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Community Corner

Westport Library Introduces New Maker Space

The Westport Library will be providing information about the opening of the new Maker Space on the main level of the building during a press conference at 11:30 a.m. on July 2.

Created as a venue for innovation and production, the Maker Space is the first of its kind at a library in Connecticut.

The concept originated from the realization that libraries, in this era of hands-on learning and interaction, should provide experiences that take people from imagining to actually producing.

This thinking led to Connecticut’s first Mini Maker Faire, created with CLASP Homes at the Library last spring, which attracted over 2,200 people. The Maker movement that is quickly gaining popularity across the country and the world is a response to a lengthy period in history in which innovation and invention were reserved for specialists. As more individuals become inventors, Maker Faires and Spaces are appearing everywhere.

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Maker movements are regarded as economic engines as more entrepreneurs emerge and thrive. The Westport Library Maker Space is where people can create content as well as consume it, an incubator for ideas and ventures.

The first project is the construction of two 15-foot wooden airplanes. Maker-in-residence and builder Joseph Schott is inviting people to help craft these planes with him this summer. Additional project planning is underway, as well as the purchase of a 3D printer, which will make three-dimensional objects from digital files. Library programs will feature talks by “Makers,” including a local resident who made his own life-sized functional robot.

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Public libraries have always adapted to the needs of the communities they serve. The Westport Library is evolving into a community hub for learning as well as experimenting, and the Maker Space is an example of this adaptation.

The conference will be streamed live at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/makerspace.

For further information, phone 203-291-4800, or check westportlibrary.org. Please rsvp before July 30 by responding to this email.

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