HME visits the Hamilton Public Library Makerspace!

On Monday May 27 HME members visited the Hamilton Central Library Makerspace! We had a guided tour of the various spaces, followed by some chatting and snacks at the nearby Mulberry Street Coffeehouse.

Below are some notes from the visit.

• Opened April 2016
• Makerspaces open same time as library, but need to close about 30 mins before

  

  Sound studio

• Sound studio: can make reservations, most popular space in Makerspace, have garageband and audacity
• If you want to edit music, can do it from any Mac in HPL
• could bring in your own instruments
• Some people record podcasts
• Maker studio: Most everything is free for someone in good standing with their membership, but people pay for materials
• With 3D printer, staff operates it
• Don’t have to be a 3D designer, some programs are thingiverse, tinkercad
• Table top scanner
• Smaller branches have converters for VHS, scanners, convert at 1:1, can also scan negatives and slides, Central is the only branch that has cassette tape to PC device

  

  3D printer at work, along with some printed objects

• All Mac have complete Adobe suite
• There’s a request process on their website where people can suggest differnt things for the HPL to have
• Large scale printer
• Gets a lot of use during art crawls and supercrawl
• Charge by paper and ink, have to run the print first before they know how much it will cost, but still fairly inexpensive
• Vinyl cutter/printer
• Any image can be made into a sticker (also has device to cut out vinyl lettering)

Some of the textile tools in the Makerspace

• Embroidery machine
• Janome Memory Craft 500E
• Can use almost any image and it’ll convert it to embroidery
• Fabric up to light denim?
• Frosh week folks have used it for their overalls
• Video/photo studio: They have cameras, but people are welcome to bring in their own equipment
• Vinyl printer for stickers

Vinyl stickers with our logo!

• Can book online
• Can’t book same day, can book up to 7 days ahead, only 1 space at a time
• If it’s on your library card, you have to be here
• Demographics: all over the map
• Mostly people between 20-30
• Stores will print (from Hamilton Centre)
• Groups: ask first
• Sometimes teachers can arrange special tasks that get kids to use all he different stations
• Usually have programs on Saturday mornings at 10
• Bring library card, photo id, sign a waiver (eg can’t print a weapon)

Delicious snacks from the Mulberry Street Coffeehouse