{"id":4884,"date":"2025-09-08T09:32:53","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T13:32:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/?p=4884"},"modified":"2025-09-08T09:32:54","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T13:32:54","slug":"re-making-the-makerlab-a-year-of-creative-collaboration-in-the-cech-library","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/re-making-the-makerlab-a-year-of-creative-collaboration-in-the-cech-library\/","title":{"rendered":"Re-making the MakerLab: A year of creative collaboration in the CECH Library\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\"cech<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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With nine locations across the uptown campus, UC Libraries serves the university\u2019s many diverse colleges, the College of Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services (CECH) among them. Located in the Teachers-Dyer Complex, the CECH Library<\/a> serves the college\u2019s four schools \u2013 Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services and Information Technology \u2013 and is home to the only <\/em>library makerspace on campus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a short span of 12 months, CECH Library\u2019s MakerLab<\/a> has undergone a multi-phased renewal marked by collaboration, teaching and lots of learning. \u201cI didn\u2019t know much about makerspaces before I started this project,\u201d admitted education librarian Katie Foran-Mulcahy, who also serves as the CECH Library\u2019s head. \u201cBut I do know that the renewal of library spaces, when paired with curricular need and faculty partnership, is a pretty magical combination. Looking back, we\u2019ve achieved a lot in a year.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"cech<\/figure>
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Formerly known as The Production Lab, the space primarily served pre-service teachers in the School of Education. It was originally conceived as a space for creating educational materials like bulletin boards, die-cut shapes and letters and digital scans. In its prior configuration, the MakerLab served a narrow audience. While creating bulletin boards and classroom paper crafts remain crucial in many respects, K-12 curricular emphasis on making and STEM was largely unrepresented in the space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(left) 6th<\/sup>-9th<\/sup> grade students from Breakthrough Cincinnati participate in a low-tech design challenge in the CECH Library MakerLab.  <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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When planning the space\u2019s revitalization, it was critical to first investigate makerspaces in the current educational environment. Foran-Mulcahy collaborated with CECH School of Education professor Sarah Schroeder to understand current needs and the kinds of makerspaces already available to local K-12 students and educators. With assistance from the Hamilton County Educational Service Center, Katie and Sarah toured spaces across the region, including Indian Hill Elementary, Harrison Junior School and St. Xavier High School.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Libraries staff also visited non-K-12 makerspaces, including Miami University, Xavier University, University of Kentucky and the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library. Katie\u2019s participation in the Makers in Education<\/a> two-week intensive at the also proved essential, providing foundational knowledge and connecting UC Libraries with staff from the UC Ground Floor Makerspace at the 1819 Innovation Hub<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

New acquisitions in MakerLab included a Bambu X1C 3D printer, a Roland VersaSTUDIO BN2-20A for printing\/cutting stickers and graphics, and an xTool F1 Ultra for laser cutting and engraving. The reimagined MakerLab, including new equipment and furniture, became available in January as part of a spring semester pilot phase.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"cech
Short Vine Literary Journal students create custom stickers promote the spring issue. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Trends in Learning Technology Innovation course (IDT 4015) co-taught by Schroeder and Foran-Mulcahy played a critical role in the pilot. Students in the course created user instructional materials and provided feedback on a future model of service for the space. The importance of a space like the CECH Library MakerLab cannot be overstated. \u201cWe cannot teach teachers the way we have always taught them,\u201d says Schroeder. \u201cIf our pre-service teachers have not had the opportunity to challenge themselves creatively, it\u2019s going to hard for them to do that with their future students.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the pilot, the space has gained a following both inside and outside of the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services. From custom graduation caps to Miranda Rights cards to promotional items for Short Vine, student-run literary journal, the MakerLab\u2019s spring soft launch was busy \u2013 and creative. Summer saw more activity in the space, as it hosted the Imagination Station elective for Breakthrough Academy 6th<\/sup>-9th<\/sup> graders. The CECH Library also hosted Laila Ningtyas, a Fulbright student from Indonesia, who created software tutorials as part of her Professional Experience course in CECH\u2019s Instructional Design master\u2019s program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

The journey to revitalize the CECH Library played out much like John Spencer\u2019s LAUNCH Cycle, a design thinking framework<\/a> used in many K-12 classrooms. Beginning with understanding, questions, and research, creating the space itself, and then making edits based on the unforeseen, the project has been both structured and iterative in its development.  \u201cI ended up teaching the LAUNCH cycle in spring,\u201d said Foran-Mulcahy, \u201conly to realize that we went through our own LAUNCH cycle as we planned and developed the new space.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>

