Move over readers, here come the makers.
Next month, the Chicago Public Library will open the city's first free "maker space" on the third floor of Harold Washington Library in the Loop. The pop-up fabrication lab will offer the public access to 3D printers, laser cutters, a milling machine and a vinyl cutter as well as a variety of supporting design software.
The facility is the first to come out of the CPL Innovation Lab, an effort to introduce new technologies to city residents. And the library is the first in a large city to experiment with a "maker space," the city says. Though it will be similar to maker spaces at the Museum of Science and Industry and Pumping Station: One, this fab lab will be free to all.
The space opens July 8 and will close at year-end. After its six-month run, the library says it will consider hosting labs in neighborhood branches.
The space fits into a growing movement of hands-on collaborative learning environments that allow people to come together and exchange ideas in the pursuit of innovation, and was funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services in Washington
Read more: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20130613/NEWS05/130619888/chicago-public-library-welcomes-first-fab-lab#ixzz2WyeS0UND
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Next month, the Chicago Public Library will open the city's first free "maker space" on the third floor of Harold Washington Library in the Loop. The pop-up fabrication lab will offer the public access to 3D printers, laser cutters, a milling machine and a vinyl cutter as well as a variety of supporting design software.
The facility is the first to come out of the CPL Innovation Lab, an effort to introduce new technologies to city residents. And the library is the first in a large city to experiment with a "maker space," the city says. Though it will be similar to maker spaces at the Museum of Science and Industry and Pumping Station: One, this fab lab will be free to all.
The space opens July 8 and will close at year-end. After its six-month run, the library says it will consider hosting labs in neighborhood branches.
The space fits into a growing movement of hands-on collaborative learning environments that allow people to come together and exchange ideas in the pursuit of innovation, and was funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services in Washington
Read more: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20130613/NEWS05/130619888/chicago-public-library-welcomes-first-fab-lab#ixzz2WyeS0UND
Stay on top of Chicago business with our free daily e-newsletters
