#CNC Machine Shop Michigan | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

topicprinter · 5 years ago

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Hey - Pat from StarterStory.com here with another interview.Today's interview is with Nick Fortosis of Geo 101 Design, a brand that sells cork mapsSome stats:Product: Cork MapsRevenue/mo: $2,000Started: October 2017Location: Zeeland MichiganFounders: 1Employees: 0Hello! Who are you and what business did you start?My name is Nick Fortosis and I am the founder of GEO 101 Design, a company that specializes in creating one of a kind cork maps with modern minimalist aesthetics. Our goal is to turn your love of travel into your own personalized home décor.Founded in late 2017, I run the business by myself and manufacture everything in my garage workshop in West Michigan. We have been steadily growing and are currently doing roughly $2000 a month in sales through our website and our Etsy shop.imageWhat's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?I am an engineer by day, but ever since I graduated college, I found myself looking for something to do in the evenings that didn’t involve sitting on the couch watching television or playing video games. I started exploring woodworking and soon found a way to combine it with my electronics background through CNC machining.I purchased a CNC router kit and put it together in my basement. After I had it up and running I was left with the realization that I didn’t have anything in mind to make with it! I slowly found little projects to make and started to increase my creative skill sets. I began to think about what I could make to sell, but still didn’t have any ideas that seemed to fit.I made some marble hexagon coasters for my wife for our anniversary. While they didn’t use the CNC, they were simple to make and were trendy at the time. I decided to sell some on Etsy. I was pretty paralyzed with indecision and lack of confidence in creating a product with my CNC so I used this as an opportunity to dip my toe in the water with a low risk product (started with $200 in supplies and have bootstrapped everything after that).It was slow for the first two months but then it took off (after adding professional photos). In the first nine months I ran that store (it was called Geometrikos Design), I had over $15k in sales. I put the shop on hold for the birth of my first child and started things up again a few months later, but by that time, people had caught on to how to make them and several competitors had popped up. It wasn’t completely detrimental to my business as I had a better product and a streamlined production process, but the newcomers were pricing theirs too low to compete with (a common problem on Etsy). While I was still profitable and making sales, I was ready to find something with a bigger moat and bigger profit margins, so I shut the shop down permanently.As this was going on, I still found time to tinker with my CNC. Once my friends caught on to what my machine was capable of, the requests started pouring in. Many of them are avid travelers, and wanted something to show off their travels, so I started cutting maps for them out of plywood. They looked pretty good, but weren’t very functional (needed nails to attach pictures or souvenirs) or very unique. This is when I got the idea to try and cut one out of cork. Cork is more visually interesting than plywood, plus cork is sustainably harvested and eco-friendly.imageTake us through the process of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing your first product.I have a rather unorthodox method of designing a new product. I need to establish my constraints first. So I started with what my limitations were and worked backwards until I could configure a product to meet those restrictions.My biggest constraint was time. By then we were awaiting the birth of our second child and to maintain a work/life balance (since this is in addition to my day job), I started to give myself time constraints. I wanted to create a product and run my business using less than 4 hours a week. So the goal for me was to try and make as much money in as little time as possible. This is where the CNC shines.While the coasters needed significant physical labor, for my maps I could program the CNC and have it run while I worked on something else, potentially doubling my output. I spent a lot of time optimizing my design so it would cut faster and with a better finish.Then came the pricing. I didn’t even make a prototype before I ran the numbers and found a material and price point I felt would be profitable and competitive. I used the popular pricing formula of (material + labor costs) x2 for wholesale and x4 for retail. If the end number was too high, I would look for ways to either make it faster or find cheaper materials.Describe the process of launching the business.Towards