Member of the Month: April

Troy-MiamiCountyPublicLibrary (MakerLab)

Troy-Miami County Public Library is making an investment in the community by opening a Maker Lab on the second floor at the Hobart Government Center in Troy. The space will include a 5,000 square foot makerspace and classroom as well as multiple public meeting rooms and the administrative offices for the library.Construction ended in March with the space scheduled to open April 17. Hours will be 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday-Saturday.

Construction costs were $466,521 while equipment, technology and furnishings cost $298,479.Makerspaces are places where people with shared interests, especially in computing and technology, can gather to work on projects while sharing ideas, equipment, and knowledge. It’s a place for hands-on learning and creating with tools that may not otherwise be accessible to the general public.

The Maker Lab will house 3D printers and a 3D scanner, a laser cutter, vinyl printer, CNC milling and routing machines, soldering stations, a sublimation print station and press, embroidery and sewing machines, an electronic cutter, an engraver, a UV printer, an audio recording studio, hand tools, safety gear, and more. Additional equipment will be added as there is demand and if the budget allows.Project ideas include event banners, photo/logo mugs, cutting boards and wood signs, wall decorations, etched glass projects, 3D models, stickers, and more.

The classroom will house a computer lab with Mac and Windows laptops offering specialized software and printers (including a large format printer). In addition to Microsoft Office, there will Autodesk Fusion 360 (CAD) and Tinkercad, Canva, Adobe Creative Cloud, iMovie, Blender, Garage Band, and resume software.

Plans include three meetings rooms and two individual study/co-working spaces.Anyone with a library card can use the space and anyone in the state of Ohio can get a library card. The library currently has about 24,000 library card holders. Users will sign up for the machine they want to use online or via phone. They will read and sign a Maker Lab waiver and will have a one-time safety briefing. Staff will be available to help with projects as needed though they will not do projects for people. There will be no charge to use the equipment but there will be a charge for consumable materials used.Future plans include classes on using the equipment and various software as well as outreach to area schools and other organizations.