Designing Interactive Learning Spaces

ILA – Tuesday, October 15th 10:45AM

By Brian Pichman | Director of Strategic Innovation

Let Me Introduce MyselfHi I’m Brian Pichman

And today we will explore libraries, discover new learning spaces, define interaction and engagement, and prove that we all have the creative potential to bring a positive impact to our libraries and communities (or whatever happens motivates us!)

Follow me on Twitter:@bpichman

LIBRARIES NEED TO EVOLVE

http://www.bilinguallibrarian.com

Dangers Facing Libraries

Dangers Facing Libraries

Dangers Facing Libraries

Did You Know?

Stats from:  Lee Rainie, Director, Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project

Did You Know?

Stats from:  Lee Rainie, Director, Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project

Did You Know?

Stats from:  Lee Rainie, Director, Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project

Create a Public VALUE

• Not be a “process” but an experience• Move from physical to digital• Create new ways to learn and explore• Libraries should be creating stories• Libraries HAVE TO BE ENGANGING!• Shift Focus To• Innovation, Interaction, Discovery, Collaboration and

Invention

Libraries are like Candles

“Libraries Are Screwed” By Eli Neiburger 

What Does A Community Ask For?

• Study Rooms / Homework Area• Open Areas• Tech (Computers)• Business Centers• MakerSpaces • ?Others?

What do these things have in common?

Libraries need to find ways to engage their patrons

Libraries and Learning Spaces Have To Be Engaging

• Encourage Creativity and Invention• Allow Discovery• Increase Collaboration• Generate Interaction• Foster Innovation

Creation and Inventions

Oak Park Public Library

Discovery

Collaboration

Interaction

Innovation

Evolve: A Library Playground

• Fab Lab / “Hackerspace” / “MakerSpace• A location where people with common interests (usually

in computers, technology, science, or digital or electronic art) meet, socialize and/or collaborate.

• Can be viewed as open community labs incorporating elements of workshops and/or studios where people can come together to share resources and knowledge to build and make things and ideas.

• Combining the positive & fun aspects of schools, museums, and playgrounds into one “entity”.

Take Risks!It’s a “Pilot Program” or “Beta Test”

We All Have Creative Potential

Collaborative Areas (Either Network Based or In A Room)Provide Tools (Hardware and/or Software)Learning Labs or Training Centers

Types of Learning Spaces

Music / Graphic Design / Video Editing / Programming

3D Printing

Allen County Public Library

The 4th floor is a public laboratory and educational facility with a focus on information, design, technology, and the applied arts.The 14,000 sq foot space hosts equipment, expertise, programs, events, and meetings that work within this scope.While traditional library spaces support the consumption of knowledge by offering access to media, the 4th floor is unique because it supports the production, connection, and sharing of knowledge by offering access to tools and instruction.

Chattanooga ”Fourth Floor”

DOK Lab (www.doklab.nl)

If you build it they will come

Designing Interactive Learning Space

Key Design Concepts Adding Color Art Have Open Areas Furniture Modularity Technology

Adding Color White = Boring

Think about Parks (typically colorful) Painting walls is an inexpensive redesign Use Fun Colors

Be Bold! Children Areas should use bright attractive

areas.

Art Have patrons/users create the art

Donate it to the space Mix it up as often as you like. There is no

cost.

Open Areas Open Space!

Seating Tables Multi Functional Areas

Less Closed Rooms Activity Rooms, Meeting Rooms, etc

Furniture Fun Colors

Modularity Allows the environment to change easily Let your users define the space Put things on wheels

Desks …No Need For Shelves To Be On Wheels

Don’t fasten furniture to floor… no one will be stealing a desk

Technology As An Evolution

• 1990 – 2000: Internet Burst• 2000 – 2010: Value Adds to Technology• 2010 – 2020: Technology Burst

Future of Technology

• To discover and curate of information• Value adds (efficiency, reliability)• To build or discover new “things”

Future of Search Has Changed

Searches based off of visuals instead of keywords

Clicking Images rather than entering in words

General Themes

• Touch-Based• Gesture-Based• Object Orientated• Open Source Hardware

Touch Based

• People want to touch everything• Discover Through Touch• Search Through Touch• Learn Through Touch

Gesture Based

• Communicate with Technology Hands Free• Uses multiple cameras to detect depth/movement• Microsoft Kinect

• Sites to Explore: • Microsoft Kinect• PrimeSense• Evoluce

Wearable Gesture Based Computing

http://www.pranavmistry.com/projects/sixthsense/

Object Orientated

• Use Objects to interact with surfaces

Open Source

There never seems to be enough money to do anything

So Where Can Money Come From?

