Buy in Bulk

Purchasing craft supplies in bulk means that I can stock up on craft material for a reasonable price. I use Amazon Prime for the free shipping as well as Dollar Tree to purchase additional items. One would be surprised at all of the crafting possibilities there are for one dollar! Some staples to have in your craft collection are Mod Podge, acrylic paint, ribbon, and E6000 adhesive. Of course, my office is swarming with “crafts in progress” and several different types of adhesives, but I have saved a lot of money by going this route. What’s more, I can preserve my programming budget and use it for artists who specialize in an art form, like basket weaving.

Crafters Block

Trying to make budget-minded crafts that look great has proven to be a challenge. To expand the range of possibilities, I started asking the craft-program attendees for ideas. I have found they have startedy donating some supplies and also proactively bringing me ideas for future projects. This crowdsourcing has helped not only in keeping the crafts classy but also with crafter’s block.

Community=Friendships

Bringing patrons in to your library for crafts creates a following. I started out with only a few persons in attendance and now I have a waiting list. I have patrons coming in for Girls’ Night Out events, as well as mothers, daughters, friends, and sisters. I love how the attendees have formed friendships and am happy to hear about them going out for drinks after the program! If only I could draw more men…

The Product

So, what are some of the crafts we have made? To name a few, we have created dinner plate clocks, burlap pumpkins, yarn Christmas trees, Easter egg garland, concrete stepping stones, Independence Day door pallets, cupid’s bow wreaths, terracotta wind chimes, shabby chic skeleton key chimes, mason jar snow globes, dryer vent pumpkins, garden plate lawn flowers, clay leaves, picture frame wreaths, and shadow painted canvases, etc. I plan craft programming ahead of time so that I can estimate what supplies will be needed and also provide a sample to boost interest. This also allows me time to solve issues that might come up ahead of time, such as the glue not holding.

For more ideas, please feel free to contact me at marchpane81@gmail.com. Share your crafting ideas in the comments!

The post Crafting at the Library first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

The true beauty of the initiative was the freedom for sites to design any type of Maker activity. After bouncing around several ideas at my library (Lee Memorial Library in New Jersey), we opted to hold our first annual Inventors’ Fair. This program hit on an unfilled need in our community: a science fair-like activity that would promote strategic research and experimentation, alongside important engineering skills local students may not be learning in school. Offerings from some of our neighbors included a Maker Faire; workshops with technology such as MaKey MaKey, littleBits, 3D printers, and Arduino; myriad craft sessions; and cooking lessons.

Because this was my library’s first true Maker event, the initial planning process was slightly overwhelming. Fortunately, the NJ Makers Day Committee was comprised of librarians from around the state who have already had hands-on experience with Makerspaces. Numerous planning webinars and trainings were offered in the months leading up to March 21, and participants received free literature to aid in preparation. Once we figured out the logistics of actually holding the event, reaching out to some of our dedicated volunteers helped tremendously in spreading the word. They were able to publicize the fair to various community organizations, in addition to putting us in contact with local science teachers who were willing to promote the program to their classes. Some were even willing to serve as guest judges.

Our next step was to enlist community partnerships. This turned out to be far less difficult than we thought. The first two businesses we approached, a tutoring center and children’s museum, were more than willing to jump on board. In return for putting their logos on our promotional materials and allowing them to have tables at the library on the day of the fair, they helped promote the program to their customer bases and offered free prizes to the winners. This was a great way to help both of these relatively new businesses feel more included in the community, as well as garner some potential new customers. For us, not having to spend money on prizes and accessing patrons we may not have otherwise reached was a huge boon.

NJ Makers Day was a huge success, not just in my library, but across the state as well. It brought the public new awareness of the Maker movement and how public libraries can fit into it. I am proud to say that my library was a part of it, and I look forward to running more Maker events in the future.

*Editor’s Note: The author of this article, Gretchen Kaser, was the director at the Lee Memorial Library in Allendale, NJ, at the time when this article was written. She is now the director at the Worth Pinkham Memorial Library in Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ.

Photo Credit: Lee Memorial Library, NJ

The post New Jersey Hosts First State-Wide Makers Day first appeared on Public Libraries Online.