Makerspace engagement and perceived personal development among Indian LIS professionals: An aspirational paradox

This study examined the relationship between makerspace engagement and perceived personal development (PD) among Indian Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals. A cross-sectional survey of 212 professionals applied Spearman rank-order correlation, Kruskal-Wallis H, and Mann-Whitney U tests. Results revealed a significant negative correlation (ρ = −0.261, p< 0.05) between self-rated engagement and perceived PD across all six dimensions - self-motivation, self-confidence, self-expression, independence, leadership, and perseverance. Professionals reporting very low engagement scored highest on perceived PD (M = 4.10), while those with very high engagement scored lowest (M = 2.42). This aspirational paradox indicates that professionals without direct makerspace experience hold inflated expectations shaped by vicarious information rather than practice. The findings call for expectation calibration embedded in makerspace rollout strategies, structured practicum components in LIS curricula, and mentorship frameworks connecting junior and senior practitioners.