Crowd-Source Funding

• People across the world group together to fund new projects and ideas

• People are encouraged to donate by either the attractive name or “awards” based off the amount they donate.

• Kickstarter.com• Indiegogo.com

Social Media• Market your “Brand” heavy through social media

– And Blogging• Solid companies pro-actively manage their social media

accounts.– They watch what people are saying because everyone else can

see what people say– They want only positivity about their company on the web,

they will work to only have positive comments. – If a company does provide assistance, always show your

support through social media • (you may need more support later on down the road).

Social Media is a way to develop relationships

Tips - Twitter

• Only use positivity when communicating on twitter• 140 Characters, make them count!– Wow! @COMPANYX has some really great stuff. I need

to get my hands on it– Who would like to see @PRODUCT in our library space?

• Once you build a good relationship ask the hard questions– Can you help me on the cost @COMPANYZ

Tips - Facebook

• Go to the Company’s Pages, be sure to “Like” their page before commenting

• Again, be only positive. Tell your story, pitch your idea.

Handling Objections

• You will hear “no”– A LOT

• But that just means phrased the question wrong or asked the incorrect person.– Who else can I talk to about discounted pricing/donations– Does anyone make a similar product that would be more

inline with our budget (ask them about their competitors).– What other things would you recommend?

• Don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions of “why”• Everyone has a bottom line.

Just Ask

Places to save money• Buy Refurbished

– Refurbishment is the distribution of products (usually electronics) that have been previously returned to a manufacturer or vendor for various reasons. Refurbished products are normally tested for functionality and defects before they are sold, and thus are the approximate equivalent of certified pre-owned cars. - Wikipedia

– Refurbs are OK!!!• Discount Sites:

– 1SaleADay.Com– Woot.Com– Monoprice.Com – E-Bay

Places to Get Help Asking For Money

• EveryLibrary– 1st Super PAC for libraries. Builds voter support.

Come out and drink at our fundraiser

– Fundraising campaign TONIGHT, details here:https://www.eventbrite.com/event/8357057183 Join EveryLibrary and put the FUN in fundraiser at cocktail reception at D4 Irish Pub & Café, 6:30-8:30

Your environment can have all the best tech toys and cool fablabs but it could still fall short.

It is up to the frontline staff to ENANGE their audiences. A friendly hello goes a long way. Allow the staff to play with the tech; get them involved to reflect that excitement to the users.

Social Media• Use the tools

your users use• Communicate

on their level• These are your

#1 Marketing Tools

Poetry, Music, Video, ArtDigital Content Curation

Encourage creativity

Zombie MovieFilm A Zombie Movie (Cameras and some Face Paint for Your Library)

Augmented RealityOpen a new dimension in your library. Buy using an app, you can see a new “world” within your physical space.

Mystery Grab Bag

Place books into color themed bags. Barcode number written outside of bag. Allow patrons to check out and take them home.

Holiday DisplaysDuring special holiday periods, find books that are colored the holiday colors (not necessarily about the holiday) and place them on a stand near your end caps.

Miniature GolfPurchase Cheap Plastic and Foam to setup Paths and fairways with felt. Have it throughout the library, engage the participants through your space.

How Else Can You Engage a User?

Gamification

Interactive Library Cards• Put a “Reward System” into the library card• Badges• Prizes• Exclusive Programming / Event registration

• Low Tech:• Print new more colorful library cards, allow patrons to customize

their card with different and increasingly more desired badges – based off books read, programs attended, etc.

• High Tech:• Create Library Cards with screens• Send Messages to card when they are in the library (wirelessly

connected)• Display “reading level” or “badges they own”

Game of Books• The Game of Books is gamifying the reading

experience.• In the Game, you are the character that you are

leveling up; books are the magical items that give you rewards.• This is a project from BookLamp.Org• Each Book in the world has a very specific DNA, a

structure that contains specific themes, writing style, density, etc.

• The themes in the book relate to points – and those points apply to your character.

• More Details: www.gameofbooks.com

Questions?

@bpichman815.534.0403bpichman@evolveproject.org

Follow the blog:www.evolveproject.org

Brian Pichman

Fill The Space With Fun Interactive TechnologyAllow People to CHECK THINGS out

INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGY

Play Time

Kurio Tablet Cheap Tablet Locked Down Secure

Little Bits littleBits is an open source library of

electronic modules that snap together with tiny magnets for prototyping, learning, and fun.

Meet Sphero.

Sifteo Cubes

Small LCD screens that can sense when there are nearby cubes and react accordingly

See a virtual tour at http://tinyurl.com/Evolve-VirtualTour