wittig: creating a digital space for today's teens, part 1 and part 2
TRANSCRIPT
COREY WITTIG, DIGITAL LEARNING LIBRARIAN – TEEN SERVICES
Creating a Digital Media Space for Today's Teens
Corey Wittig• MLIS, University of
Pittsburgh 2010• Digital Learning
Librarian – Teen Services
• Program manager of The Labs @ CLP
Digital Learning Librarian
• 19 locations
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
• Population 307,484
What’s the deal with The Labs?
• CLP’s Teen-only Learning Lab initiative• 3 core locations system-wide
• Weekly workshops• Outreach programming• Tours & trainings•Cohort 2 of IMLS “Learning Labs” grantees
Library as Incubator Project
libraryasincubatorproject.org
The Labs @ CLP – YouTube promo
Part 1 : Philosophy, research and practice
Part 2 : Resources, guidance, tips, suggestions, more questions.
Creating a Digital Media Space for Today's Teens
Part 1: Philosophy, research and practice
• Teens make up a significant portion of library users• 40 million adolescents 12-17 in the US
• Youth 14-24 make up 25% of all public library users
• 17% of 16 to 17 year olds used a library in 2012
• Like it or not it’s a safe space
Why are we doing this?Why digital media labs? Maker spaces? Connected Learning? Etc. etc.
Why are we doing this?JOBS! Not my favorite reason, but a very GOOD reason.
Copyright Work Ready Pittsburgh
Getting started, or How Do You Create an Initiative Out of Thin Air?
• Plan your program in the context of your library’s Strategic Plan/vision/mission statement– At every turn in the search for funding
you will have to justify your program. It starts here.
– Root it in research.
(It might sound
obvious, but)
Research breakdown
http://www.search-institute.org
Connected Learning• Learning continues outside the classroom
• Connected Learning is:– Socially connected– Interest-driven– Connects learning w/ personal interests and
expresses itself as academic success, career success, or civic engagement.
Connectedlearning.tv
The Future of Library Services for and with Teens: A Call to Action
YALSAJanuary 8, 2014
It’s scalable!
Some basics
2 types of volunteer opportunities1.Assist mentors in programming2.Develop a feature program using a
special skill of the volunteer
Volunteers: community experts
Room to create with Self-directed learning
Planning session for Chronology – a planned sci-fi web series.
Mentors offer guidance as needed
Open LabMonday, Tue., Friday @ CLP-Main
Creations from open time at CLP-Main.
Workshops• Mentor Led• Project Based
Outreach
The Labs Photobooth w/ PopBooth free app for iPad
Pittsburgh Public Schools Summer Dreamers Academy Outreach
Labs onLocation
Part 2 : Resources, guidance, tips, suggestions, more questions.
STORY
• The Chicago Public Library and The Digital Youth Network collaborated to create YOUmedia
• Based on Professor Ito’s research – Univ. of Chicago
• DYN grew out of MacArthur Foundation’s Digital Media & Learning Initiative
Digitalyouthnetwork.org
Chipublib.org
YOUmedia & Pittsburgh: a history
• The YOUmedia physical space was designed by a team of graduate students under the direction of Professors Drew Davidson and Jesse Schell from the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University. – youmediachicago.org
Dr. Drew DavidsonActing Director of the ETC
Main – Teen Dept.
• Bring your professional passion to it.• We’re librarians—even if you don’t have a
Development office, you have great resources• Communicate how your region or service area
will benefit• Communicate sustainability• There’s so much great research out now—use it!
Grant Writing
• Always a challenge (until this movement really takes hold…and probably after, too.)
• 100% grant-funded– IMLS, Grable Foundation (PGH), Fine
Foundation (PGH)• Past: The Laurel Foundation (PGH), Snee-
Reinhardt Foudnation (PGH), The Heinz Endowments (PGH)
Funding
• Artist mentors are paid, part-time employees– Technically temporary because of grant funding– Library Assistant classification
• Mentors, Teen Specialists (librarians and library assistants) and volunteer mentors staff Open Lab
More on Mentors
• Try to have a general plan at least a month or two out– Workshop is fleshed out and presented to the group
at our Monday meeting the week before it is presented to teens
• Average attendance – 5 or 6 (Ranges from 2-15ish)
• Average age (guess) around 14– 6th to 12th grade are welcome
More on Workshops
Borrowed from Richard Arum (NYU) ALA presentation “Connecting Youth”
YOUmedia.org
The Thick of It:Program Design
YOUmedia & The Labs guidelines.
Teen Advisory Council
• Shaped policy• Chose equipment• Debated program name• Could have been more inclusive
QuickFLIX: an existing program, expanded
Stop-Motion Animation workshop w/ PGHFilmmakers mentors and Labs iPads
Teen Media Awards 2012
HIP-HOP ON L.O.C.K.• We’d done film
before, but music was new
• Learn from experts.• Further the mission
of your partnersHHOL workshop at East Liberty
pre-Labs launch
An online space to meet
Remakelearning.org
FindingPartners
Mish-mash
Equipment, or what to buy?
http://www.skokielibrary.info/
Other programs:• Skokie Public
Library • Toby G.!
• IMLS Learning Labs grantees
• YOUmedia• Give me a call!
APPLE
• Apple – certainly not necessary, but probably the best and easiest for digital media lab programming. (Better graphics, video, etc.)
• iLife included (iMovie, GarageBand, etc.)
• Will your IT Dept. support it? (Ours does not.)
