Week 3 - Makerspace Interview
For this assignment, I went to my local makerspace to interview one of the staff members in charge of it, Amanda Gates.
This makerspace is called a “Creation Station”, and is located in the downtown Sarasota library. They have 9 sewing machines, crafting materials, jewelry making supplies, 3 different button makers in different sizes, block printing, 2 Cricut machines, 3 computers, 2 3D printers, and a glow forge for wood. This makerspace can be accessed through appointments or one of their age-focused programs. They previously had open labs, but stopped because participants were too crazy with the supplies and equipment. This was a bummer as open access to equipment is what works best for me personally.
I also interviewed Gates, asking 4 questions I had about local makerspaces:
How do libraries get a Creation Station?
I asked this as I wished my local library had this kind of resource, especially as it is in a low income neighborhood where having these free resources would be especially helpful. Most of our County’s makerspaces are funded my either grants or a “sponsor”. The downtown library’s Creation Station is funded by a wealthy sponsor, which is disheartening, as it seems like only libraries in high income areas are able to get these resources. Although, she said there is lobbying going on to make these spaces government funded, which would be amazing. She also brought up how space was also a big consideration, as many libraries may not have the space for a dedicated makerspace. In Pasco County, they have different themed makerspaces, so one library may have pottery materials, while another may have woodworking equipment, which I think is a good way for libraries with less space to create a network of resources.
How are the provided materials chosen?
While I did not get a clear answer for this, it seems like the kind of equipment they can get depends on the grants they receive/what the sponsors specify they want. However, these grants only pay for the machines. Any “consumable” materials need to come out of the library’s annual budget. They may also decide to get new kinds of materials if they have a presenter come do a program where they make something the makerspace does not have, and the program has success/requests for more from the participants.
How often do members of the public come use the Creation Station?
To my surprise, they only have a few appointments a month for the makerspace. This seems to be due to most people not knowing this is an option/available. She said they also unfortunately do not have enough staff to offer more appointment slots.
Is there anything you wish you could add? Any requests from the public?
Gates said she wished they could add soldering and/or metalworking, but these would require ventilation systems they do not have. As for the public, she said they really only showed interest in programs rather than more supplies. This was honestly shocking to me, as I much prefer being creative and making what I want rather than something wheee all results are basically the same. Maybe this is because people who enjoy making whatever they want are making things in their own home rather than in public makerspaces, but I am unsure. It could also be because their appointment making page is not super easy to find, and it does not allow you to choose a day, rather, it forces you to wait for a phone call from an unspecified phone number. And even so, your appointment request is not guaranteed. I hope I can learn more about this through the class.
This makerspace is called a “Creation Station”, and is located in the downtown Sarasota library. They have 9 sewing machines, crafting materials, jewelry making supplies, 3 different button makers in different sizes, block printing, 2 Cricut machines, 3 computers, 2 3D printers, and a glow forge for wood. This makerspace can be accessed through appointments or one of their age-focused programs. They previously had open labs, but stopped because participants were too crazy with the supplies and equipment. This was a bummer as open access to equipment is what works best for me personally.
I also interviewed Gates, asking 4 questions I had about local makerspaces:
How do libraries get a Creation Station?
I asked this as I wished my local library had this kind of resource, especially as it is in a low income neighborhood where having these free resources would be especially helpful. Most of our County’s makerspaces are funded my either grants or a “sponsor”. The downtown library’s Creation Station is funded by a wealthy sponsor, which is disheartening, as it seems like only libraries in high income areas are able to get these resources. Although, she said there is lobbying going on to make these spaces government funded, which would be amazing. She also brought up how space was also a big consideration, as many libraries may not have the space for a dedicated makerspace. In Pasco County, they have different themed makerspaces, so one library may have pottery materials, while another may have woodworking equipment, which I think is a good way for libraries with less space to create a network of resources.
How are the provided materials chosen?
While I did not get a clear answer for this, it seems like the kind of equipment they can get depends on the grants they receive/what the sponsors specify they want. However, these grants only pay for the machines. Any “consumable” materials need to come out of the library’s annual budget. They may also decide to get new kinds of materials if they have a presenter come do a program where they make something the makerspace does not have, and the program has success/requests for more from the participants.
How often do members of the public come use the Creation Station?
To my surprise, they only have a few appointments a month for the makerspace. This seems to be due to most people not knowing this is an option/available. She said they also unfortunately do not have enough staff to offer more appointment slots.
Is there anything you wish you could add? Any requests from the public?
Gates said she wished they could add soldering and/or metalworking, but these would require ventilation systems they do not have. As for the public, she said they really only showed interest in programs rather than more supplies. This was honestly shocking to me, as I much prefer being creative and making what I want rather than something wheee all results are basically the same. Maybe this is because people who enjoy making whatever they want are making things in their own home rather than in public makerspaces, but I am unsure. It could also be because their appointment making page is not super easy to find, and it does not allow you to choose a day, rather, it forces you to wait for a phone call from an unspecified phone number. And even so, your appointment request is not guaranteed. I hope I can learn more about this through the class.
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