In Los Angeles, libraries aren’t just for reading.
Since 2012—in partnership with LA Makerspace—more than 4,000 children have gathered at 134 libraries for maker workshops that focus on developing STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) skills. Educators and library staff, meanwhile, have been schooled in the latest coding techniques, robotics programming, stop-frame animation, and even Minecraft.
PCMag recently visited a library in North Hollywood to observe a STEAM workshop. There was an instructor, but no manuals, lesson books, or white boards in sight. Instead, a group of about 20 5- to 7-year-olds were learning about electrical connectivity by joining hands and pretending to be a circuit. They then examined components in front of them and were given options of what they were called; they shouted responses like “Transistor!” and “Photocell!”
The main objective…
