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The early childhood education classroom space is intrinsic to developing localized youth culture. Through a four-month-long qualitative research project in a space that focused on meeting the most rudimentary child needs due to staffing and fund restrictions, young children’s creativity through the arts was stunted. In a classroom setting focused on structure and strict routine at the forefront, children’s creative expression was observed through independent action and creative twists on order, instead of through activities deliberately designed to nurture creativity and expression. Since the children at the site did not seem to regularly participate in any kind of art making, or unstructured creative expression, my focus instead became the fundamentals of creativity and how young children in the classroom demonstrated choice making and agency. The objective of this study was how to understand the space from a child-centered approach to better project how to include art making, creative education, and creative expression within early childhood education sites that do not currently employ it in their curriculum. This chapter aims to situate how young children created a culture of creative expression within the boundaries of a structured early education classroom when top-down teacher interaction was at a minimum, and open-ended, non-directive materials were provided.

This chapter is based on qualitative data collected in the course of a research project characterized by the use of a range of participatory methods with the purpose of providing a creative space for migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women discussing familial practices. The ambiguities of the term ‘safe space’ are explored in light of the fact space cannot be entirely safe as is imbued with power relations including racialized and gendered hierarchies, among others. The fieldwork for the project discussed here revealed potential uncertainties and pitfalls in the creation of a space which is safe enough to share personal experiences in the context of a research project.

This chapter describes how a strategic change in the mission of the library led to the collaborative development of library services to meet the needs for innovation and creative spaces in a large urban public university. Several years ago, the Oviatt Library at California State University, Northridge, adopted a new vision that included supporting and encouraging creativity and innovation on campus. In this chapter, the authors will describe three ways in which this new strategic perspective has changed the nature of our library (and libraries in general). First, the authors will share the results of a survey of business librarians, which reveals the changing attitudes of librarians toward entrepreneurship and innovation in libraries. Second, the authors will describe the Creative Media Studio, housed in the Oviatt Library’s Learning Commons, which was created in 2014 as a space to create music, use high-end video editing tools, and fabricate three-dimensional objects with 3D printers. Third, the authors will discuss a recent campus-wide task force, chaired by the Library Dean, which recommends the construction of a large makerspace in the heart of the Oviatt Library, collaborating not only with the College of Business but also with the College of Engineering, the College of Arts, Media and Communication, and the new University Incubator. This chapter will outline how library personnel have partnered with faculty, staff, and administration to bridge gaps in curriculum and provide instruction in multimedia creation, including licensing and copyright, for students involved in innovative activities and entrepreneurial ventures. The chapter will also describe the library’s role in the evolution of the Creative Media Studio, the development of the new campus makerspace, and the ways in which librarians are evolving from traditional roles to more entrepreneurial responsibilities. Finally, the authors will discuss best practices in developing partnerships for new innovative and creative spaces and services by illustrating the challenges and successes in sustaining partnerships with internal and external stakeholders.