This document discusses the Rutgers Art Library LEGO playing station project. It describes how the LEGO station was implemented at Rutgers and other academic libraries to encourage creativity, collaboration, and learning. It outlines the methods used, including workshops held at various universities and data collected from surveys. The results showed that the LEGO stations fostered community, critical thinking skills, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. The document concludes by arguing that these types of informal, hands-on activities matter and can transform how people engage with academic libraries.

1. Megan Lotts, Art Librarian , Rutgers, the State University of
New Jersey
On the Road Playing with LEGO, and Learning
about the Library: The Rutgers Art Library
LEGO playing Station, Part two.

2. BIO
@MCLotts

3. RESEARCH INTERESTS
@MCLotts

4. LEGO IS EVERYWHERE
https://goo.gl/images/gbe025
Photo credit Megan Lotts
https://goo.gl/images/GGXx2i
https://goo.gl/images/NXoGzQ
https://goo.gl/images/NdqrhNhttps://goo.gl/images/aoa74
l
https://goo.gl/images/cgkPqB

5. LEGO IN HIGHER EDUCATION
https://vimeo.com/174366487
https://goo.gl/images/aDmBxa

6. LEGO IN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgABWpEhY5A https://news.vcu.edu/article/With_the_help_of_15000_Lego_bricks_VCU_students_to_engage_in

7. HOW IT ALL BEGAN
@MCLotts

8. LEGO: RUTGERS UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES
@MCLotts

9. POP-UP MAKERSPACES
Twitter:
@MCLotts
• Low cost.
• Easy to put up, take
down, & store.
• Foster creativity &
critical thinking
skills.
• Create spontaneous
community.
• Encourage cross-
disciplinary
collaboration.

10. #LEGOMAKE TOUR
@MCLotts

11. METHODS-LIBRARIES & PARTICIPANTS
• Ball State
• College of Willian & Mary
• Eastern Illinois University
• Illinois State University
• Indiana State University
• Indiana University
• Miami University
• Northern Illinois University
• North Carolina State University
• Ohio State
• Penn State
• Purdue
• Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
• University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
• University of North Carolina- Greensboro
• University of North Carolina- Wilmington
• University of Illinois- Springfield
• University of Maryland
• Virginia Commonwealth University
https://goo.gl/images/Txe9al

12. METHODS-WORKSHOP

13. METHODS-WORKSHOP TWEETS

14. RESULTS & DISCUSSION (DATA COLLECTION)

15. RESULTS & DISCUSSION (SURVEY)
@MCLotts

16. RESULTS & DISCUSSION (SURVEY)

17. OBSERVATIONS

18. WHY DOES ANY OF THIS MATTER?
@MCLotts
https://www.google.com/search?q=thinking&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiQn6ycoeDSAhUm2oMKHcPFB6QQ_AUICCgB&biw=1440&bih=821#imgrc=D
eL4XDBOsER0tM:

19. FINAL THOUGHTS

20. QUESTIONS
Megan Lotts, MFA, M.L.I.S
Art Librarian
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
(848)932-7189
megan.lotts@rutgers.edu
www.meganlotts.com
Twitter: @MCLotts
link to work in RUcore
http://soar.libraries.rutgers.edu/bib/Megan_Lotts/
Art Library facebook page at:
www.facebook.com/rutgersartlibrary
Twitter:
@MCLotts
Lotts, Megan. “On the Road, Playing with LEGO, and Learning
about the Library: The Rutgers Art Library Lego Playing Station,
Part Two." Journal of Library Administration, Vol. 56, Iss.5
(Summer 2016).

21. BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MY LEGO RESEARCH
Book Chapters
¢ Lotts, Megan, “Legos in the Library,” chapter 11 in The Maker Librarian’s Sourcebook, ed.
Elyssa Valenti (Chicago: American Libraries Association, 2017).
Peer-review articles
¢ Lotts, Megan. “On the Road, Playing with LEGO, and Learning about the Library: The
Rutgers Art Library Lego Playing Station, Part Two." Journal of Library Administration,
Vol. 56, Iss.5 (Summer 2016).
¢ Lotts, Megan. "Playing with LEGO, Learning about the Library and 'Making’ Campus
Connections: The Rutgers Art Library Lego Playing Station, Part One." Journal of Library
Administration, Vol. 56, Iss.4 (May 2016): 359-380.
¢ Lotts, Megan. “Lego® Play: Implementing a Culture of Creativity & Making in the
Academic Library.” ACRL Conference Proceedings. (March 2015): 409-418.
Editor-review articles
¢ Lotts, Megan. “Floating Castles, Legos, Candy, and Play: Counterplay 2016.” Library Hi
Tech News 33, no. 5 (June 2016).
¢ Lotts, Megan. “Landscape Architecture students play with Legos to learn about the
library.” Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture AASL Column. (May 12, 2016).
¢ Lotts, Megan. "Implementing a culture of creativity: pop up making spaces and
participating events in academic libraries." College & Research Libraries News 76, no.
2(February 2015): 72-75.