Through comprehensive literature research, the researcher first presented an in-depth argument detailing what learning is, what the highest quality of learning is and how this learning quality can be measured. The literature revealed a particular professional practice of “facilitating lifelong authentic learning” of which the sole purpose is achieving exactly that. In this mixed method research project, an attempt was made to re-connect the technological advancement of online learning with the theoretical framework of the learning process as laid down by Vygotsky, particularly through the Zone of Proximal Development. Within the context of a MakerSpace subject, the researcher attempted to determine how the identified practice of facilitating lifelong authentic learning would ensure the increase in the quality of learning in online groups where MakerSpace learners were required to resolve a real-life challenge. An experiment then followed where a professional facilitator of learning was present in the experimental groups, while the control groups attempted to resolve the challenge un-facilitated. A comparison of the analysis of chat transcriptions indicated that on average the quality of learning was higher in facilitated groups. Interview data collected after the experiment shed light on this finding and suggested that the quality of learning in an online group increases when a facilitator of learning increases the level of difficulty of the real-life challenge as perceived by the group’s dominant participant (the person who contributes the most to the group dialogue). This not only indicated the value of Facilitating Learning in an online learning evnvironment, but also highlighted its necessity in terms of improving the quality of the learning. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2021. / Humanities Education / PhD / Unrestricted

I takt med att CNC-fräsmaskiner blivit mer tillgängliga för allmänheten, växerbehovet av billiga alternativ till marknadsledande mätprobar (TTP). Generiska sensorer med öppen hårdvara finns tillgängliga till låga priser, men det är okäntom en sensor för under 100 kr kan användas som komponent i en mätprob, där noggrannhetskravet kan vara i storleksordningen mikrometer. Detta skulle isåfallinnebära att det finns en möjlighet att tillverka mätprobar till tillgängligare priser än dagens marknadsledande probar. Denna studie avsåg att undersöka ifall dessa sensorer var lämpade för ändamålet. Därför bedömdes ett antal Arduinokompatibla sensorer utifrån deras prestanda och lämplighet som komponent i en automatisk mätprob för arbetsstyckeslokalisering i CNC-fräsmaskiner. Sensorerna och principerna som undersöktes var: mikrobrytare, induktiva sensorer, ultraljudssensorer, IR-sensorer och kontinuitetssensorer. Sensorerna testades i en fräsmaskin och deras spridning estimerades genom att beräkna standardavvikelsen hos mätdatan. Efter en litteratursökning och intervjuer med KTHs akademiker samt den tänkta målgruppen för mätproben Stockholm Makerspace, bekräftades kravbilden på sensorn. Där belystes vikten av det låga priset på slutprodukten samt ett krav på att osäkerheten ska vara runt 0.05 mm. Mikrobrytaren konstaterades vara den lämpligaste sensorn. Detta beror på dess låga pris, oberoendet av materialet på arbetsstycket och den höga repeterbarheten. Repeterbarheten beräknades vara 5 μm med en konfidensintervall på 95%. / Since CNC-milling machines have become more accessible to the public, so has the demand for economical alternatives to the market-leading product, Trigger Touch Probes (TTP). Generic sensors with open hardware are now obtainable for a low price, but it is unknown if a sensor with a cost of under 100 SEK can be used as a component in a measuring instrument. Especially where the required accuracy lies in microns. If that is the case, it would be possible to manufacture TTP at more accessible prices than the current standard. This study aimed to answer whether the low cost sensors were suitable for this application. A number of Arduino compatible sensors were therefore evaluated in terms of performance and suitability as a component in an automated measurement probe for workpiece localization in CNC-machines. The sensors/ principles that were evaluated were: micro switches, inductive sensors, ultrasound sensors, IR-sensors, and continuity sensors. The sensors were tested in a milling machine and their statistical dispersion (scattering) were estimated by calculating the standard deviation of the data. After a literature study and interviews with academia from KTH and the intended customer, Stockholm Makerspace, the requirements on the probe were decided. The importance of the low cost of the final product were brought to attention and the requirement of a variance around 0.05 mm. The micro switch was evaluated to be the most suitable sensor due to the low price, high repeatability, and the fact that it was independent of the workpiece’s material. The repeatability was measured to be 0.0052 mm with a confidence interval of 95%.

The commodification of culture, space, and resources is incentivized by neoliberal urbanism. In response, we have seen an attempt to develop collectively organized, oppositional spaces within urban places. The tensions that arise when considering the production of commons in the development of the neoliberal city are the central focus of this paper. As I will observe, these spaces are subjected to commodification as they become increasingly de-politicized through neoliberal ideologies. In order to theorize about these contradictory elements, I observe a makerspace in Richmond, Virginia called HackRVA. Specifically, I consider HackRVA as an urban commons. Through in-depth interviews and participant observation, I consider how HackRVA engages with the neoliberal city of Richmond and how the organization and maintenance of their space and their community reflects commoning as social reproduction. I find that HackRVA’s relationship to the city is complicated as the community within the space both contests and assimilates to the creative economy.