• Not networked = not ideal
iPads for programming, outreach, and more
• Jack of all trades device
• Borrowed by teen specialists system-wide for programming and outreach
• Borrowed by teens in Main Lab afterschool
• “hanging out” & “messing around”
PowerSync Tray for iPad by Bretford
Grafiti Nootle iPad mount
Apps we love• gifBoom (animated .gifs)• DoInk (animation)• Smoovie (stop-motion)• Cinemagram (.gifs)• Comiclife (make comics!)• DM-1 (beat making)• iMovie (video)• Rockmate (music—4 instruments at once!)• LeafSnapHD (botany)• Star Walker (astronomy)• Vintagio (silent film)
The Labs Video Equipment
• Canon Vixia HF R500 – consumer grade camera• Green screen (DIY if you can)• Shotgun mic• Boom
The Labs Audio/Music Equipment
M-Audio Fast Track Pro
M-Audio Oxygen 49 Midi-Controller
Blue Snowball mic, and more!
The Labs Photography Equipment
• Nikon D3100• Digital SLR
camera• 16GB memory
cards• Could use SLR
for your video camera – better lens
The Labs Software
• Adobe Creative Suite CS6• Including Photoshop,
Illustrator, Premiere, After Effects, etc.
• Sibelius Musitian (music theory software)
• iLife Suite (iMovie, Garageband, iPhoto, etc.) – free with Mac
• Microsoft Office for Mac
Monoprice 12x9 drawing tablet and Adobe Photoshop
The Labs: Miscellaneous Equipment
M-Audio AV40 Studio Monitors
Equipment sheets
The Labs Kits
• Stop-Motion Animation Kit: with iPad and Smoovie App• Soft-Circuits Kit: LEDs, conductive thread crafts• MaKey MaKey Invention Kit
Soft-circuit kitMaKey-MaKey
Google Drive
• Great for collaborating on non-networked computers• Sharing our calendar• Have to pay to sync & use Drive for business soon (?)
• Great for creating equipment wish lists, cataloging program ideas, etc.
Cel.ly• Free opt-in/opt-out
group texts• Great for program
reminders
Lynda.com
• High-quality video tutorials• For professional development • For teen training
Hack Jam: Mozilla Summer of Code
Free Mozilla web-making
tools: Thimble, X-Ray Goggles,
Popcorn
Warhol D.I.Y. app
Graphics and creating a brand
SPACES• 2nd to mentors in importance (I think)• 2 branch Labs (East Liberty and Allegheny—
recently renovated) are housed in meeting rooms until a teen space build-out scheduled for 2013-2014• Meeting rooms—temporary solution, but can
make it work• Main Lab housed in CLP-Teen Dept.
SOUND ISSUES
• Headphones
• USB recording interface means all you hear is muted strumming or keyboard strikes.
• Teen space/digital media lab is ideally placed in a dedicated space, set off from other library services. (Obvious, maybe, but true!)
Primacoustic VoxGuard Microphone Isolation Panel ($99)
Guitar and Midi-Keyboard in CLP-Main Lab.
CLP-Main, Teen Department
The Labs corner at CLP, Main
CLP - East LibertyThe East Lib. crew work on their latest film project, at the East Liberty Lab, January 2013.
• Different meeting rooms depending on branch programming schedule
• New teen space in 2014
CLP - Allegheny• Started in
meeting room space
• New teen space Fall 2013• Full-time teen librarian who
acts as 2nd mentor in The Labs’ weekly workshop
CLP – Allegheny
Before
CLP – Allegheny
After
Teen Time• Weekdays
2:00 – CloseMonday-Sat.
• Furniture and computers are restricted to teen use
• Teen-only programming
• Teen volunteers
• Large YA print collection already exists in Main-Teen Dept.• Labs print collection is a helpful variety of relevant print materials: guides,
art books, manuals, and periodicals. • Added benefit of tying “risky” new program to traditional resources:
supporting multi-modal literacy
Print collection
Promotion and connectivity: website, social media, etc.
youmedia.org• Difficult to accomplish on popular social media
• iRemix – cloud-based social learning network
• Cel.ly• Teen Services Social Media
• Facebook.com/clpteens• @clpteens• Clpteens Instagram
• Social Media Ads (Facebook)• “It’s My Library” commercial
• participants worked with commercial director on Saturday film shoot
• CLP-Bam! outreach
Romie – East Liberty regular and
Labs commercial lead actor.
Promotion: CLPTeens Instagram
Feature Workshops with Partners• Partners are the experts
• We facilitate that relationship (as YALSA says)
• Workshops on a range of art-making subjects from organizations who focus on that topic
• Hip-Hop On L.O.C.K. – music• Pittsburgh Filmmakers – film/photo• TechShop – Maker• Etc.
• Create pathways for youth from your library to local orgs
Matthew Beckler – CMU PHD student and HackPittsburgh instructor.
YA Author Siobhan Vivian, keynote speaker Teen Media Awards (and “Labsy Awards” 2013)
The Future• Professional Development
• Tours & group visits
• Expanded teen spaces and hours at East Liberty and Allegheny w/ 2 new full-time staff
The New Chapter
Equipment policies
• Reserve a computer or equipment in Labs space with library card/photo I.D.
• Borrowing – will allow teens with badges and library card/photo I.D. to use cameras, etc. outside and around the library
• Identified through badging system
• Peer volunteers• The Labs’ “Capstone”
Teen volunteers
Badges: a way to “level up” informal learning
-Earn a badge by accomplishing workshop learning objectives
-Badges confer special borrowing privileges to the earner
-Earn 2 badges and get the Regulars badge
Labs badges by mentor Andre Costello.
Contact Me and Follow Us:• Corey Wittig - [email protected]
• @CLPTeens (Twitter)
•CLPTeens YouTube - www.youtube.com/user/CLPTeens
• Facebook.com/CLPTeens (Facebook)
• Clpteens.tumblr.com (Tumblr blog)
• The Labs on the CLP website: www.carnegielibrary.org/thelabs