About

Hello, we are the folks behind Make it @ Your Library. In 2012, we came together as part of ILEAD USA, an IMLS grant funded library program, with the intention of helping librarians realize makerspace projects in their communities. A few months later, we had the concept for this site, and Make It @ Your Library was starting to take shape!

The ILEAD USA Team/Make It @ Your Library Co-founders (fondly referred to as the llamas):

Katy HiteKaty Hite is the Assistant Manager of the Orange Branch of the Delaware County District Library in Ohio.  Following several years as a freelance theater technician, she earned her MLIS at Dominican University in 2010.  Post-graduate experience includes three years at Roosevelt University as a Distance Learning Librarian, Adult Services Librarian at Worthington Libraries, and Emerging Technology Librarian at Upper Arlington Public Library. She loves providing patrons of all ages unexpected fun at the library.  

 

 

 

Amy KillebrewAmy Killebrew is the User Experience Librarian at Columbia College Chicago. She focuses on managing and improving digital library services including library websites and mobile apps through usability testing, analytics, and content management systems. Amy  also assists students and faculty with library research and leads library instruction sessions for dozens of classes each semester.

 

 

 

Elizabeth LudemannElizabeth Ludemann is an Info Services Supervisor at Arlington Heights Memorial Library in Illinois. After completing her B.A. at the University of Notre Dame, she went on to earn an MLIS at Dominican University and enthusiastically entered the public library world hoping to foster lifelong learning and experimentation in communities. At AHML you can find her on the reference desk, developing programs and teaching classes, and facilitating staff training. 

 

 

 

Allison ParkerAllison Parker is a Youth Services Librarian at Barrington Area Library in Illinois. A lifelong enthusiast for childrens literature and lifelong learning, she earned an MLIS at Dominican University in 2011 and has been serving young people ever since. Specifically at Barrington, she facilitates playful learning in the newly renovated, 21st-century Youth Services space; selects for print and digital collections; and assists all types of learners in discovering a great book, website, app, or experience.

 

 

Vicki RakowskiVicki Rakowski  is the Head of Operations at Barrington Area Library, in Barrington, Illinois. She works to facilitate and meet staff and customer needs from behind the scenes these days, but continues to maintain interest in all things maker.

 

 

 

 

This site is brought to you in collaboration with Instructables and it is our hope that through this site, libraries of all stripes and sizes will be able to experiment with maker projects. Make it @ Your Library believes that content creation in the library is a vital direction for our libraries to pursue. Maker projects don’t need to be the result of thousands of dollars of space renovation, equipment or special staffing. The projects on this site, powered by Instructables and vetted by librarians, are a great way to begin. Happy creating!

Please note: We, Make It @ Your Library, receive all project content directly from Instructables and we review the content and concept of each project as a whole. While some projects may have minor flaws (typos, grammatical errors, language, etc.), we believe the overall content of these projects is of high quality. Please exercise good judgment, safety, and responsibility when selecting and creating any of the projects on this site. Not all projects can (or should) be created in every library and it is your responsibility to know what level of activity can reasonably be undertaken in your institution.