Got something to create but don’t have the tools, sewing machines, computer software, filming equipment or even just space to make it happen? Come on down to them Medway Public Library’s Makerspace, which is celebrating its one-year anniversary this month. If you don’t have what you need, there’s a good chance that they do. The space, which was converted from space that used to be used by the Medway Players, is an open workshop and media center that is open to anyone (children under 14 with a supervising adult).
Two or three years ago, when the Medway Players were disbanding, “we thought we could do something with the space we now had,” says Margaret Perkins, Director of the Medway Public Library
“The whole Makerspace thing evolved,” says Diane Busa, who says there were only about 70 such spaces nationwide at the time. “It wasn’t like one person who thought of it; it was brainstorming.”
Since the Makerspace opened a year ago, lots of Medway Library patrons have made use of it.
“It’s been very steady. We get about 170 visitors a month, and I think we have had about 400 people sign up to use the room with about 120 people having gotten certified to use the 3D printer,” says Busa, a Friend of the Medway Library, volunteer and de facto manager of the Makerspace, who says she spends so much time at the Medway Makerspace it feels like her “second home.”
Use of the equipment is free (with safety waivers and room agreement forms necessary) aside from a minor charge for any filament used with the 3D printer. What’s more, the library offers a quick, easy certification in the use of the 3D printer, soldering iron, knitting machine and sewing machines. You can visit the Medway library website (www.medwaylib.org) for the next certification class offered. There are even local volunteers who’ve donated their time to teach sewing, knitting, quilting, drawing, 3D printing and coding classes.
“We’ve been very lucky to find volunteers to do all kinds of stuff,” says Perkins. “It’s been surprisingly easy to attract people who want to share their knowledge.”
One local volunteer, Gus Marzoratti has started a Robotics club for 10-15 year-olds, which makes Adwino based vehicles controlled by a circuitboard. Adwino coding will take place on Monday nights.
Among the offerings of the Medway Makerspace:
• A green screen, television and lighting to go with green screen and Medway Cable Access will be donating cameras when they get their new cameras.
• Knitting machine: donated by one of the librarians.
• Several sewing machines, with sewing tools such as scissors, an iron, two ironing boards and a whole wall of clean, donated material to use.
• A 3D printer
• A Converter for transferring slides, photos and negatives into digital format
• A bigger photo scanner
• Two converters for transferring VHS to DVD
• A number of workstations that have such software as CAD, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, Garage Band, Logic Pro X, Autodesk Inventor and Autodesk R, to name a few
• Tools, such as soldering irons, electronics items, two regulated power suppliers, a sander, hammer, screwdrivers, drills and more
• An incubator and a heating plate that 4H and others used to observe hatching eggs and subsequent baby chicks. In fact, the Embryology Club will start up again on June 8th, a 4H impact club in which anyone can join in the fun.
“The town of Medway gave $50K to do the construction of the room, and then the Medway Cable Access donated the tech side,” says Busa. The craft features, she says, were all donated by patrons of the library, and the Friends of Medway Library sets aside a block of money each year to help pay for supplies. A great big help, says Busa, was Medway DPS.
“The DPS was great. They had some fantastic ideas,” says Perkins.
“(Medway DPS) built this place. They owned it, gave us some great suggestions. They really felt like it was their baby. They still do,” says Busa. “They come in here and they’re always painting something or improving something.”
Overall, the Makerspace was quite a feat, says Perkins. The end result, she says, fits “right in with our mission of providing educational opportunities and new and creative options for people to use and things to learn about. It allows people to come together, so it’s a nice extension. It’s not separate from our library, but an important part.”