The St. Albert Public Library stepped outside of the box both figuratively and literally on Wednesday afternoon to promote some of its new programs to an active audience. Two representatives established a pop-up eLibrary to help the public get familiar with some new technology trends and electronic resources.
“Libraries are about learning in an informal, social space,” began digital services librarian Kirsten Ng, “and as libraries evolve so does our approach to how we help people develop new skills for the digital and creative world.”
“We are keen to let people know that St. Albert Public Library offers space and support to become familiar with emerging creative technologies, so going out to a new location is a great opportunity to spread the word.”
Some of the demonstrations involved some devices with quirky names like MaKey MaKey and WeDo.
MaKey MaKey is an electronic device that can turn practically anything into a key on a keyboard. It involves a ground wire plus other wires that are connected with other objects that can conduct electricity.
The result: you can make music by touching a banana or a blob of Play-Doh. You could even play games with it, if one were so inclined, Ng said.
“It’s not just a piano,” she clarified. “You can do anything they want, like drawings. It can hook up to basically anything like Minecraft, anything that needs basic keys like a spacebar and arrows. The interesting thing is that Play-Doh works but plasticine doesn’t. You can use pencil and make a sketch because graphite works.”
It can also work with multiple people holding hands in order to complete the circuit.
They also brought along a Lego WeDo Robotics kit that allows younger children to build basic robots that can then be directed into action with the help of a computer program.
Ng demonstrated a simple two-legged robot. Once she clicked on the button on the screen, one of its legs starts spinning wildly, kicking a ball of rubber bands across the table. There are 12 different activities, like creating an alligator that opens and shuts its mouth.
The library will be offering three days of workshops to demonstrate and teach kids how to use the Lego WeDo. The Techno Kids camp is for children in Grade 4 to Grade 6 and runs for two hours each morning from July 7 to 9. The camp is full but a waiting list is available. Another three-day camp will run Aug. 11 to 13.
Both items are intended to be offered at the library starting in the fall. Staff members are also hoping to obtain a 3-D printing pen called a 3Doodler.
The pop-up eLibrary was the first of several that are scheduled for Servus Credit Union Place during the summer.
It will reappear for a few hours in the middle of the afternoons of June 29, July 15 and 27, and Aug. 12 and 24, all starting at 2 p.m. The sessions are all on a drop-in basis and are open to all ages. Visitors to the centre can find it located near the main registration desk.
Ng and library assistant Anna Scott will be able to discuss all of the library’s digital resources including eBooks and eMagazines.
