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Washington Evening Journal
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A year after opening, library makerspace is a community hub
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
When the Washington Public Library opened its makerspace in June last year, initial foot traffic was low, as high public interest in the project met with a limited number of planned programs there.
Library Executive Director Cary Ann Siegfried said the gradual start was something of a blessing to staff at the time, as they familiarized themselves with the creative area’s many tools.
The knowledge has paid off, with makerspace use growing steadily in the year since. The area is now in-use, in some way or another, for around 200 hours every month.
“I’m very pleased with the way it’s going,” said Siegfried. “If everybody would have come in and enthusiastically attacked every single thing that we had down there, we would have been overwhelmed. And as we made it clear when we first opened, we’re learning right along with everybody.”
Sewing machines, specifically, have proven immensely popular, according to library data, which suggests patrons have spent a combined total of about 540 hours using the tools, whether on personal projects or in large group workshops.
A pottery studio has also gained healthy demand, enough for the library’s nonprofit foundation to purchase a fourth lathe to accommodate larger groups of concurrent users.
“We’re starting to see people really become proficient … not only do they come to classes, but they come in on their own time and create things,” Siegfried said. “There’s so many people that have really embraced it. Some people had a little bit of background, and some people just started from scratch. It’s amazing to see what they create, now.”
A number of independent projects have taken off in the MakeIT Place as well, independent of the library.
Mark Keedy, a retiree who once worked as an intern for the Washington Evening Journal, comes to the library four days a week to plug away at a monumental digitization project, archiving old photos from the newspaper using the MakeIT Place’s “memory lab.”
The makerspace’s Glowforge — informally called a laser cutter — is highly sought after as well. One library patron — Washington Teacher Lisa Hixson — has used it to establish a small business, selling ornaments, jewelry and other small items at the city’s weekly farmers market.
“The possibilities are basically endless,” Hixson said. “I was in 4-H as a kid and it was always an outlet for creativity and making things. I’ve always liked making jewelry and earrings … and it’s a way to create and make things that I see, when I get inspiration.”
Others don’t rely on the creative space’s equipment at all. Calligraphy classes, children’s painting groups and “crafternoon” groups, for example, have begun meeting in the area below Washington Public Library’s ground floor.
“It’s just a space for people to be able to get together,” Siegfried said. “Yes, we have all this tech and equipment, but it also needs to be kind of that center of creativity for the community, I think.”
Some amenities in the makerspace have seen less use than anticipated. Siegfried said the library hoped to promote more use of its recording studio, 3D printer, and a type of advanced design cutting machine called a Cricut.
“Now, in year two, we’re like, ‘OK, what can we do to see if people are interested?’” she said. “Let’s focus a little bit on that, and let some of those other areas, where there’s already enthusiasm, continue to snowball.”
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