the end of my marble coaster days, I simply added my first US cork map to my Etsy shop. It didn’t fit the shop theme, but I just needed to see if it could sell. Within 3 weeks I had my first sale. I only sold 1-2 maps a month that winter (late 2017 to early 2018), but as it started to increase in early spring, I began to look outside of Etsy where I could have more control of my product and audience.imageIn February of 2018 I bought a domain and started my website using Shopify. It was really slow at first. I was completely responsible for directing traffic to the site and I was not very good at it. My first design of the site looked cool to me, but it was not set up to convert well. I was almost going to give up on it, but I did a small redesign with a more straightforward style, and I started getting sales, mainly through my instagram account. Not many at first, but enough to prove that my product could sell.On a whim I posted a picture of my maps on reddit. My daily website traffic that day exploded from 20ish visitors to over 1500! While many of the visitors were more curious than looking to buy, I really didn’t make any money off of the extra traffic, but it did open up some unique connections.Shortly after my post, I was contacted by Touch of Modern, a popular men’s fashion/flash sale site. They wanted to feature my maps in an upcoming campaign. The catch was that I needed to have over 50 maps created and ready to ship before the sale started. I think I had only $1500 in my account at the time but I decided to go for it and spent $1200 on material to boost my inventory (I usually keep little or no inventory and make maps to order). The sale went live in June and I sold a grand total of 8 maps. At first I was pretty disappointed, but it ended up being a blessing in several ways.First, was it forced me to streamline my process. I was able to iron out all of the kinks in production and found a few tricks that significantly reduced my cycle time. Second was it gave me a healthy inventory which came in handy a month later when a bike accident left me with a broken collar bone and five broken limbs. Instead of trying to make maps with one arm and on pain meds, all I had to do was slap a shipping label on the box and set it out for pickup. Without that inventory I would have had to shut down my shop for 2 months while I recovered.Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?First and foremost, I believe professional photos are absolutely essential to getting people interested in a product. Without them most ads are going to be completely useless and social media accounts will be dead on arrival.My instagram posts brought in a lot of initial business. I made sure to engage and like and comment on my followers posts and hashtags I followed. I found a lot of interest in National Park lovers and hikers, so I would find popular accounts and engage with the commenters on their posts.imageI also started offering custom maps, since my CNC can basically cut any shape. I currently use an embedded Google form, but am working on a more streamlined approach.imageI tried Facebook ads a few times, but even with doing research, my campaigns all fell flat. I got to the point where I had to admit that I am just not good at writing ad copy and am basically gambling with my ad money. I found Google Shopping ads much more successful and easy to use. No copy or creative content is necessary, just a product photo. I started using Shopping ads right before the 2018 holiday season and my orders exploded. I was getting an ROI of over 300%.imageThis last spring I tried out Instagram influencers with varied success. I had a few that I was able to turn a profit on, but it was pretty modest and the work to find and vet them was too time consuming, plus subsequent shoutouts from the same accounts produced diminishing returns.imageHow are you doing today and what does the future look like?My goal has always been to double revenue year over year. We are on track to double our sales this year and get to $30k annual revenue, and hope to grow to 60k next year. While everything is great now, I worried that I would soon hit a wall where my mediocre marketing skills would hold me back.imageI recently contracted a local marketing firm to help increase my sales. My budget is on the low side ($500 a month) but the hope is to ramp up slowly and take advantage of the holiday surge and position GEO 101 Design to continue its growth rate into 2020.The biggest challenge I am facing now is designing a cork map of the world. I get custom order requests for it weekly, yet it has proved very difficult to design a map that matches the quality and detail of my other maps and still be reasonably priced. Just this week I think I had a breakthrough with a new material supplier and if it proves out, I hope to have something ready for production by mid-September, so