\"CECH<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

As of September 2025, the space is tested, operational, and staffed by two trained MakerLab Assistants who also happen to be undergraduates in the CECH School of Education. \u201cWe need creative teachers,\u201d said Schroeder, \u201cnow more than ever. Having a space like this gives our students the opportunity to think outside the box, going beyond their past educational experiences.\u201d Reflecting on the CECH Library MakerLab renewal as a partnership, the project serves not only as a hub for creativity on campus, but also as a model for creative collaboration \u2013 going beyond resources and services offered in the past. \u201cYou know you\u2019ve really struck a chord when students and faculty contact the library with questions after learning about the space through word-of-mouth,\u201d said Foran-Mulcahy. \u201cThe pilot did what it was supposed to do, and now the college and the library have space we can all be proud of.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"CECH
IDT 4015 student readies her file prior to using the 3D printer. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With nine locations across the uptown campus, UC Libraries serves the university\u2019s many diverse colleges, the College of Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services (CECH) among them. Located in the Teachers-Dyer Complex, the CECH Library serves the college\u2019s four schools \u2013 Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services and Information Technology \u2013 and is home to the only library makerspace on campus.  In a short span of 12 months, CECH Library\u2019s MakerLab has undergone a multi-phased renewal marked by collaboration, teaching and lots of learning. \u201cI didn\u2019t know much about makerspaces before I started this project,\u201d admitted education librarian Katie Foran-Mulcahy, who also serves as the CECH Library\u2019s head. \u201cBut I do know that the renewal of library spaces, when paired with curricular need and faculty partnership, is a pretty magical combination. Looking back, we\u2019ve achieved a lot in a year.\u201d   Formerly known as The Production Lab, the space primarily served pre-service teachers in the School of Education. It was originally conceived as a space for creating educational materials like bulletin boards, die-cut shapes and letters and digital scans. In its prior configuration, the MakerLab served a narrow audience. While creating bulletin boards and classroom paper crafts remain crucial in many respects, K-12 curricular emphasis on making and STEM was largely unrepresented in the space.  (left) 6th-9th grade students from Breakthrough Cincinnati participate in a low-tech design challenge in the CECH Library MakerLab.   When planning the space\u2019s revitalization, it was critical to first investigate makerspaces in the current educational environment. Foran-Mulcahy collaborated with CECH School of Education professor Sarah Schroeder to understand current needs and the kinds of makerspaces already available to local K-12 students and educators. With assistance from the Hamilton County Educational Service Center, Katie and Sarah toured spaces across the region, including Indian Hill Elementary, Harrison Junior School and St. Xavier High School.   Libraries staff also visited non-K-12 makerspaces, including Miami University, Xavier University, University of Kentucky and the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library. Katie\u2019s participation in the Makers in Education two-week intensive at the also proved essential, providing foundational knowledge and connecting UC Libraries with staff from the UC Ground Floor Makerspace at the 1819 Innovation Hub.  New acquisitions in MakerLab included a Bambu X1C 3D printer, a Roland VersaSTUDIO BN2-20A for printing\/cutting stickers and graphics, and an xTool F1 Ultra for laser cutting and engraving. The reimagined MakerLab, including new equipment and furniture, became available in January as part of a spring semester pilot phase.   The Trends in Learning Technology Innovation course (IDT 4015) co-taught by Schroeder and Foran-Mulcahy played a critical role in the pilot. Students in the course created user instructional materials and provided feedback on a future model of service for the space. The importance of a space like the CECH Library MakerLab cannot be overstated. \u201cWe cannot teach teachers the way we have always taught them,\u201d says Schroeder. \u201cIf our pre-service teachers have not had the opportunity to challenge themselves creatively, it\u2019s going to hard for them to do that with their future students.\u201d  Beyond the pilot, the space has gained a following both inside and outside of the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services. From custom graduation caps to Miranda Rights cards to promotional items for Short Vine, student-run literary journal, the MakerLab\u2019s spring soft launch was busy \u2013 and creative. Summer saw more activity in the space, as it hosted the Imagination Station elective for Breakthrough Academy 6th-9th graders. The CECH Library also hosted Laila Ningtyas, a Fulbright student from Indonesia, who created software tutorials as part of her Professional Experience course in CECH\u2019s Instructional Design master\u2019s program.  The journey to revitalize the CECH Library played out much like John Spencer\u2019s LAUNCH Cycle, a design thinking framework used in many K-12 classrooms. Beginning with understanding, questions, and research, creating the space itself, and then making edits based on the unforeseen, the project has been both structured and iterative in its development.  \u201cI ended up teaching the LAUNCH cycle in spring,\u201d said Foran-Mulcahy, \u201conly to realize that we went through our own LAUNCH cycle as we planned and developed the new space.\u201d  As of September 2025, the space is tested, operational, and staffed by two trained MakerLab Assistants who also happen to be undergraduates in the CECH School of Education. \u201cWe need creative teachers,\u201d said Schroeder, \u201cnow more than ever. Having a space like this gives our students the opportunity to think outside the box, going beyond their past educational experiences.\u201d Reflecting on the CECH Library MakerLab renewal as a partnership, the project serves not only as a hub for creativity on campus, but also as a model for creative collaboration \u2013 going beyond resources and services offered in the past. \u201cYou know you\u2019ve really struck a chord when students and faculty contact the library with questions after learning about the space through word-of-mouth,\u201d said Foran-Mulcahy. \u201cThe pilot did what it was supposed to do, and now the college and the library have space we can all be proud of.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[221,222],"tags":[59,213,88,211],"class_list":["post-4884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-volume-24","category-volume-24-issue-1","tag-cech-library","tag-expand-our-impact","tag-services","tag-support-our-students"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4884"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4884\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4892,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4884\/revisions\/4892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}