By Dewey Terrill
JC Post
A Makerspace is incorporated into the plan for a proposed new Dorothy Bramlage Public Library in Junction City. It would provide space that could inspire collaboration, innovation and development of hands-on skills. STEM programs, 4-H and FFA members could benefit by having access to equipment and tools that might otherwise be unavailable to them.
A volunteer with the steering committee for the new library project, Lisa Eicholt, said former Geary County resident Michelle Munson and her husband / business partner, Serban Simu, have made a donation to the Dorothy Bramlage Public Library Foundation to facilitate an internship project this summer to explore the Makerspace concept for the community. Eicholt noted that the library has contracted with the Kansas State University Technology Development Institute, who has hired and will mentor the summer intern, Ryan Broeder, Great Bend. “Michelle offered to fund an internship with an engineering student from Kansas State to do the research, find out about Makerspaces and what might mean. what it could involve.” The requirements and what the community needs in a makerspace would be among topics researched.
Broeder, who is an upcoming senior in mechanical engineering at KSU, wants to provide information on the technical side of this project. “What kind of equipment can be used in this community? How can we help the students, the youth, but also the entrepreneurs in the community as well? ” Broeder added it can be an opportunity for not only Junction City but for 4-H nationally. “STEM fields are growing and there’s this big iniative to make makers, have youth be surrounded by technology that they wouldn’t normally have at home, and just really give them to pursue in STEM fields.”
Deanna Munson is also working on the library project. “We definitely want to capitalize on 4-H’ers being able to use it.” But she said there is another reason for this effort> Michelle Munson is a director at the national level of 4-H. “If you look at the structure of the funding into national 4-H which is huge at this point in time, it’s all the tech people. Practically anything that we would want for them to develop and maintain over 40-50 years, a high end tech program can come through funding that is available through that type of association that is available at this point in time.”
Deanna Munson also added the STEM program used by most schools has been developed by national 4-H.” She stressed the interest is huge. There are rare places where there is a community very close to a major land grant university. The goal is to make this a prototype for all of the land grant universities and communities across the nation that might want to put a maker space into their local community and tie it into the 4-H Extension system and K-State.”
Jeff Tucker, Executive Director of the Institute, stated over the last several years they have become much more engaged with communities. “Realizing that a lot of times innovators and entrepreneurs with good ideas in a lot of communities do not have access to all the resources they need. What we’ve tried to do is build critical connections where there’s lack of critical mass.”Tucker added it’s all about connecting to communities lacking the resources or in the development of those resources.
The current Dorothy Bramlage Public Library does not have a lot of available space for a project of this sort but library director Susan Moyer noted while no specific room would available, some area will be opened where it could be added, possibly even off-site. The primary goal is to make Makerspace a significant portion of the new library.