For Community Integration through Cooperative Education (CICE) student Connor Gill, spending three months in the ncLibraries Exploratory is giving him a chance to feed his interests and build new skills, while also helping him be more independent.
Gill, 27, is one of 16 students currently enrolled in NC’s CICE program. The St. Catharines resident said he chose the Exploratory at the Daniel J. Patterson campus for a co-op placement because he wanted to learn about what goes on inside.
“I was (already) interested in this,” Gill said during one of his recent Tuesday morning work sessions. “I wanted to learn about blueprints and just get better at building my skills.”
ncLibraries Exploratory is a digital media lab and makerspace for current Niagara College students, faculty and staff to access various types of technology and software that might not otherwise be available to them. The space holds software and equipment for filming videos, recording audio, editing videos and designing graphics. There are also virtual reality headsets, a 3D printer, a button maker and a Cricut machine.
The Exploratory is available to college students, staff and faculty for class-related projects or for independent supplementary experimentation and learning. Gill, however, is learning how to create a more efficient space to do those things: He’s helping with the reconfiguration of the Exploratory so it better meets the demand for its podcasting station with a set-up that’s more appropriate for host/guest type projects.
“I’ve been rearranging things in the lab,” he said. “In the beginning I was making blueprints. I was measuring the rooms. Then they needed help tidying and deciding what to throw away.”
Gill spends every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to noon at his placement. He said it took him three sessions to measure out the entire Exploratory and create a blueprint that included walls, doors, windows and electrical outlets. He also had to measure the furniture and equipment in order to come up with a floor plan.
Matt Bohun, Library Facilitator Info Literacy, said the Exploratory is a popular choice for CICE students when it comes time to choose a work placement; one CICE student does a placement in the library or the Exploratory almost every term.
In the past, Bohun said co-op students have helped with the 3D printer and provided tutorials to other students using the space. They’ve also helped with other projects in the library, including doing inventory and weeding the magazine collection.
Gill will spend his co-op placement doing some of those things, as well as assisting with restructuring the Exploratory. Luckily, it aligns perfectly with work he’s done in the past.
“I had a project in mind, and then presented it to Connor,” Bohun said. “Coincidentally, it aligned with his previous work experiences at a public library and furniture bank.”
CICE Field Placement Officer Aaron Russell said each CICE student completes a field placement interest form when they enter the program. It includes doing a skills inventory and explaining what they want to get out of the experience.
“From there, I take multiple factors into account, such as geography (whether the student can get there) skills needed, attitude and interests,” Russell said. “Then (I) match the students accordingly, ensuring these boxes are checked off in the process.”
He agreed with Bohun that the Exploratory is a favoured co-op placement location among CICE students.
“With the inclusion of 3D printing, button making, and green room operation, the appeal is strong for many of our students,” he said. “It seems something is always changing in there and some new exciting piece of equipment is introduced.”
Gill said it was the perfect place for him because he loves to organize and being a part of the cleaning process allowed him to see everything in the lab.
Once Gill’s work placement in the Exploratory ends in August, he’ll move on to another work placement that’s suitable for him. CICE students complete at least one placement experience on campus, such as at the libraries, the greenhouse, Benchmark restaurant or Athletic Services. Then they complete one or two off-campus placements.
But before Gill leaves the Exploratory on August 8, he’s been promised something special from Bohun to commemorate his time in the library.
“I’ve promised him that we’ll do something fun, such as making something he can take home using the Cricut machine, button maker or 3D printer.”
When he finishes the CICE program, Gill said he plans to look for a job or take another class, possibly in the area of career coaching.