This study investigated a Makerspace professional development program, the Makers' Guild, provided to teachers within north Texas over the course of a semester. The research employed a constructionist approach delivered via 2D and 3D technologies during STEM instructional activities within a creative space. Participants reported statistically significant increases in self-reported competence in technology integration, confidence levels toward integrating World Wide Web, Emerging Technologies for Student Learning, Teacher Professional Development, and attitudes toward math, technology, science, and STEM careers.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to indicate changes in library services available to the citizens of Johnson City, Tennessee. The study covered library services available in educational and public settings for patrons from preschool to adult ages. Librarians in this study all worked in either a public library located in Johnson City, TN or worked in the Johnson City School System as a media specialist in either an elementary, middle, or high school. This qualitative study was conducted using interviews of librarians to gain their perceptions of the library and their roles within the libraries of Johnson City. Librarians were interviewed to determine their views in the past, present, and future of the library as an establishment. Documents from the various libraries were also analyzed to determine changes in library services. Various themes emerged from the data analysis. Participants discussed their roles as librarians, the library as an institution, and collection development. Other themes that emerged were discussions of library materials that were now or would become archaic. Participants also made projections as to the future of the library itself and whether or not it would become obsolete. The results of this study suggest that libraries will continue to evolve as technologies and community needs and expectations change. The appearance of the library will evolve to contain more learning spaces for active and group learning. The role of the librarian will evolve as the technology evolves. It will become more focused upon teaching patrons how to use learning tools and access information rather than simply managing and controlling the library’s assets. The librarians’ role has the potential to become one of service leadership in the community and in the school setting. The impact of the library and the librarians’ role will directly affect students, teachers, and community members. Recommendations from this study may assist in transitioning the librarian/media specialist’s role to a great service leadership model that supports individual growth and community development.

MakerBuses are travelling makerspaces that deliver hands-on tools and resources to community-wide locations to foster 21st century learning and development. Often found in K-12 schools, MakerBuses provide accessible and tangible learning opportunities for all learners, even in the most underserved communities. This single, typical case study provided a foundational look at how one MakerBus started as a simple idea and evolved into a learning experience used throughout the community it serves. Through discovery it was evident that accessibility, community outreach, tool distribution, and active learning were the critical elements that made this makerbus a unique tool for education.

The fourth industrial revolution brought a change in the scope of skills sets required for today's job market. To be part of today's digital society there is a widely recognized need for developing digital competence which requires new and relevant knowledge, skills and attitudes. The labor market demands a high level of technical professionals who have skillsneeded for the jobs of the digital age. However, many scholars discussed that the problem with shortage of professionals lies deeper in educational structure. The European Commission issued the European Digital Competence Framework where they proposed empowering digital competences among students in schools. Since Croatia did not explicitly introduce empowering digital competence into their curriculum from the year 2018/2019, there was an association that offers workshops to K12 students in order to empower digital competence in primary schools and it is offered as extracurricular activities.      Master thesis aims to investigate the potential of makerspace and digital educational tools for empowering digital competence among students in Croatian primary schools, and whether they fit requirements that are suggested in the European Digital Competence Framework.     Based on a focused ethnographic approach, participants of Croatian Makers workshop were interviewed and observed. Empirical data was analyzed according to Thematic analyses and four themes were emerged and discussed together with suggestions of literature review.     Results of this master’s thesis showed that digital educational tools and maker approach have potential in empowering digital competences through following skills: learning by using maker tools, curiosity and maker mind, problem solving skills, collaboration and communication. However, based on empirical findings, the environment of a maker workshop can be far from reality or practice. Furthermore, digital skills empowered through maker workshops fits the requirements proposed in European Digital Competence Framework except one which fits partially and it is related to protection of personal data and privacy.     Suggestion for future work is to investigate how a maker workshop could empower digital competence but at the same time be the environment as similar as possible to external and market conditions. Second topic is related to protection of personal data and privacy, since it is a very important competence that deals with the digital age. Suggestion is to investigate how maker workshops empower digital competence and at the same time include this important factor as well.

This project is speculation in search of possibilities and rethinking the potential of Gamla Stan. Society is continually changing, as are the cities that we live in. The old town is mainly a residential area, but also a “living, pedestrian-friendly museum”. This is a place out of time and frozen in its form, a certain sensitivity is required when thinking about such a fragile context. However, the urban structure is not a fixed entity, but a dynamic and evolving one. By gentle carving in the existing city fabric, the aim is to re-introduce a workshop space in a contemporary manner. The idea is tested on the block of Cassiopea, where its building components get interconnected to make a continuous interior. The new space is about forgetting about the hyper-productivity mindset, with an intention to promote aesthetic pleasure and a slow pace of life. This collective and multifunctional space is a representation of artistic expression, a city atelier for making craft using technology. A space for artists, makers, and education, visible to the public.