stay tuned!I am also trying to create products at different price points. My current maps are high quality and have prices to match. I want to be able to offer something cheaper that may be an easier impulse buy. I also get a lot of requests from companies looking for very large maps (8ft+ wide), so I hope to figure out the logistics and necessary tools to make and ship larger products as well.In anticipation for the Holiday season and future growth, I have slowly been assembling a second CNC router. This will effectively double my capacity without adding any more to my weekly time allotment. According to my calculations, I should be able to scale to roughly $116k in annual sales before I need to seriously expand or modify my work schedule.The last thing I am working on is getting my website to generate more revenue than my Etsy shop. Last year it was roughly 30/70, but now I am approaching 50/50. At this point Etsy is easy money so I won’t shut it down, but I stopped paying for ads and now push all new people to my website instead.Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?Running a business like mine is definitely a learning by doing exercise. The problems and obstacles I have faced, I never could have predicted. For example, the first year I had a large amount of maps that arrived at their destination broken or damaged.I had to scramble and figure out how to pack them better. There really weren’t any resources I could find that had packaging tips or guidelines, so I basically had to keep adding padding and protection until the complaints stopped. Thankfully I finally figured it out and have had only 1 damaged map this year so far, but it took a lot of unforeseen work to get to this point. You will never be able to predict all of the problems you will face, you just have to get started and deal with them as they come.It's also very important to price your product wisely, leaving plenty of margin to account for unquantified costs. You are going to have to deal with customer returns, raw material price increases, fraud, shipping rate hikes, electricity, gas, and dozens of other costs you never planned on. You don’t want any of these things to sink your business so you need to give yourself a cushion from the very beginning. I believe the formula I listed above is a good start, but each business is unique so do what works for you.What platform/tools do you use for your business?I have used Shopify ever since I began using my own domain. I have kept my toolset pretty minimalistic. To be honest, I think most of the third party Shopify apps are pretty overrated for businesses just starting out in ecommerce.I have no doubt they can help optimize and increase conversion rates, but if you don’t have a solid product and good understanding of all of the built-in tools Shopify has, the extra plugins aren’t going to make up for it.What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?I’ll try and avoid the obvious ones that seem to get cited here over and over (for example, How I Built This)I have always closely followed the maker movement, which has influenced a lot I do. The Making It podcast is a great resource on setting up a shop and getting started selling your product.The Made for Profit podcast is even more focused on the business side of making, though they spend a lot of time talking content creation instead product creation.A book that I really enjoyed but I haven’t seen mentioned here is called “Boss Life: Surviving My Own Small Business”. It is the journal of an owner of a small woodworking business and goes into great detail about the day to day challenges of running a small business.Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?Fail quickly. Don’t worry about setting up the perfect website and the perfect product on day one. Focus on getting a minimum viable product to market as quickly as possible. And when you fail, figure out why and learn from it. Avoid just throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks. Your chance of success should grow over time if you continually improve and recalibrate based on your mistakes and failures.This also goes for money. You don’t need a huge bankroll or enormous inventory to get started. Bootstrapping your business can be slow going, but the risk and stress you avoid is worth it and helps you grow sustainably. Plus it makes you think before you spend. Throwing money at problems rarely fixes them at this stage.Where can we go to learn more?https://www.geo101design.com/https://www.instagram.com/geo101design/https://www.facebook.com/geo101design/[email protected] you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!Liked this text interview? Check out the full interview with photos, tools, books, and other data.For more interviews, check out r/starter_story - I post new stories there daily.Interested in sharing your own story? Send me a PM

