2024 Core Forum

This poster presentation will explore the "In the Margins" project at an academic library makerspace. This collection of books, journals, and activity books encourages students to underline, highlight, and draw in the pages. For centuries, libraries have discouraged these behaviors. Marginalia, or reader-generated notes and embellishments within a text, are typically considered a form of damage, but present a unique opportunity in library makerspaces. As libraries invite users to move from information consumers to creators, they ought to consider if there is value in preserving, sharing, and even soliciting marginalia from their communities. Attendees will learn how this experimental collection was implemented and consider how it contributes to the creative culture of the library.