Washington library holding Makerspace survey

WASHINGTON — With plans in motion to install a creative workshop area in the Washington Public Library basement, staff have sought community feedback on what exactly that space should entail. The survey, available on the library’s Facebook page, is set to close at the end of the day on Friday.

“Like a library itself, it needs to be what the community wants it to be,” Washington Library Director Cary Ann Siegfried said of the planned Makerspace. “And since there are so many different possibilities, again, it really needs to reflect the community.”

The library has encouraged people to take the survey and share links to it, even if they were not regular patrons. She said she hoped to spread awareness that the function of libraries like Washington’s was evolving with the times.

“We still have a lot of books here, but libraries are really places not only for people to consume content … they’re also places for people to make their own content and connect with other people, learn something new,” she said. “Those nonusers, they’re not coming in to see us right now … so it really helps us to get the word out through different channels.”

The survey lists 18 options for the space, representing a wide variety of possibilities. Among the selection are 3D printers, sewing machines, sound and video recording equipment, laser cutters, a commercial kitchen and a potter’s wheel with a kiln.

How many options the library selects will depend on which ones prove most popular, according to Siegfried. A sewing station for example, could take up minimal space and be relatively movable, whereas a kiln or industrial kitchen would require permanent fixtures that trade off with other options.

Once all the responses are tallied, Siegfried said the library board would deliberate before making a final decision.

“We are going to probably have a couple meetings to have a little more discussion and kind of finer-tune the priorities,” she said. “I hope people will be on the lookout for those meetings.”

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