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itsworn · 6 years ago

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LA Family: Valley Performance and Machine Service builds a 7,500-rpm Small-Block

The LA-family small-block has always been a stalwart performer — and engine that has proven reliable and capable — but it never got its due as a top-rung racing engine platform.

Valley Performance and Machine Service, an engine shop in rural Ionia, Michigan, aims to change that perception, with an overbored 360 that spins beyond 7,500 rpm to take on more developed combinations, including the vaunted LS engine. It was developed for Race Engine Challenge, a competition developed by Greg Finnican in the vein of the Engine Masters Challenge, pitting engine builders against one another to crank out the highest average horsepower and torque per displacement.

In this case, the challenge allows 370 to 490 ci, with separate classes for conventional inline-valve engines such as the LA series and canted valve/Hemi designs. The parameters are straightforward, but with all successful combinations, the devil is truly in the details.

“There’s something to prove using an LA engine, and we embraced that challenge,” says Jack Barna, owner of Valley Performance and a professional with 30 years of Mopar racing and engine-building experience. “With comparatively few aftermarket parts to rely on, compared to other engine families, including the Chrysler big-block, we nicknamed our engine ‘Mopar Disadvantage.’ And regardless of whether we win the challenge, we think this engine will give people a good reason to consider these small-block Mopars.”

The challenge-winning dyno numbers are based on average horsepower recorded between 4,000 and 7,500 rpm, divided by the engine’s displacement, but rather than build out to the rules’ max displacement, Barna and his build partner John Lohone opted to keep the cubes to a minimum.

“We believe a smaller engine is more efficient when it comes to making the most average power per displacement,” says Lohone. “Generally speaking, there’s less friction and more airflow for every cubic inch.”

Perhaps, but regardless of the displacement, Valley Performance’s LA engine would need to shovel a lot of air to be competitive. A lot. That would ultimately fall to a mix of new and old performance parts to get the job done, specifically Edelbrock’s recently introduced Victor CNC-ported aluminum cylinder heads and a vintage Holley Pro Dominator tunnel ram.

“To be honest, the Edelbrock heads helped make the decision to build this engine,” says Barna. “They work really well and offered the sore of airflow we would need to be competitive.”

Astute fanatics are probably already crafting their “you can’t do that,” emails to us, because the Edelbrock heads have a different bolt pattern, while the Holley tunnel ram has a W2. Give your texting thumbs a rest, because the heads were modified by Valley Performance to accept the classic intake manifold.

That’s part of the story, however, we’ll share in the second act of this two-part engine buildup. In this first part, we’ll focus on the block modifications of the Magnum 360 foundation and short-block assembly, which include expanding the bore sizes 0.100 inch and actually de-stroking the engine a smidge, to 3.556 inches.

“The early Magnum 360 blocks are, in our opinion, the best to start with from the LA family,” says Barna. “They have 0.350-inch-taller lifter bores for better lifter stability; and the metallurgy is much better.”

As for de-stroking the combination, the slightly stroke helped maintain the target displacement, while also keeping taking the rod journal to 2.100-inch in order to use a, ahem, small-block Chevy pin. And because of the speeds the rotating assembly would see, Barna and Lohone shored up the main bearing support of the Magnum 360 block with a set of custom, splayed four-bolt main caps they designed.

Oil control was also a priority for the engine’s design and extensive work was conducted on the block to minimize power-robbing windage, while also keeping the main and rod bearing clearances tight, at 0.0020 inch.

“We were concerned about all the oil coming from the lifters, cam bearings, and rocker arms flowing over the spinning crankshaft at the high-rpm levels we were targeting,” says Lohone. “To counter that, we blocked off the oil from flowing down the lifter valley, including adding oil-blocking plates below the camshaft.”

But the oil needs someone to go and to accommodate that, a 3/8-inch hole was bored the full length of the block, at the bottom of the cam tunnel. The oil is then removed at the rear of the block and drained externally to the oil pan. Similarly, drains in the cylinder heads also drain back to the pan via external hoses. Along with custom windows cut into the main web, the engine breathes well from top to bottom.

In our second installment, we’ll see how this custom design will perform on the dyno and how the Mopar Disadvantage engine stacks up against the competition. Stay tuned.

The engine’s foundation is an early Magnum 360 block (with rocker-shaft oiling) that was cryogenically treated and align-honed for more precise bearing clearances. It was also filled with Hard Blok water jacket filler, up to the bottom of the water inlet passages, to strengthen the bores for optimal piston ring sealing.

To unshroud the valves, the cylinder bores were enlarged from the stock 4.000 inches to 4.100 inches. Eagle eyes might also notice the drilled and tapped hole at the upper right (arrow), which was originally created for an oil restrictor, but was ultimately determined unnecessary because of other oil-control enhancements made to the block.

