The Thode Makerspace student assistants help the McMaster community bring their creative visions to life, but did you know that they also inspire students to get creative through social media?
Dominick Madulid, student assistant at Thode Makerspace, is a familiar face on the McMaster University Libraries’ Instagram channel @maclibraries. He says being a student ambassador creating content about Thode Makerspace helps to connect the space to a wider audience while also making his role more dynamic.
“Working on social media gives us the opportunity to outreach to a larger group of people who aren’t really bound by that engineering mindset,” Madulid said. “It also adds another layer to my work that switches things up and keeps things fun for the team. I think I have gotten a little bit more confident with seeing myself on camera, and because of that, I'm able to become more open when I’m interacting with patrons who are in the space.”
Thode Makerspace’s content accounts for some of the most viewed posts on the university libraries’ Instagram channel. Their content ranges from educational how-to videos to funny and entertaining reels using trendy soundbites.
Meenaa Saththi, student assistant at Thode Makerspace, is another regular on the university libraires’ Instagram feed. She says the one thing she hopes students take away from their social media content is to be encouraged to come by and explore the space.
“We invite students to come as you are with at least a little bit of willingness to learn,” Saththi said. “I think that a lot of people are afraid to come into this space and try new things or don't even know where to start, which is more than okay because we all start there. But if they know that we're here to foster their experience, to learn and overcome that discomfort then that's perfect.”
The university libraries first introduced student ambassadors to its Instagram page in 2021 through a collaboration between Ariel Stables-Kennedy, first-year librarian, and the libraries office of communications and events. The initial vision was consistently featuring real students and real content on the channel.
Soon after, the university libraries saw the opportunity to partner with Thode Makerspace, LinkedIn Learning via Teaching and Learning and Library Accessibility Services to have their students also become ambassadors responsible for creating student-focused social media content related to their specific services and spaces. During the 2024-2025 academic year, more than 10 students have created content for the Instagram channel.
Thanks in large part to the engaging content from student ambassadors, McMaster libraries’ Instagram channel has grown to become the second largest of any academic library in Canada.
The success of the student ambassador program inspired other academic libraries across the country to follow suit and introduce their own programs to create content with students, for students.
Brittany Sostar, Thode Makerspace coordinator, says being involved in the social media content posted to the university libraries’ Instagram has helped increase traffic in the space while also creating opportunities for the Thode Makerspace team to bond.
“Last year we made a holiday post using stop-motion,” Sostar said. “The making of that was so fun, we laughed so much and had a great time together. It was a great moment to connect as a team. Making the social media content is so enjoyable for us.”
To see content created by the student ambassadors at McMaster’s libraries, follow @maclibraries on Instagram.
