The Little Things no.2

This is post 2 in my "little things" series, a series exploring the small organizational and decorative details that have made me happier with how the Makerspaces I've worked in feel. ( post 1 )

In this post, I share some of my favorite display and organizational details from a ~2 month activation of the North Boulder Public Library Makerspace focused on engaging community members and library visitors in the topic of Electronics. Electronics can be an intimidating topic for many folks, and all of the small parts and pieces that go into electronics projects can be tricky to manage and organize. These are some of the things I tried to help with both of those challenges.

Displays that are a mix of decorative and educational

I used this shelf to highlight a beautiful book called " Open Circuits: The Inner Beauty of Electronics " and right next to the book, I displayed the component being highlighted in the book. I tried to switch them up every couple of weeks. I hoped that this could help demystify some of the electronic components, and spark curiosity or appreciation for their aesthetic qualities and functions.

Directly beneath this display are the beautiful soldering stations that I've shared more about in a previous post:

Here's another example of a display that's equal parts fun and functional. These zines are all about different topics in electronics and are displayed above the electronics bench area. Visitors can pick up the zines and flip through them. The zines are from here: https://leecyb.org/

Occasionally, I would prop open one of the zines and stage relevant materials nearby. Like this page which talks about different kinds of buttons and switches. A couple of example switches are displayed along with the zine.

Labels for Small Parts Organizers

This one is a little "extra", but I created printed labels for the organizers that hold many of the small electronics parts we used. I included pictures of the item, and when there was room, a short description. This might not be necessary for a hobbyist who is the only person using their organizer, but this is a community space shared by many folks. Many of which are new to electronics. By providing a little more information about what's in these boxes, I hoped that it could help people find what they need more easily and inspire curiosity.

Ready-to-go Activities

I also tried to seed the space with several activities involving electronics that anyone could pick up and get started with. Our amazing artist-in-residence Ayesha Wilson created a beginner-friendly and beautiful soldering kit featuring a custom-designed PCB (printed circuit board) shaped like a flower!

One of my favorite organizational tools are the "photo and craft keeper" bins that hold several small containers securely inside of the larger one. I used this bin to hold "kits" for Ayesha's activity. Each little box contained all of the materials that someone needed to create the flower light.

I also included a sign with a clear invitation for people to try the activity, and draped the final product over the sign so that people could see what they would be creating.

In this makerspace, we often found that people brought their own activities to work on during open hours and were sometimes uninterested in trying something new within the space (outside of classes and workshops). I think a little bit of an invitation, clear instructions, and well-organized materials go a long way towards encouraging folks to try something new.

Why does this matter?

Previous to some of this reorganization work, the electronics station would often look like this at the end of a busy open studio day:

Well used, but chaotic. Imagine being a newcomer, hesitantly interested in electronics, and this is what you have to navigate. It can be overwhelming and intimidating.

Here's a little preview of what that same area looked like after the reorganization. Everything is labeled and (mostly) everything has a home. Only 1 soldering station is on the counter, and others are stored nearby that can be moved to a larger table. Lesser used tools have been removed from the work area and stored nearby, or in the storage area outside of the makerspace.

While it could be better, a little organization goes a long way towards making something feel more accessible.