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Chicago Public Library to Open Free Digital Fabrication Maker Space

By Rain Noe - June 20, 2013

Here's one sound that librarians won't be "shushing" in Chicago: The distinctive whining-and-grinding of a CNC mill. The Chicago Public Library has announced that their centrally-located Harold Washington branch, inside the Loop, will be getting the Windy City's first free maker space.

The pop-up fabrication lab will offer the public access to 3D printers, laser cutters, a milling machine and a vinyl cutter as well as a variety of supporting design software.

How rad is that? The CPL's Innovation Lab is a new initiative to give Chicagoans no-cost access to digital manufacturing, and it's the first that we know of located smack-dab in the middle of a large American city. The six-month run of the Harold Washington maker space, which starts on July 8th, is intended to be a trial run; should it prove successful, the CPL will consider expanding it to other branches around the city.

"The maker lab is the first of several ideas we plan to test over the next few years in the Innovation Lab," said CPL Commissioner Brian Bannon, "as we focus on expanding access to 21st century ideas and information to our communities." We're pretty psyched that they're starting off with digital manufacturing, and we hope the pilot program causes other big cities to take note. American libraries have been dying on the vine for years, and we can't think of a better use for the typically cavernous and underused spaces.

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Chicago Public Library to Open Free Digital Fabrication Maker Space

Terri

6 years ago

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Thanks to this blog post, a Design & Technology teaching colleague brought this to my attention and I was able to visit the CPL Innovation Lab during a trip to Chicago last month. Inspiring stuff. I am American but work as a school librarian in England and public libraries here are in crisis (and most schools never have employed a qualified librarian) so it is good to hear from the previous comments that this is not the case in the US. But agree with the other commentators and grateful to them for the clarification - you really should correct the photo (and credit it). I've got some photos I can send you if you're interested... The Chicago Public Library's lab is in a separate, small room - there still are several storeys given over to traditional library business of information sharing (whether via print or digital), an impressive children's library and separate teen media area. These activities are far from being mutually exclusive!
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Jenny

6 years ago

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That uncredited, uncaptioned photo is of the Fayetteville Fab Lab in New York state. More: http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/10/public-services/the-makings-of-maker-spaces-part-1-space-for-creation-not-just-consumption/ Fayetteville is one example of the library/makerspace trend that has been YEARS in the making and can be seen in almost every big city.

'Underused spaces' is also some shit. Public libraries saw an overall 32.7% increase in visits from 2001 to 2010. Library use, especially of computers and govt resources, increased since the repression. Source: http://www.ala.org/tools/libfactsheets/alalibraryfactsheet06 More stats from Pew: http://libraries.pewinternet.org/

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Stephanie

6 years ago

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That space in the picture is not the space at CPL. I have no idea where that picture is from. Also, libraries haven't been dying on the vine and they certainly aren't underused. Especially not Chicago Public Library.
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Kyle

6 years ago

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Man, I could make a well-researched and pointed rebuttal to your "dying on the vine" quip (I'm a librarian, natch), but I'm fucking tired of it. You and the rest of the digital elite go ahead and enjoy your broadband and Netflix. The other side of the digital divide that straight-up *depends* on libraries for even basic information needs (esp. internet access for job apps, tax forms, banking, etc.) thanks you for your consideration.

If you happen to be in Chicago this weekend, ask one of the 40,000+ librarians who'll be in town for a conference why libraries most certainly *aren't* dying on the vine.
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Nathan Currier-Groh

6 years ago

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Are there more details available somewhere? I don't see any of the equipment mentioned in the article in the photographed space. How does ventilation and dust collection work in a pop-up space in the middle of a library?
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bob

6 years ago

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It will be even better when they can shred all the old books into powder for use in a resin spraying additive printer
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Rain Noe

I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.