Heather Lister

Heather is a teacher-librarian with a passion for maker education and innovation. Previously a school librarian, she is now an educational consultant for Mackin Educational Resources.

The Beginning Of My Makerspace Journey

Learn How To Get Started

Did you need approval for beginning your Makerspace? If so, who was involved?

Where was your Makerspace? Did it consume the entire library? Was there a space dedicated to the Makerspace?

If your Makerspace is in your library, what do you do when you have classes that come in for research or other traditional library things? Do you close the Makerspace?

What was in your Makerspace?

Who supervised the Makerspace? Was it always the librarian? If not, who else? Do you have an aide that helps out? What about student helpers?

Did you ever put limits on the amount of students that could use the Makerspace? If so, how did you decide? Was this out of necessity due to space limitations or so that you could ensure you had enough supplies?

If you were limited in space, how did you decide what to feature in your Makerspace? Did you have weekly or monthly themes?

How was your Makerspace funded? If it came out of your budget, how did you budget for the newest tools over a year in advance? How did you budget for consumables (i.e. yarn, duct tape)?

When is your Makerspace open? Do students come throughout the day? If you operate on a fixed schedule, is the Makerspace a part of your instruction?

What was in our Makerspace?

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Get To Know Heather

Bring creativity to your Makerspace by hosting your own Cardboard Challenge!

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Connect with Heather

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About Heather

Heather is a teacher-librarian with a passion for maker education and innovation. Previously a school librarian, she is now an educational consultant for Mackin Educational Resources.

Heather received her Bachelors in Education in Library Science from Kutztown University in 2010 and then received her Masters Degree in Instructional Technology with a concentration in Digital Classrooms from Kutztown University in 2012. Heather also received a graduate certificate in School Administration and Supervision (ISTE Partnership Program) at Johns Hopkins University. Heather thinks she is incredibly funny.

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Heather is a Discovery Educator Network (DEN) Star and a PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovator. She is a Raspberry Pi Certified Educator. She is a mentor for Year in the Making and a member of MakerEd’s MakerCorps. Heather serves as an advisor on the Transform Your School Library (TYSL) initiative, is a Buncee Ambassador, and a MackinVIA ConnextPert Educator. She was named the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association Leadership Award recipient in 2011. She is the Professional Development chair for ISTE’s Librarians Network. She is a member of ALA, AASL, ISTE, ILA, PSLA, and PAECT.

She holds a Pennsylvania Teaching Certificate in Library Science (K-12), Instructional Technology (K-12), Principal’s Certification (K-12) and Middle-Level Mathematics (7-9).

Heather is the mom of two wonderful children and has a wonderful husband. When she is not busy chasing them around, she enjoys watching the Golden Girls, listening to audiobooks, and eating.

Heather has presented at FETC, TCEA, ILA, and ISTE among many other state and regional conferences. To keep up with her latest adventures, follow her on Twitter @heathermlister or check out her blog at www.heatherlister.com.

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