Windows were cut into the main webs to allow windage-reducing bay-to-bay breathing. The fine line followed with them was making them large enough to be effective, without affecting clamping strength at the mains — particularly with this engine’s custom splayed four-bolt main caps.

Shown here still in the fabrication phase, cam tunnel block-off plates were added to keep oil from falling on the rotating crankshaft and causing windage.

Many of the block’s mods were done with the philosophy that every incremental enhancement contributes to a more-efficient whole. In this case, epoxy was added to fill in a number of smaller spaces and cavities to provide a smoother passage for the oil, while also helping reduce windage

One of the boltholes from the camshaft thrust plate was drilled out to create an external oil drain. In fact, the oil drain was drilled entirely through the block, with a complementing drain at the rear of the block. The thrust plate was modified to eliminate the mounting position for the eliminated fastener.

Here’s a look at the opposite end of the oil drain-back, at the rear of the block. The line drains directly to the oil pan via a -6 hose.

The oil pan was sliced lengthwise and a couple of inches were added to the mid-section in order to increase capacity to 10 quarts. At the right is a sight glass installed only for testing purposes. It gave builders Jack Barna and John Lohone an instant assessment on whether oil was draining back to the pan as quickly as they wanted.

Even the oil pump was modified by Valley Performance for performance. The off-the-shelf Melling M72 pump was blueprinted and ported for optimal flow.

This lifter valley reinforcement plate may not be pretty, but it’s effective. It ties the block’s rear bulkhead to the valley for strength. Older LA blocks had a cast-in reinforcement between the bulkhead and valley, but the later blocks such as this Magnum block do not. Valley Performance took this step because of a concern that without the reinforcement, the lifter bosses wouldn’t have sufficient support for the extra lift, faster camshaft lobes, higher maximum engine speed and valvespring tension the engine would see in its final form.

The counterbalance to the 4.100-inch bores is this de-stroked, 3.556-inch Eagle forged crankshaft (from the original 3.580 inches), which gives the engine its 376ci displacement. The fractionally shorter stroke enhances the engine’s rev capability, while maintaining stroke torque production. Optimal balance for the crankshaft was achieved by cutting the outer diameter of the front and rear counterweights close to the final balance to reduce windage. In fact, all of the counterweight were reshaped a bit to reduce crankcase windage.

To provide additional support to the main web area, Valley Performance designed their own splayed four-bolt main caps to replace the stock two-bolt caps. They turned to John Todd to craft the new caps from billet steel. It’s a great enhancement that significantly strengthens the engine.

Additional bottom-end reinforcement comes from a Hughes Engines main cap stud girdle. Every little bit helps. It fits perfectly with the custom four-bolt main caps.

Valley Performance went with a roller camshaft design and initially spec’d a Bullet bumpstick with 0.775/0.774-inch lift, 255/265 degrees duration and a tight 106-degree lobe separation angle. In early tests, it helped produce peak power above 7,500 rpm — and the engine jumped 105 hp between 4,000 and 4,500 rpm.

The rods and pistons include Eagle 6.250-inch H-beams and custom Ross pistons designed to deliver a nominal compression ratio of 11.66:1. The rods are about 0.100-inch longer than stock, which allowed Valley Performance to minimize piston height. Shorter pistons are lighter, allowing the engine to rev higher and quicker.

The Ross pistons are gas-ported and feature friction-reducing skirt coatings and a thermal top coating. To ensure a glove-like fit with the combustion chambers, Valley Performance used Plaster of Paris to make a mold of the chambers, then sent the molds to Ross for the final engineering and a custom-matched set of pistons. They’re used with Total Seal gapless rings. During early dyno tests, leak-down was tested and each cylinder resulted in no more than 3 percent leakage.

BAM tall-body roller lifters are used and are 0.300-inch taller than stock to ensure block clearance with the Magnum block’s already tall lifter bores. The rest of the valvetrain will be shown in detail in Part 2 of this build project.

