2011
Year that Fayetteville (N.Y.) Free Library opened the first recognized public library makerspace. The library’s Fab Lab offers industrial-sized machines and tools for creative projects.
$6,500
Honorarium amount paid to makers participating in Chicago Public Library’s 12-week Makers-in-Residence program. It is one of the country’s longest-running and largest such programs, in which residents host public workshops, use makerspace tools to create exhibition works, and receive an additional $1,000 for supplies.
6
Number of MākMō vans in the LA County (Calif.) Library’s fleet. MākMō (short for maker mobile) vehicles bring STEAM-focused equipment and activities to its 85 branches.
2
Number of hours at a time that patrons can book DC Public Library’s (DCPL) Dance Studio, featuring wall-to-wall mirrors, ballet barres, and an audiovisual system. With a capacity for 10 people, the free space is part of The Labs at DCPL’s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, which also include a recording studio, Fabrication Lab, and Memory Lab with digital preservation equipment.
500
Number of at-risk and justice-impacted teens who participate annually in Madison (Wis.) Public Library’s (MPL) Making Justice program. Organized through MPL’s makerspace, the Bubbler, Making Justice offers weekly workshops and hosts local artists who work with participants on group projects like community murals.
18,300
Area in square feet of CLOUD901, Memphis (Tenn.) Public Libraries’ teen makerspace and technology lab. Touted as one of the largest library youth makerspaces in the US, CLOUD901 offers patrons ages 13–18 access to audio and video production labs, a performance stage, an art studio, and equipment including laser cutters and 3D printers.
6
Number of hours allotted to competitors during the annual Make-Off at Hamilton East Public Library in Fishers, Indiana. The competition, which began in 2024, invites artists to use equipment in the library’s Ignite Studio to create a work based on a theme. This year’s theme was mixed media.
300
Number of face shields that University of Utah’s Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library (EHSL) 3D-printed in one day at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. EHSL was one of several academic and public libraries throughout the US and Canada that used makerspace equipment to create and distribute personal protective equipment in early 2020.
280
Number of students at Paul Smith Elementary School in Franklin, New Hampshire, who learned how to make a pillowcase with help from the school’s library media specialist and makerspace. After the schoolwide sewing project in February, the kids used their new pillows to lounge with their favorite book for a “Drop Everything and Read” event.
