One of my favorite recent quotes on Twitter goes like this: "It's hard to talk about Makerspaces and programming when your library can't even afford a color copier." True to a certain extent, this sentiment might hit home in the North Country, since most of our libraries are small and not exactly rocking huge budgets.
However, I feel like it's an unfair leap to assume that a makerspace is the same thing as, say, a 3-D printer. As I discovered during a recent trip to the Fayetteville Free Library, a makerspace can be many things, from a green screen and a camera to a box of donated craft supplies.*
Or... it could be awesome quilting equipment. Like the kind they just got up in Cape Vincent. The following announcement comes from library director Sharon Briggs:
The Cape Vincent Community Library has acquired an AccuQuilt machine (through a generous donation) and a selection of dies used to cut out quilt pieces like the AccuCut machine does with paper. It's wonderful!
For example, the machine will cut up to 10 layers of cotton fabric at one time, so the 2.5" strip die cuts 50 strips in one turn of the handle. The cuts are exact and so much more fun to do than cutting one rotary cut at a time. The machine is available for use by the public, but must remain here in the library. Folks can call and reserve a time to use the system; we've had a whole group of quilters make a day of it, cutting out multiple quilts.
We currently offer 12 different dies and are stocking the protective plastic sheets that must be used to protect the dies from the roller. They can be purchased at our cost which ranges from $5 - $18 depending on size and may be used multiple times before needing to be replaced.
Please feel free to call the library at 315-654-2132 with questions.
Et voila! A library makerspace, in our very own North Country. I understand that quilting is a pretty big deal in Cape Vincent, so I'm sure this machine has found a good home at the library. I'd be willing to bet that other libraries in our system would be successful in offering a similar service, whether it's a few sewing machines, some self-healing mats, or a box of scrap fabric. Or, if you're not a quilting town**, something else that speaks to the community.
Or... it could be awesome quilting equipment. Like the kind they just got up in Cape Vincent. The following announcement comes from library director Sharon Briggs:
The Cape Vincent Community Library has acquired an AccuQuilt machine (through a generous donation) and a selection of dies used to cut out quilt pieces like the AccuCut machine does with paper. It's wonderful!
For example, the machine will cut up to 10 layers of cotton fabric at one time, so the 2.5" strip die cuts 50 strips in one turn of the handle. The cuts are exact and so much more fun to do than cutting one rotary cut at a time. The machine is available for use by the public, but must remain here in the library. Folks can call and reserve a time to use the system; we've had a whole group of quilters make a day of it, cutting out multiple quilts.
We currently offer 12 different dies and are stocking the protective plastic sheets that must be used to protect the dies from the roller. They can be purchased at our cost which ranges from $5 - $18 depending on size and may be used multiple times before needing to be replaced.
Please feel free to call the library at 315-654-2132 with questions.
Et voila! A library makerspace, in our very own North Country. I understand that quilting is a pretty big deal in Cape Vincent, so I'm sure this machine has found a good home at the library. I'd be willing to bet that other libraries in our system would be successful in offering a similar service, whether it's a few sewing machines, some self-healing mats, or a box of scrap fabric. Or, if you're not a quilting town**, something else that speaks to the community.
The point is that makerspaces are basically the marriage of two things that libraries are known for - making communal property available to all, and encouraging lifelong learning. It's just that now the property is beginning to extend beyond books and media, and the lifelong learning is becoming more hands-on. Finding the means to fund such a project, whether through grants, donations, and/or some creative budget shuffling is certainly worth the effort. And perhaps worth at least as much a color copier.
*Or, yes, a 3-D printer.
**I just mentally movie pitched myself a Western set in a quilting town. Someone chewing tobacco might have uttered the words, "This here's a quiltin' town, mister. You won't find crochet hooks here. Better move along, now." This is what happens when I try to blog near the end of the workday.
*Or, yes, a 3-D printer.
**I just mentally movie pitched myself a Western set in a quilting town. Someone chewing tobacco might have uttered the words, "This here's a quiltin' town, mister. You won't find crochet hooks here. Better move along, now." This is what happens when I try to blog near the end of the workday.
No comments:
Post a Comment