As one of three co-founders of The MakerBus, I took the playful title of “Chief Instigator”. My work included meeting with potential collaborators from the non-profit and academic sectors, and encouraging critical thinking about making, makerspaces, and education. The MakerBus combined forces with Literacy Link South Central to promote digital literacy, which resulted in a series of maker modules for adult learners. This project saw the team testing maker technologies such as 3D printers, podcasting equipment, and macro-lenses, as well as simple digital tools such as Evernote and QR codes, with groups of 18-35 year-olds for whom traditional education had proved problematic. The series of modules we created were used in literacy centers across London and beyond. Other work with The MakerBus included public history and archaeology work, lessons at public libraries and museums, and training on maker education for all library workers in the Thames Valley District School Board.

Publications:

Martin, Kim, Mary Compton, and Ryan Hunt. 2017. “Disrupting Dichotomies: Mobilizing Digital Humanities with the MakerBus.” In Making Things and Drawing Boundaries, edited by Jentery Sayers. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Martin, Kim, Mary Compton, and Ryan Hunt. 2017. “Mobile Makerspaces.” In The Makerspace Librarian’s Sourcebook, edited by Ellyssa Kroski. Chicago, Ill: American Library Association.

Compton, Mary E., Kimberley Martin, and Ryan Hunt. 2017. “Where Do We Go from Here? Innovative Technologies and Heritage Engagement with the MakerBus.” Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage 6 (September 2016). Elsevier Ltd: 49–53. doi:10.1016/j.daach.2017.04.002.