SPEC Kit 348: Rapid Fabrication/Makerspace Services · 69
The library is the perfect home for such services provided they have the infrastructure to support it and invested partners
on campus. I see a continued evolution of capabilities and a reduction in costs for 80% of user’s needs. The remaining
20% will require highly specialized equipment that may not be appropriate for a general campus resource. (i.e., why
would the library get an MRI machine…) As machines mature and become more reliable, there needs to be a shift
towards content generation. This need is particularly strong in areas that currently do not embrace making as part of
their academic and scholarly culture.
This is one of many new services to open the libraries to a new way of thinking regarding information access and
creation in a public space. It’s a first step in a much larger collection of services for users in the future.
This will continue to grow well into the future. Libraries will likely have more of a role with collecting and describing 3-D
objects and helping connect researchers to each other.
University libraries serve departments across campus and are the perfect place to showcase emerging technologies,
from 3-D printers to virtual reality goggles like the Oculus Rift. Our faculty and students need to be exposed to the
latest and greatest technologies to be inspired and spark ideas about how all the disciplines can take advantage of
creative resources and innovations. Libraries should not only provide access to resources for research purposes but also
for production of new knowledge. Engineers and architects aren’t the only people who can use 3-D printing, rapid
fabrication, and makerspace services. Putting creative tools into the hands of all our faculty and students should be one
of the primary goals of today’s libraries. We’ll be amazed at the outcomes these smart, savvy students can create when
provided with the resources.
We are currently in discussions with our Science and Engineering faculties regarding renovations of our libraries located
within their buildings. The Faculty of Science is interested in creating some makerspace, which could be located in the
library. It is most likely that if we were to be engaged in delivering makerspace services, it would be in collaboration with
one or both of these faculties.
We believe this is an incredibly important service for the campus, but not one that is limited to or the sole responsibility
of research libraries. While these services are being offered by other campus departments, we will continue to serve
as liaison to these services for our users, and keep abreast of the demands of these services. Should additional service
points be prudent, we will certainly consider adding additional capacity for this service. We are observing that the areas
of physical reproductions for visual studies, art history, and visualization of data analysis are quickly growing, as well
as physical representations of models in the biological/life sciences and engineering. At this time, the demand in these
areas are being fulfilled by makerspace services within or near the departments that offers these disciplines.
We expect the need for and use of this type of service to continue to increase service supports the growing pedagogical
practice of hands-on learning.
We have found the library has been very successful in building a campus (and regional) community for making activities.
This includes identifying and partnering with other spaces on campus that offer rapid fabrication/makerspace services.
The library is partnering with the Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media department by supporting one graduate
assistantship who will be imbedded in the library to develop workshops and research/instructional opportunities for
faculty on campus. There are several faculty members who have modified their curriculum to include our services in
student learning, research, and assignments. The existing makerspace has supported several senior design projects,
some of which were turned into entrepreneurial opportunities for the participants.
We have struggled with this for seven years. We believe there is a role, same as there is a role for 3-D software and 3-D
visualization and fabrication labs in research libraries. We have had a 3-D lab at this library for eight years. 3-D software
is heavily used by patrons. We have discovered that 3-D printing is increasingly desired by many of the patrons we serve
for research, pedagogy, class assignments and projects, etc. We see 3-D visualization and fabrication as a key aspect
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