Programming
I supported Cascade Park's Repair Cafe on Saturday, 5/4. I facilitated the demonstration of the 3D printer and information on accessing the technology at this branch. I had great conversations with patrons of all ages about the use and utility of the technology, as well as how patrons can get access to the equipment. The public was very excited to learn about gaining experience with the 3D printer for their own projects. Many of the patrons I spoke to are already certified to use the 3D printer and excited to learn that Cascade Park now has their own Lulzbot Mini.
I partnered with LaCenter to support the monthly outreach visit to Green Mountain Elementary School in the hinterlands of Washington.
I led 6 virtual reality programs utilizing the Oculus headsets
GD: this was an adults-only program. The attendees were very enthusiastic about the technology and assisted each other with the headsets. The attendees had great conversations with one another and built connected communities through their shared interest and experience with the technology.
Mall: We had our first wheelchair-bound patrons use the headsets during the Mall’s program. It was an interesting experience configuring the Rift for a seated perspective. Feedback from the attendees indicated that they came to the Mall specifically for this program and they chose the Mall location due to the Mall’s status as a transit center for C-Tran. A patron with chronic pain indicated she enjoyed the headsets as they gave her a distraction from her pain and could have therapeutic benefits in her daily life. Similarly, a patron who was at the library to check out DVDs and stayed for the program indicated he would like an Oculus Go to watch movies on as he has limited mobility and movies are a big part of his life.
BG: We provided the headsets to the public as part of BG’s 10-year celebration. Many members of the community took part in the festivities throughout the building. A lot of seniors tried out the headsets. We did seated experiences in BG as balance was an issue with some of our attendees. Children were very interested in the technology, but most were too young to try out the headsets. We had a lot of attendees interested in observing others in the headsets and asking questions about the technology and its utility in education and job training.
VA: We had a nice range of ages and experiences during this program. We received the suggestion to make the Oculus Go available for checkout or for in-library use after the formal programming wraps up. I also made a connection with the Native American Youth and Family Center. We are working on scheduling something before the headsets return to the state library at the end of July.
VA-Medium: We had two participants try out sculpting in Medium. The rest were interested in just trying out the headsets, so we used First Contact. Feedback from Medium was difficulty in mastering the tools in the time available during the program.
WD: All attendees were teens ranging from 13-18. They were very excited and loved working together in the headsets and sharing their experiences with one another.
We hosted our first summer STEM program Mission Control: Mars Rover Challenge at Yale Elementary. Lu, Bonnie, and volunteers Tre and Mary assisted. We led this 1.5 hour program with all 46 students (K-5th grade). This was a great test-run for this program and the kids were engaged and enthusiastic throughout the event.
District Partnerships
The 3D Printing team published the On-Demand 3D printer certification training for the public! https://www.fvrl.org/maker-tools We have scheduled a follow-up meeting to discuss how things are going as a group in September 2019.
I am working with Vancouver to create a resource for patrons to access to learn more about how to use Cricut electronic cutter. Our hope is to get the Cricut out into a public space. IT is having issues getting the plug-in for Cricut Design Space updated on staff computers.
I am working with LaCenter to create engaging STEM-based opportunities for Green Mountain Elementary School. We hope to offer a quarterly STEM program starting in November 2019.
I received a request from Vancouver to support the Juvenile Detention Center Outreach program. I am scheduling a meeting with the teacher that oversees the JDC program to discuss concerns and issues.
Community Partnerships
I met with the librarian in charge of coordinating the efforts of the Hillsboro Public Library makerspaces at Shute Park and Brookwood. I toured her around OC and VA and discussed our on-going projects and activities, including our focus on staff-training on maker tools to support the success of our maker initiatives.
Out division met with Clark College’s MESA Program. MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement) is a program designed to increase the number of historically underrepresented community college students who transfer to a university and earn STEM bachelor’s degrees. Our discussion included supplementing their book collection with needed physical and digital resources. They had an interesting discussion about Lynda.com and getting access to students and faculty. For my part, we discussed potential STEM opportunities for MESA students to gain volunteer experience by assisting at upcoming experiential learning programs. We also discussed upcoming experiential learning programs and providing them for MESA students. We are still working out the potential schedule for these activities.
I participated in the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics Senior Projects panel as a mentor. I met the student, during her time as a 2018 teen volunteer at the library. I assisted the student in making community connections to see her art vending machine project come to life. It was awesome!
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