We Love Libraries!
The education department teaches an e-textiles workshop at the Longmont Public Library.
Last week, the Longmont Public Library invited my co-worker, Angela and me to teach one of our favorite, fun workshops called the e-Textile Art Pin at their Stay Curious This Summer event series.
The workshop was open to the public, and about 35 people showed up to participate. The attendees were from all different walks of life - some with a knack for technology and others not as much, but it didn't matter. The greatest part about the evening was that every person successfully created a pin. It was our main mission for teaching that night. It didn't matter where the person came from or what his or her background was. Everyone there had the motivation to try something new and succeeded at it. What's great about this activity is that it shows you the basics of circuitry and how to sew, but it also offers up a tangible project that can be taken home at the end of the day. It's a great way to get people interested in electronics and is an easy to grasp, quick, hands-on activity that delivers eye catching results.
Within the last year or so the education department at SparkFun has been working more diligently with many libraries all over the country. We've been implementing professional development workshops for librarians and integrating SparkFun kits into library systems for patrons to check out and tinker with. We've worked with libraries near and far ranging from Los Angeles Public Libraries to The High Plains Library District in Colorado, Arlington Heights Memorial Library in Illinois, Varnum Memorial Library in Vermont, Chattanooga Public Library in Tennessee and many more. Our goal is to infiltrate our communities with easy access to emerging technology.
Let us know if you're interested in becoming involved with these kinds of opportunities - we'd love to help!
While I'm at it here's a picture of my dog. She really likes to exploit her cuteness on the internet.
Cheers!
Amanda