The timing gear set and balancer are straightforward, off-the-shelf items: a Rollmaster timing chain set and a lightweight Romac SFI-approved balancer. The balancer has a steel hub and an anodized alloy outer ring.

This is clever. To make valve timing changes easier and faster, Valley Performance bored a 3-inch hole in the timing cover, behind the water pump and in line with the camshaft; and it’s closed off with a custom plate, featuring a pair of O-rings. They also milled a keyway in the camshaft, 0.930-inch from the end of the snout, allowing the use of a straight key instead of a half-moon-type. With a 0.020-inch offset, the key enables 2-degree timing changes, with a max of about 6 degrees. Better still, the removable “door” enables timing changes to be made on the dyno in less than 20 minutes.

Edelbrock’s relatively new Victor small block heads were selected for their excellent airflow properties, which is something we’ll get in to with the next installment of this build project.

The engine will also be topped with a 25-year-old Holley Pro Dominator tunnel ran. And with it and a pair of 880-cfm four-barrels, the Valley Performance team will be aiming for more than 750 hp — at least 2 hp per cube — in the race-engine challenge. We’ll share the results in Part 2.

The post LA Family: Valley Performance and Machine Service builds a 7,500-rpm Small-Block appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network https://www.hotrod.com/articles/valley-performance-machine-service-builds-7500-rpm-small-block/ via IFTTT

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libraryresources · 6 years ago

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Wikispaces: Youth Services Librarianship - Makerspaces

(Wikispaces is closing down over the course of 2018. It’s not clear if the information collected there will be archived in any way, so I’m copying pages here for safekeeping! Hopefully I can make the copies interlinked the way the originals are, but it will take time. c: Be advised: Some links may lead to deleted or inactive webpages.)

Makerspaces

(Last revision: Nov 24, 2013)

Overview

What Is a Makerspace? Have you ever envisioned a library where, “Kids gather to make Lego robots; teens create digital music, movies, and games with computers and mixers; and students engineer new projects while adults create prototypes for small business products with laser cutters and 3D printers” (American Libraries, 2013, pg. 44)? Well, many libraries are offering places called “makerspaces,” which are “part of a growing movement of hands-on, mentor-led learning environments to make and remake the physical and digital worlds. They foster experimentation, invention, creation, exploration, and STEM learning” (Institute of Museum and Library Services, 2012, para.1). Makerspaces are also known as, Fab Labs, Hackerspaces, Makelabs, Digital Media Labs, DIY Spaces, Creative Spaces, or Tech Shops. Makerspaces are comprised of or include "a continuum of activity that includes “co-working,” “hackerspace,” and “fab lab”; the common thread running through each is a focus on making rather than merely consuming" (Colegrove, 2013, pg. 3). They can,“be embedded inside an existing organization or standalone on its own. It could be a simple room in a building or an outbuilding that’s closer to a shed. The key is that it can adapt to a wide variety of uses and can be shaped by educational purposes as well as the students’ creative goals” (Behen, 2013, pg. 72).

Makerspace Tools and Materials

Makerspaces can include but are not characterized by:

Workshop or Workspace

Digital Fabrication Equipment (3D Printers, 3D Scanners, Laser Cutter, Laser Engraving, Vinyl Cutter, CNC routers, etc.).

Digital Media Software and Open Source Software Applications (Adobe Photoshop, Computer-Assisted Design (CAD) Programs, etc.).

Open Source Hardware Software (Arduino, Raspberry Pi, etc.).

Electronics and Computers (Robotics, microcontrollers, etc.).

Textiles and Fiber Arts

Different Types of Machines (Embroidery, Espresso Book, Knitting, Laminating, Milling, Sewing, Routing, Stitching, and many more types of machines).

Power Tools (Drill, Jig Saw, Orbital Sander, Table Saw, Belt Sander, