Washington Library’s ‘MakeIT Space’ now open

WASHINGTON — A public creative workspace long in the making is now open in the basement of Washington’s library.

Library staff, board members and fundraising volunteers say they’re excited to have the “MakeIT Place” up and running at last. Concept work for the project began all the way back in 2022, and construction didn’t begin until October of 2023.

While community enthusiasm was high from the start, Washington Library Director Cary Ann Siegfried said it had only grown as the opening date grew closer, while crews transformed an underused, utilitarian storage room into a polished multipurpose facility.

“I am really happy with the way that construction turned out, the way everything looks, the flow of the space, the storage that we have, the equipment we were able to buy,” she said. “I’m just excited today to be able to open it to the community, because we’ve been working on things for so long.”

Equipped with sewing machines, pottery wheels, Legos, a 3D printer, and an array of other specialized equipment, the makerspace will allow anyone with a library card to use its resources.

However, Siegfried said users would need to take a few classes or prove their proficiency to a librarian before accessing some of the harder-to-learn tools.

To that end, the library has open houses and classes scheduled for its pottery wheels, laser cutter and 3D printer in the coming months. Other things, like sewing machines, will be open to anyone after they pass a certification quiz.

Library staff are learning their way around the setups as well, but Siegfried said they had only a slight head start compared to the general public. Many are looking forward to learning various crafts alongside the rest of the community.

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“Y’all may think that just because we’ve been working with this equipment here for the past couple months that we’re the experts and we’re going to teach you exactly what to do. You should think again,” Siegfried said to a crowd before a ribbon-cutting photo-op on Tuesday. “This is not college, this is not high school, this is not where you come and people tell you exactly what to do and how to get good at something. A makerspace is a place where people can learn and grow together, so that’s what we really want this to be.”

Those involved in the project say they expect it to bring new people to the building that may not use it already. While the building serves as a community gathering place, database access point, occasional music venue and free source of internet — among other purposes — librarians continue to fight outdated notions that it’s only a place for book perusal.

The massive new creative space downstairs will help counter that assumption, according to Library Board President Margi Jarrard.

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“The library’s more than just checking out books, as we remember, maybe — some of us — from our childhood,” she said. “It’s so much more than that. It’s really become a place for learning and creativity … and this MakeIT Place is going to provide even more opportunities than what we had already. We are so fortunate to have it.”

Between construction and equipment, the makerspace cost around $560,000, according to Siegfried. It was paid for by the library’s nonprofit foundation, boosted by a handful of grants. The budget did not tap into tax dollars, something city officials have lauded.

Foundation Board President Doug McBride said he was immensely proud of the project as well, in a speech where he thanked some of its major donors.

“Our mission, our goal, is to make the library not just a good library, but a great one,” he said. “There is so much potential within the walls of these buildings.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com