Winter 2024 Makerspace Librarian’s Report
Weyt-kp! / Hello!
It’s been a little over two years since we opened in March 2022, and it really feels like we’ve found our identity and purpose. While we’ve still been bustling with activity this semester, there seems to be a trend towards more independent, long-term projects rather than shorter, one-off visits. We’ve also deepened our partnerships with campus groups, such as Indigenous Education and the Sustainability Office, which has allowed us host more events and take on projects that align our values and goals.
Looking ahead, I am excited to continue building on this momentum. In particular, it’s increasingly clear to me that our values of sustainability and Indigenization are deeply interconnected with our other values, including equitable access, belonging, community, and critical thinking/making. These values act as multipliers, amplifying and reinforcing one another. By continuing to prioritize sustainability and Indigenization, we contribute to these important causes and strengthen our commitment to creating an inclusive, community-oriented space that empowers learners and fosters critical thinking.
I’m incredibly grateful to our team of Library Technicians, Student Ambassadors, Research Assistants, and campus partners; nothing that happens in the Makerspace could happen without their dedication, curiosity, hard work, and kindness. I’m also grateful for all the students, faculty, staff, and community partners who used the space this year. The most important thing I’ve learned in the two years since we opened is that what makes the Makerspace work is the community and culture we create together, not the technology. While I’m definitely looking forward to a quiet summer (don’t worry! we are open all summer!) I’m excited about another year of learning and telling stories together.
I hope you enjoy reading about everything that we have been doing since January. Past reports can be found in the Stories section of our website under Reports. Questions can be submitted through the Contact Us form or by emailing me directly as fsayre@tru.ca.
Highlights & Developments
- Makerspace Tool Library: In January, we launched a Tool Library, providing equitable access to tools for repair, maintenance, and DIY projects. By enabling the TRU community to borrow tools without having to purchase them individually, the Tool Library promotes a culture of sharing, reduces waste, and makes sustainable practices such as repair and maintenance more accessible.
- Community Fabric Stash: In April, we launched the Community Fabric Stash, a donation-based resource of textile materials. By diverting these materials from the waste stream and making them freely available to Makerspace users, the Fabric Stash reduces textile waste while increasing equitable access to materials. We are currently accepting donations and will be open for users soon.
- Coyote Grant and Indigenous-Led Workshops: This semester we hosted Indigenous-led workshops in partnership with faculty, students, Indigenous Education, and through a Coyote Grant. These have included moccasin making, feather work, beading, and a welcome event for Indigenous students. These workshops support Indigenous ways of knowing and creating, and contribute to the Indigenization of the Makerspace.
- Sustainability events: We hosted several events and workshops that aligned with our sustainability goals. We once again collaborated with the Sustainability Office and the Kamloops Repair Cafe to host a Repair Event, where community members could bring in broken items to be fixed by volunteers. These events promote a culture of repair over disposal and provide hands-on opportunities for learning about troubleshooting and mending. At the end of April, we collaborated with Sustainability and Horticulture to provide plants, soil, and pots to the campus community for the first-ever Earth Day Planting Event. We are hoping to work with them more in the future to help students and other campus members get their hands dirty and learn about gardening.
- New Code of Conduct and Program Description: In April, our faculty council unanimously approved the Makerspace’s new Code of Conduct and Program Description. These documents articulate our core values, including equitable access, belonging, community, Indigenization, sustainability, and critical making, as well as our pedagogical approaches centred on active, self-directed, interest-based, and experiential learning. These documents benefited from extensive feedback from staff and faculty from across the University, and help provide a clear scope that will guide our development in the future.
Highlights from our Blog
3D Print Your Favourite Geography
If you are new to 3D printing and all the software that is used within this write up, there is a video attached at the end that is meant to help you through all the steps. I would recommend reading this post first and then watch the video. With the write up and video, you should be able to 3D print your own landscape model in no time!
