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Public Libraries Tinker With Offering Makerspaces
eggboard writes "Public libraries are starting to build labs that let patrons experiment with new arts, crafts, and sciences, many of them associated with the maker movement. It's a way to bring this technology and training to those without the money or time to join makerspaces or buy gear themselves. It extends the mission of libraries to educate, inform, and enrich. Many are now experimenting with experimenting."
N/T
In general, 3D printers are kind of like film editing equipment. Some places have those, the main thing is that you cover the cost of the inputs.
Now, if you could do a 3D pop up graphics novel that you "printed" that would be super cool.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
Just wondering. I need a work space to do one of those "80 percent lower" kits.
Is it me or is the maker movement based around a bunch of hispters patting themselves on the back for doing stuff humans have been doing for eons? They'll spam everyone about a crappy iPhone holder but wouldn't be able to switch out a faulty light switch in their own apartment.
Outside of making 3D printers accessible I'm not sure how libraries could feasibly offer workshops. People don't only work in plastic, and presently 3D printing is a novelty for your average person.
This kind of thing has happened before. The ancient Library of Alexandria was much more than a library. It was a government -funded research facility and think tank where many of the greatest minds of the ancient world worked. Granted that it was not a public library like those found in ancient Rome, it's not a surprise at all that public libraries would try to enter this space in at least some form.
It's really quite a simple choice: Life, Death, or Los Angeles.
I have lots of wonderful weird old books from around WWII. It seems that in that era community centres (or centers) had equipped workshops for citizens to drop by and do some woodworking, or repair electrical appliances. After some reflection, I realized this is not compatible with the social model of consuming to keep the economy growing. But it would be nice to have a Mr Fixit type person running a shop for every x number of citizens in an area would can not only run 3D printers, but all the other stuff we seem to have lost in the last half century or so.
Mostly random stuff.
And what will replace it? I'm sure this has been asked before but I don't know the answer. Library literally means a collection of books—static, physically recorded information—the kind of thing future libraries are least likely to collect. It's quite a transformation. Library is coming to mean a gathering/making place of things drawn dynamically from elsewhere.
Its how the Library system stays relevant. They would like to be a hub for community engagement and sharing of information.
The Toronto Public Library does this by letting you "try out the latest technology by participating in classes, workshops, and meetups." at their Digital Information Hubs
I think it's great - 3d Printers, hands on "toys" for kids that help them learn electronics, computers to learn programming, 3d modeling, and other skills. Its really bringing people back into the libraries.
Certain air force bases had a garage with tools where airmen could bring their beater cars and fix them up. There was generally some volunteer car mechanic there from the motor pool pitching in to help.
Now I don't think they have this anymore, mostly due to liability.
It is a shame that communities can't have things like this anymore. It was a great place to meet new people and learn from fellow tinkerers. Now our "communities" are anything but - in the U.S. we're a nation of individuals behind their 6 ft. fence, never interacting with our neighbors, precisely because there are vanishing few places where we can meet on common ground.
Left MS Windows for Linux Mint and never looked back!
Vote for Bernie in 2016!
The AF may not, but the Army does. Theirs are really well equipped too(as of just a couple years ago), the one I used to work on my car in had nice lifts, paint shops, experienced mechanics(professional), great tools, and lots of other perks. They had 40 bays and it was hard to get in to one because people were always in there doing things from just changing their oil to in my friend's case welding a truck frame back together after it cracked. Right next store was a wood working shop that was really well equipped, and if you stayed in the barracks they also picked out technically savvy people to handle basic building maintenance which required training and access to all sorts of shops and equipment. I really wish that we had them in the normal world now that I'm out. It was a fantastic resource that wasn't ridiculously expensive.
"Some books contain the machinery required to create and sustain universes."-Tycho
at least you had t be a bit creative then.
it's called a workshop, if you call it a "maker space" be prepared for a Boot To The Head.
Snowden and Manning are heroes.
You think they don't have them anyone... but even though you don't know whether they do or not, you're certain about the reason they don't. Typical.
If they don't, it's far more likely it's because of force and budget reductions than anything else. That and the maintainable by the shade tree mechanic beater car of yesteryear is all but gone. Beaters today come from the 90's, and there's darn little you can do with them without specialized tools and knowledge,
"You think they don't have them anyone... but even though you don't know whether they do or not, you're certain about the reason they don't. Typical."
Thanks for writing my reply to your dumb post. Your post is no less hypothetical than mine.
Left MS Windows for Linux Mint and never looked back!
Vote for Bernie in 2016!
We've had a space like this for a few years now and it has been a very successful demonstration of community effort, business and state grants working together. The Edge is attached to the State Library of Queensland and provides maker facilities ("labs"), coworking space, community group meeting spaces and frequently runs workshops for various (frequently open source type) things such as Arduino workshops (run only at cost) and also journalism and (apparently) small business courses.
Probably also worth mentioning that they have one of the most impressive locations in Brisbane and that we also have a local Hackerspace as well.
I don't participate as much as I would like to unfortunately...
That's funny. You're poking fun at me, and still I find it funny.
Of course, in reality Republicans say "teach a man to fish, you've fed him for a lifetime" as opposed to Democrat proposals to "give a man a fish, to feed him for a day". So libraries are exactly the kind of thing conservatives prefer. The Democrat version of a library is to mail out books to anyone making under $30K, after spending $8 trillion to translate all books into every known language. Libraries are unacceptable because most of the books are in English and Spanish, which is unfair to the illegal alien from Tinyistan.
In the Philippines as a dependent they had something like this on base - minus the library :}. :}
It was a hobby shop and one could do anything they wanted, you just purchased the raw materials.
I learned Leather Crafts, how to develop and print film, cut and polish rocks. My Mom tried her hand at oil painting and found she was pretty decent at it. There was so much available to one in such a small place. And no rules, if I felt like repairing my TV the only requirement was I had to lug it in. There was someone there that would help if I had problem; like picking me up off the ground then explain the horizontal oscillator
That was in 1967 and the only placed I'd seen anything like it, Yes - Stick something similar in a library, set it alone by itself but everybody should have access to a place like this.
In the past High Schools made shop space available in the evenings for evening adult "classes." Classes meant you got access to the shop and whatever advice the shop teachers could give for your project.
In the 70s' my father turned a Fiat 500 into an electric car at Arroyo HS at the after school shop sessions. It involved ganging several motors and buildings a mount, and at the time a relay-relay logic controller. I knew people who spent the evenings at the HS wood shop making furniture.
The idea of a public tinkering space is not new. Further, it creates an innovative atmosphere as groups of tinkering minded people gather together.
On the contrary, your post was a complete ass pull. Mine was factual, living in a military town I've seen first hand what's happened and why. Just because you're a clueless idiot, that doesn't mean everyone else is.
Can I get a big "HELL YES" ?!
We're getting way off topic, but Ds have for decades generally opposed any kind of "welfare to work" or job training requirements for receiving public funds. Clinton did sign the bill that republicans passed in 1996, but since then Obama has been undoing it, removing or relaxing the requirement to eventually get job training or start working in order to continue to receive handouts.
So based on their record, what democrats have been doing since at least the days of Reagan, the Democrat view has been more "keep giving a man fish and don't expect him to learn how to fish".
Yet you still stand by your unsupported hypothesis and refuse to produce facts. Twenty two years in the Chair Force doesn't magically change supposition into facts.
Don't bother to answer, as your replies tell the truth of the matter - you've been caught slinging bullshit and can't stand being called on it.