1.
Creating a Digital Media
Space for Today’s Teens (Part 2)
Corey Wittig, Falk Laboratory School
Pittsburgh, PA

2.
Mentoring’s
Effect
"I'd like to thank-you for always listening to me and being such a supportive person. When I'm at the
library I always feel free to be me, because of the amazing positive energy you put into the space. My
favorite project is still the sock cat with light up eyes. I still have mine. Through Outside the Lines I
grew to have more confidence in myself and see my self worth because of all the new things I was
trying and people I was meeting."

3.
Designing for
Multiple Literacies =
Designing for Diversity
(This can mean: racial diversity of staff, diversity of interests represented in
staff and programming, and on and on…)

4.
Design for Multiple
Literacies to Support
Mentors
● Strategic Plan
● Staff training through
project-based learning
sessions
○ Both make mentorship a
part of library culture
Learning with The Labs:
Soldering 101

5.
It’s scalable!

6.
“The strange thing is that I didn’t know that was
my education. I thought that was the stuff I was
escaping my education for.”
Neil Gaiman
on what he learned in libraries

7.
Thesis statement:
A library with mentorship at
the heart of service can
better reflect and serve the
community of which it is a
part.

8.
A shift from a transaction-based
library model to one based on
relationships and community building.

9.
Libraries can
bridge the
equity gap by:
● providing caring, non-parental, non-
teacher adults to encourage youth
○ Though it doesn’t have to be
limited to youth
● create spaces for informal learning
and exploration of interests

10.
Embrace
our role as
educators
and mentors.

11.
Part 2:
Practice
& Planning

12.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft4yzNCia3M

13.
How we do things.

14.
Workshop
& Open Lab
-Mentor-led (give them time)
- Drop-in (usually)
- Informal
- Connected to equipment
checkouts and other privileges
-Capitalizing on teen interest
as relationships form between
mentor and mentee

15.
Intensive Workshops
• Deeper dives
into subject
areas
• Formalized
youth
leadership
• Better/deeper
partnerships

16.
Outreach
The Labs Photobooth and
Green Screen by Do Ink (app)
Pittsburgh Public Schools Summer
Dreamers Academy Outreach

17.
Mentor Blog
For reflection, statistics, sharing, archiving. Private so we can upload pictures without signed permissions.
Great for keeping track of system-wide programming, gathering info for grant reports (internal too), etc.

18.
Badges: For tracking
learning outcomes

19.
Example
Badge
Check

20.
Program Kits
•Stop-Motion Animation Kit: with iPad and
Smoovie App
•Soft-Circuits Kit: LEDs, conductive thread crafts
•MaKey MaKey Invention Kit
•Printmaking Kit, and more!

21.
Communities of practice
Meet online and IRL to
foster partnerships,
share thinking, and avoid
“reinventing the wheel”.
community.youmedia.org/

22.
http://community.youmedia.org/home

23.
Partner Programming
Learn from experts.
Further the mission
of your program
with partners.
(highly recommend
an MOU)

24.
Post-Emergent Library Makerspaces
postemergent.youmedia.org/
• Getting to
Geeking Out
• Finding Your
Place
• All Hands on
Deck
• Running a Tight
Ship

25.
2 types of volunteer opportunities for adult helpers
1. Assist mentors in programming
2. Featured programming based on their interests and skills
Volunteers:
community experts

26.
• Identified through badging system
• Peer volunteers
• “Leveling-Up” to create leadership opportunities
Teen volunteers

27.
Teen Media Awards
Allow youth to be
seen – provide a
platform for
sharing, critique,
and public
expression
Last year’s Design winner

28.
Some considerations for your planning

29.
Digital Media Lab or Makerspace?

30.
Make room for self-directed learning
Planning session for Chronology – a planned sci-fi web series.
Mentors offer
guidance as needed
It’s called “The Labs” because we want teens to think of library teen services as supporting creative,
production centered projects. It’s a resource for them, while workshops provide community context.

