Makerspace Welcomes New Staff Members
Written by Kirsten Glass
As staff members have transitioned at the TRU Library, Makerspace is so excited to welcome two new staff members to the Makerspace team this fall!
With the departure of the cherished Kim McMillan, who is on to a new professional adventure, our Makerspace team needed new support to meet the needs of students, faculty, and staff coming into the space this fall. Joining our now seasoned staff member Olivia Strodl are Sarah Porter and Valentine Bilton. To welcome them to the TRU community, I talked with them about how they feel about their new positions, what got them to TRU, their making history, and what inspires them.
Sarah Porter
(She/Her)
Sarah’s desire to constantly learn and be around knowledge is something she’s had her whole life. New to the TRU community, she brings a background of an Asian Area Studies Major from UBC as well as her diploma in Library & Information Technology from Langara College. While attending Langara College Sarah was able to explore practicums in library spaces at Crofton House School, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, and Vancouver International Sculpture Biennale. This valuable experience allowed her to explore what different libraries do and how they uniquely support the communities around them, something Sarah hopes to do for the TRU community too.
Even though Sarah’s making experience has been limited, she’s always enjoyed creative pursuits and following makers of various things for inspiration. When dealing with the diversity of technology at Makerspace, which might intimidate some, Sarah is eager to keep learning more about how to use them, help users and do some making herself.
Specifically, she is looking forward to using the skills she develops to combine the use of multiple technologies to take on bigger creative projects. Sarah’s first project at Makerspace was an embroidery piece of her cat, and she already hopes to make more projects including puppets, dolls, dresses, and dioramas. A special project Sarah hopes to tackle one day, once she has more maker experience, is making a diorama of the island she grew up on or of her grandparents’ house.
Valentine Bilton
(They/Them)
A recent graduate from the MacEwan University Library and Information Technology diploma program, Valentine is a recent Edmonton Area transplant. In addition to their diploma, they bring with them a BA in History and Anthropology, a wide range of professional experiences, as well as their love for making that was formed as a child and has only grown since.
Valentine’s mom, who is herself an artist, fostered a passion for making for them as they grew up surrounded by art and were encouraged to find their own creativity. This desire to learn and create never faded for Valentine so naturally when the opportunity to help others learn how to create in a variety of media and methods, they were excited and more than happy to start working at TRU’s Makerspace.
Personally, Valentine is currently working on making an intensive cosplay project that is allowing them to explore hand sewing and sculpting. Since they’ve started at Makerspace one of the things they’ve made is some 3D printed jewelry to enhance their Ashton from Critical Role cosplay. Valentine has also learned since starting that their cat, Aziraphale, is also ecstatic about their new job with fun technologies and loves playing with the Sphero Bolt educational robots.
The Thompson Rivers University Library is very lucky to have an amazing team of Library Client Services Technicians that include Olivia, Sarah, and Valentine in the TRU Makerspace. When you stop by be sure to introduce yourself and know that regardless of if you are new to the space or not, there will be someone there to help guide you through making using new and different technology.
Written by Kirsten Glass
Staff photos by Kirsten Glass
