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Delaware Libraries Support Communities Embracing Diversity

Written on: July 17th, 2017 in Blog Posts, Inspiration Space

Throughout the nation, 2016 was an interesting but pretty contentious year. From protests of pipelines built on tribal land, excessive force by law enforcement, and a heated presidential race, emotions were high and questions were plenty.  But a recurring theme in many news reports was the need for a safe place where communities can connect, […]

Imagineering @ Bridgeville Public Library

Written on: July 7th, 2016 in Blog Posts, Inspiration Space

With a nod toward Walt Disney, the Bridgeville Public Library hosts Imagineering opportunities for kids. One father explained the program this way: “It was fantastic. There were kids soldering wires to circuit boards, assembling gearboxes, and using the 3d printer to make parts for their robots. They were using free programs for the 3d modeling […]

Robocode at the Brandywine Hundred Library

Written on: March 8th, 2016 in Blog Posts, Informal learning, Inspiration Space, Tech

The first ever day of Robocode in Delaware Libraries was a blast! This past Saturday, eight teens gathered at the Brandywine Hundred Library in Wilmington for this day-long workshop to learn the basics of coding with Java while building their own virtual battle tank. Students from Zip Code Wilmington led the class and guided the teens […]

Tactile Map of the Wilmington Public Library

Written on: February 25th, 2016 in Blog Posts, Inspiration Space, Tech

A couple months ago I was invited by one of my colleagues to a small gathering at the Wilmington Public Library to strategize ways to leverage the library’s 3D printers to help patrons with visual impairments. This had been an interest of mine, since the spring of 2014 when I first introduced a 3D printer […]

Teen Tech Week: Robocode

Written on: February 4th, 2016 in Blog Posts, Informal learning, Inspiration Space, Tech

To kick off Teen Tech Week, The Delaware Division of Libraries is partnering with Zip Code Wilmington and the Barrel of Makers to bring Robocode to the Brandywine Hundred Library. Instructors from Zip Code will guide 25 teens in a day-long workshop and programming game where teens will learn the basics of coding software by […]

ILEAD USA Delaware 2015

Written on: November 10th, 2015 in Blog Posts, Entrepreneurship, Informal learning, Inspiration Space, Tech

The Division of Libraries hosted the third and final session of ILEAD USA Delaware this past October. ILEAD, which stands for Innovative Librarians Engage, Apply, and Discover, is a professional development opportunity offered this past year in ten states across the United States. Earlier this year in Delaware, fourteen library staff gathered into three teams, each […]

3D Printer Review: A Librarian’s Perspective

Written on: September 21st, 2015 in Blog Posts, Inspiration Space, Reviews, Tech

The following 3D printer reviews are from the perspective of a librarian trying to find the most suitable device for Delaware’s public libraries. I’m not a mechanic. I’m not an engineer. I’m not a computer programmer. I’m not a graphic designer. I’m a librarian with a tendency toward tinkering and creative thinking.   Ultimaker Original (2013) The Division of […]

Delaware’s First 3D Printer Road Show

Written on: September 3rd, 2015 in Blog Posts, Informal learning, Inspiration Space, Tech

The 3D Printer Road Show came to a roaring conclusion the final week of August as we visited four libraries in New Castle County. Early in June the Division of Libraries offered to visit each Delaware public library for a day to demonstrate a variety of 3D printers, introduce 3D modeling, and discuss the state […]

MinecraftEdu in Delaware Libraries

Written on: September 18th, 2014 in Blog Posts, Informal learning, Inspiration Space, Tech

Playing MinecraftEdu is a growing phenomenon in Delaware libraries. More and more libraries are offering public programs featuring MinecraftEdu, which is actually a modification, or “mod” of the commercially available Minecraft.* MinecraftEdu is a game in which players build things out of 3-dimensional blocks. Each block can be selected from a multitude of material including […]