31.
Print collection
Connect new programming to print collection. Make room for tech, but no need to think of it as a
replacement for traditional services. When so much is new try to make what connections you can.
• 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•

32.
Teen Time
• Weekdays
2:00 - 6:00 PM
• Furniture and computers
are restricted to teen use
• Teen-only programming
• Teen volunteers

33.
Innovation Network: Logic Model Workbook
http://www.innonet.org/client_docs/File/logic_model_workbook.pdf
Your Planning: Logic Models
-Valerie Adams-Bass

34.
• 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

35.
Part 3: Equipment,
Software, etc.

36.
Equipment,
or ideas for what to buy
Everyone is different. The right equipment/
software for me is not necessarily right for
you. However…some programs to look into:
• Skokie Public Library
• YOUmedia Chicago
• YOUmedia Hartford
• The Mix (San Francisco Public Library)
• The Bubbler (Madison Public Library)
• Anythink Libraries (Colorado)
• ArtLab+ (Smithsonian Institute, D.C.)

37.
Pinterest Great for creating equipment wish
lists, cataloging program ideas, etc.

38.
Ups and downs of iPads for
programming & outreach
• Borrowed by teen
specialists system-wide
for programming and
outreach
• Included in two of our
program kits focusing
on Audio Apps and
Video apps that take up
a lot of space
Grafiti Nootle iPad mount
Joy Factory C-Clamp iPad Mount
Pro: Jack of all trades device.
Con: Hard to manage a bunch without IT support

39.
Apps we love
• gifBoom (animated .gifs)
• Do Ink (Green Screen app and animation app)
• Smoovie (stop-motion)
• Cinemagram (.gifs)
• Comiclife (make comics!)
• DM-1 (beat making)
• iMovie (video)
• Rockmate (music—4 instruments at once!)
• Book Creator
• LeafSnapHD (botany)
• Star Walker (astronomy)
• Vintagio (silent film)
• DuoLingo (language learning)
• ProCreate (art/drawing)
• Figure (create patterns and songs)
• Warhol DIY(simulated screen-printing)
• Sprite Something (make 8-bit sprites!)
• Garage Band (music recording)

40.
Free Software
& Web Tools
Mozilla web-making tools: Thimble, X-Ray
Goggles at learning.mozilla.org
Tinkerkad – 3D Design

41.
Free Software & Web Tools

42.
The Labs Video Equipment
Our original starter pack:
• Canon Vixia HF R500 video camera
• Green screen (DIY if you can)
• Shotgun mic
• Boom
Level up:
• Nikon D3200 video camera
• Rode Video Mic (shotgun mic)
• Shotgun mic
• Boom

43.
The Labs
Audio/Music
EquipmentFocusRite Scarlett 2i2
M-Audio Oxygen 49 Midi-Controller
Blue Snowball mic & popscreen
Tascam
Field
Recorder

44.
More audio
Portable PA system
M-Audio AV40 Studio Monitors
Jambox Bluetooth speaker

45.
SOUND ISSUES
Guitar and Midi-Keyboard in CLP-Main Lab.
• Headphones
• USB recording interface means all you hear is muted strumming or keyboard strikes.
• Teen space/digital media lab is ideally located centrally, but requires infrastructure
supports
Primacoustic
VoxGuard Microphone
Isolation Panel ($99)

46.
Equipment sheets

47.
The Labs Software
• Adobe Creative Suite/Creative
Cloud: Including Photoshop,
Illustrator, Premiere, After Effects,
etc.
• Final Cut Pro (film editing)
• iMovie, Garageband
• 3D Printer Slicing Software like
Simplify 3D, Cora, or MakerBot
Monoprice 12x9 drawing tablet and Adobe Photoshop

48.
APPLE
• Apple – certainly not necessary, but probably the
best and easiest for digital media lab programming.
(Better graphics, video, etc.)
• Software included = iMovie, GarageBand, etc.
• Will your IT Dept. support it? (Ours does not.)
• Not networked = not ideal

49.
3D Printers we actually like
PrintrBot Simple Metal
FlashForge Creator Pro
Great free tutorials geared toward
Success in industry by the local non-
profit The Additive Project.
Additiveproject.org

50.
Non-Digital Stuff is just as good
Same process-driven programming focused on creation, just using old-school devices! We’ve had great
success with sewing for cosplay. Also, using our printmaking kit and screenprinting kit for teen-made fliers.

51.
Lynda.com
• High-quality video
tutorials
• For professional
development
• For training

52.
Contact Me for follow-up:
• Corey Wittig – coreymwittig@gmail.com