Interested in making a 3D chess set? How about carving a wall plaque for your home office, or making a T-shirt for an upcoming spring break trip? Maybe you want to make a poster for your teen’s next birthday celebration? Did you know you can do all that at Warren County Public Library?
While most features of American public library systems follow traditional tracks of service, many modern library spaces across the country have adapted to the changing needs of their communities, particularly during the past decade. WCPL is no exception.
With a mission to provide innovative opportunities for learning and creating, the Warren County Public Library decided a few years back that it wanted to develop a space to do just that. Makerspaces, as those public places were dubbed by Make magazine in 2005, had become popular in larger cities, but mostly among private entities. The first permanent library Makerspace made its appearance in Syracuse, NY in 2011 (Fayetteville Free Library) and created quite a buzz. After several conversations about the emerging trend, we knew that Bowling Green/Warren County folks with a bent for creativity and interest in all things DIY would jump at the chance to create in this type of space. Deciding where to locate it in our library system proved to be the biggest challenge.
The perfect opportunity to earmark a place for our own Makerspace came during Bob Kirby Branch’s second renovation. Since its 2008 opening, the Bob Kirby Branch Library on Iron Skillet Court already had expanded from a 7,000-square-foot facility to 20,000 square feet in response to the county’s growth on the southern end of Warren County. The second expansion, which increased its footprint even further, allowed WCPL to become the first public library in Kentucky to include a dedicated Makerspace in its building plans. We dubbed it the Idea Lab, as it would serve as an interactive workshop for experimenting, innovating, learning and creating.
After months of planning and fine tuning, doors to the Idea Lab opened in May 2018, with limited hours. Components included a 3D printer, a vinyl cutter, a sublimation printer, a heat press, a tabletop router, a die-cut machine, button makers, a poster printer, and a pottery wheel. Classes began in June 2018, and walk-in traffic increased solidly, month after month. A second pottery wheel was added to accommodate the demand. The space has many regulars now. Hours of operation now mirror most of the branch’s open hours, with limited Saturday hours, and occasional Sunday hours when staffing allows.
After the successful launch of the Idea Lab at the Bob Kirby Branch, the Main Library on State Street opened a similar space in January. While many of its components are the same, Main Library’s Idea Lab has a couple of different offerings, including a Cricut Maker, as well as a ChromaBlast printer for cotton T-shirt transfers. All components are listed on the library’s website: http://warrenpl.org/idealab/tools/.
Instructional classes on Idea Lab components are led monthly by staff members at the Bob Kirby Branch and last between 45 and 60 minutes. Aside from occasional material costs, classes are free and are open to ages 13 and up. Pottery classes, the most popular of the offerings, allow teens but only with an accompanying adult. Pottery classes are offered in three-part series as well as “crash courses.” The first provides more on-the-wheel training; the second is more of an introduction or refresher. Registration is required for all classes, and the number of attendees is limited to 10 due to space. All classes can be accessed online here: http://warrenpl.org/idealab/classes/.
For most Idea Lab classes, instructors walk the patrons through a very basic project, conduct a demonstration, then give examples of various projects participants could create on their own. Since some components, like the embroidery machine and pottery wheel, are more complicated than they appear, users are required to be experienced or to take a class before using them. A staff member is always present in the Idea Lab who can assist and instruct patrons. Because of the intricacies of the 3D printer, files must be submitted online at http://warrenpl.org/3dprinting.Those that meet the appropriate use guidelines are printed in the order they’re submitted, and a staff member processes the file, preps it, and puts in the print queue. The only cost is for filament.
Idea Lab users may bring in their own materials or purchase what we have in stock. There is no markup on any supplies, but the lab keeps stock at a minimum. Prices are listed here: http://warrenpl.org/idealab/price-list/. As long as the materials are compatible with our machines, they may be purchased online or locally.
It’s never too late to learn something new. And if anything in this article sounds interesting to you, take a moment out of your day to peruse the class list or come by for a tour. We’ll be glad to show you around!
-by Ashley Fowlkes
About the Author: Ashley Fowlkes is Branch Manager of the Warren County Public Library.
