Mar. 17—Four clear, plastic orbs with blue LEDs launched onto the floor of the Neosho Newton County Library Makerspace/STEAM Lab.
The Sphero robots rocketed under chairs, between legs and over feet. With shrieks of joy, the Moser siblings controlled the chaos of the robots’ trajectory in the newly opened space for learning and play.
“Our library is to provide resources that are needed by our public, whether it’s educational or recreational,” said Carrie Cline, library director for the Newton County Public Library system. “This space fits perfectly into that.”
She said the public library is one of the only places families can freely hang out and enjoy the resources. She believes that’s why makerspaces have taken off in public libraries. STEAM (which stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) is at the core of what they promote and works together with their…