UTA Libraries FabLab Director Announces New Maker Literacies Book from ALA Editions

The University of Texas at Arlington Libraries is excited to announce the forthcoming publication of Maker Literacies for Academic Libraries: Integration into Curriculum, edited with an introduction by FabLab Director Katie Musick Peery, from ALA Editions. I sat down with Musick Peery to learn more about the book and how she feels now that it is finally being released.

Alexandra Pirkle (AP): Congratulations, Katie! When is Maker Literacies for Academic Literacies going to be released?

Katie Musick Peery (KMP): The publisher says they’re aiming for a mid-October publication date and they’ll let me know as soon as the books have arrived in the warehouse. People interested in the book can preorder it from the American Library Association Store.

AP: Who is your audience for the book? Other librarians? Students? Both?

KMP: The intended audience for this book is primarily academic librarians, makerspace staff, and faculty who are interested in integrating and assessing use of the makerspace into curriculum, as it will speak directly to how librarians and library staff are principally situated to address the pedagogical gap between the acquisition of subject-based and interdisciplinary knowledge.

It will also be of interest to personnel in makerspaces not affiliated with academic libraries who are similarly interested in collaborating on curriculum development and evaluation, and faculty who wish to incorporate other experiential learning opportunities into their course design.

AP: Where does this fall on your CV – your first book, second, etc.? First edited collection?

KMP: This is my first book/first time as a book editor! I wrote the introduction, and edited all the other chapters.

AP: How does it feel now that this book is out in the world?

KMP: Relief! We began this process a full two years ago, and it has taken considerable effort to coordinate chapter submissions and revisions from so many different authors from different institutions, who are juggling their own other priorities and deadlines (not to mention the pandemic).

AP: What do you hope readers will get out of Maker Literacies for Academic Literacies?

KMP: I’m hopeful that readers will be inspired to integrate this program at their own institutions, that they will be comforted by reading the struggles and triumphs that others going through the same process have experienced, and that librarians will be able to better recognize and appreciate the skillset that they bring to faculty partnerships and curriculum development.

We’d like to thank UTA-affiliated contributors Rebecca Bichel, Gretchen Trkay, Martin Wallace, Morgan Chivers, and Dr. Jaime Cantu. Additional contributors include librarian partners from our first IMLS grant project, hailing from the University of Nevada – Reno, the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, and Boise State University.

Don’t forget to preorder your copy of Maker Literacies for Academic Libraries: Integration into Curriculum from the ALA Store today!