Library ‘makerspaces’ inspire manufacturing

With their investment in machines like 3-D printers, public libraries are becoming “one-stop shop[s] for manufacturing in the digital age." That’s according to Justin Lynch writing for the Pacific Standard.

The makerspace movement has long appealed to me in the field of library service. Makerspaces provide tools for exploration and space to do it in.

Lynch writes that libraries “have always given people greater access to ideas.” He argues that what’s different about the “makerspace” trend is that it also incorporates a focus on inspiring the future.

“Libraries that invest in commercial manufacturing technology give patrons access to past and future ideas. An inventor doesn’t have to spend thousands of dollars and wait weeks for a prototype–they can go to a public library and make a prototype for a few cents.”