Franklin Sayre

I’m the Makerspace Librarian at Thompson Rivers University and also Co-Chair the Librarians’ Department. These days I am particularly interested in creating active learning spaces that foster belonging and encouraging sustainability and critical thinking about technology and information.

Goals

Last Year Goals

  1. Conduct an assessment project in the Makerspace in partnership with the Assessment Librarian Amy Patterson in order to investigate what users are doing in the space and if it the space is meeting our intial goals.
    • Done and currently stuck at writing my sections of the paper.
  2. Continue to develop my approach to leadership, specifically, I want to focus more on real delegation of meaningful work, making space for others to contribute, mentorship, and removing barriers my colleagues and the staff I work with face.
    • Done to the extent a goal like this is ever done
  3. Find ways to square the pedagogical model and values of the makerspace with the realities of it’s growing popularity. As the Makerspace gets more popular, we will face pressure to make it less interesting in order to make it easier to run. While we will need to adapt, as much as possible I want us to stay focused on the purpose and values that drive the the Makerspace and be willing to take big risks
    • Done. Our operations team charter, student ambassador charter, program descripton, and code of conduct all serve to keep us aligned with our purpose and values.

This Year’s Goals

  1. Enhance the Student Ambassador Program:
    1. Building on the success of the program, I want to further emphasize Ambassadors role as mentors who advocate for our values and pedagogies. Part of this will be having mentors be more responsible for training each other, as well as more responsible for explaining values and pedagogies to users.
  2. Increase Engagement in the Makerspace:
    1. I want to spend more time in the Makerspace working with students and other users, and encouraging people to pursue more complex projects. To achieve this goal, I’m planning weekly co-working sessions where students, staff, and faculty can collaborate on projects, learn new skills, and access resources in a supportive environment.
  3. Develop Programming Around “Critical Making”:
    1. I want to start exploring how to encourage users to be more critical about the role and impact of technology, design, and making. I am not sure yet what this will involve, but it relates to my ongoing focus on sustainability, experimentation, and fostering a deeper understanding of the cultural and ethical implications of making.

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