Creating

Abstract

Authorship is a fundamental impulse that’s rooted in the value of “telling your own story.” When people engage in practices of creating media, they deepen their understanding of the constructed nature of all forms of media and can shift their identity in important ways. As people gain confidence in self-expression and recognize the value and power of using communication to address community and national social and cultural issues, they take on the role of active citizens in a democratic society. The library has always been a source of inspiration for people who want to make things as well as a community hub where people can come to learn, create, and explore possibilities. Makerspaces and media centers can support the mission of the library. Many academic librarians have made a deep commitment to supporting student media creation as a dimension of their academic work. And whether it’s to explain library services, document a community event or history, or market the library, when school librarians are themselves digital authors, they often have a broader, deeper appreciation of the creative process and recognize the potentially transformative impact that such learning experiences can have. Creating media can be important for advancing self-expression and learning, but it is also a time-honored way to deepen media analysis skills. Getting the balance between creative freedom and creative restraint in media production can be challenging, but from creating storyboards, book trailers, or parody music videos to documentary filmmaking, creating media in the library can reap multiple benefits and can prove that it’s through creating and collaborating that people of all ages learn best.