Public Libraries Tinker With Offering Makerspaces 90
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."
Ridiculous. (Score:2, Interesting)
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.
Re:Not just public libraries, also university ones (Score:3, Interesting)
I work for a large University library, and that is basically what we are turning into. We have some specialized collections, but generally now just buy online access to databases for our students and faculty. Something like 40% of our books are being moved to Aux Storage that can be retrieved if requests, but it has little use. However, we do have several 3d printers, study areas that have resources otherwise unavailable or too costly to the average student, and are toying with more space for specific "fix this type of problem" or "make this". First, ironically enough, was a group with students from english writing, publishing, and art classes to go through the process of making a children's book....in the area of the library that used to have children's books. Though they did go through e-pub as well, so maybe it wasn't completely ironic...
Re:Ridiculous. (Score:4, Interesting)
He has a point.
From reading TFA, it's obvious that this isn't a group of skilled craftspeople coming together to share ideas, equipment, and workspace, but rather an attempt to educate the proles in how this new technology can be used to make Christmas ornaments. More like "Summer College" classes for your 6th grader than a real attempt at collaboration.
The downside to this approach, at least from my point of view, is that the people who would use the equipment access to work on real projects are going to be stuck waiting in line behind 1,000 stay-at-home moms, who are laser-cutting snowflakes with their kids faces on them because they have nothing more productive to do with their time.
Re:Ridiculous. (Score:5, Interesting)
As a taxpayer I'd rather fund local libraries that get the masses off the streets, educated, literate, potentially productive and even entrepreneurial. If I was going to cut bloated government bureaucracies that are not essential to the freedom or security of our nation, I'd start with the U.S. Copyright Office and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.