Makerspace Sustainability Grant Final Report
Over the past year, Makerspace has been implementing several sustainability projects with the support of a TRU Sustainability Grant. We’ve built a Tool Library that provides access to household, bicycle, and gardening tools to foster…
3D Printing a Guitar
Post by Joey DaCosta If you spend time simultaneously inhabiting online guitar-nerd and maker communities you’ll probably come across this project at some point: https://blog.prusa3d.com/the-prusacaster-how-to-design-and-3d-print-an-electric-guitar_71962/ Here’s a picture of the project from the Prusa blog…
Artwork added to Makerspace!
The TRU Library Makerspace is happy to share that we’ve added some new life into our space by adding four artwork pieces from the TRU Permanent Collection to our walls alongside our very own #TRUMakes…
Sarah Porter Moving to a New Position!
We’re both excited and a little sad to announce that Sarah Porter is moving on from her role in the Makerspace to take on a new position in the Libraries as the Public Services Coordinator….
Staffing Updates
In April, Makerspace Library Technician Sarah Porter accepted another position within the TRU Library. While we are sad that she is no longer working directly in the Makerspace, we are excited for her new role and that we still have the pleasure of seeing her in the library. Sarah has been an integral part of the Makerspace team, especially in her contributions to our social media presence and website.
This semester, we welcomed three new Student Makerspace Ambassadors: Ali, Adrian, and Japkirat, who brought their creativity and expertise to helping users in the Makerspace. Adrian and Japkirat graduated this term and we know they will both do great things in the future. Geordie and Deeparsh, both Computer Science students, have reached the end of their two-year tenure as Student Makerspace Ambassadors. Geordie’s infectious passion for technology and his contributions to faculty projects related to 3D printing projects and virtual reality have been invaluable. Deeparsh’s friendly demeanour and support for users, particularly in AI and by initiating outreach projects, will be greatly missed. Ali will be returning as a Student Ambassador in the fall, and we will be hiring four additional Student Makerspace Ambassadors to support our community.
With the completion of the Sustainability Grant, Cicyetkwu Bennett-Dunstan and Melissa Kelm have concluded their roles as Makerspace Sustainability Champions. Cicyetkwu and Melissa were instrumental in supporting the Sustainability Grant and organizing events such as the welcome events for Indigenous students and the Open House we hosted for TRUSU Club Leaders. Their efforts have laid a strong foundation for the Makerspace’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and Indigenization, and we look forward to hearing about their accomplishments in the future.
Events, Classes, Workshops
This semester, the Makerspace hosted a diverse range of events, classes, tours, and workshops.
Events:
- Repair Cafe for SDG Week Canada (120 attendees)
- Welcome event for Cplul’kw’ten Students (22 attendees)
- TRUSU Blood Club event (8 attendees)
- Field School Mutations: An EnviroCollab Hackathon (18 attendees)
- Women in Engineering Robotics Workshop (12 attendees)
- Earth Day Planting Event
Class Visits:
- CMNS 2160 Mass Communication and the Pop Culture Industry (30 attendees)
- Sculpture/Intermedia 3: 3D head scanning (15 attendees)
- EDLL 3160: Literacy Across the Content Areas (36 attendees over 2 sessions)
- EDUC 5030 Class Tour (20 attendees)
- GEOL 2050 – Historical Geology (13 attendees)
- ORGB 3750 (47 attendees over 2 sessions)
Workshops:
- Make Your First 3D Print: A Hands-On Beginner’s Workshop (25 attendees over 9 sessions)
- Beaded Circle Workshop with BFA student and local artist Charlie Napoleon (12 attendees over 2 sessions)
- Feather Work With Everette White (27 attendees over 2 sessions)
Tours and other events:
- Integrated Planning and Effectiveness Tour (6 attendees)
- Research Rookies from Office of Undergraduate Research (15 attendees)
- Reception: Liveable Cities, Collaborative Communities (15 attendees)
- School of Nursing Simulation Team Tour (4 attendees)
- Sustainability Community of Practice (8 attendees)
Instagram Highlights
Statistics
Gate count: (Note: our gate counter broke in March, so March data is lower than reality, and we have no data for April)
Reference interactions: Number of interactions during which we provided assistance to users
Interactions by technology/area:
Items borrowed: Tools and equipment borrowed from the Makerspace
Room reservations: Reservations of Makerspace rooms and resources
Events and Attendees
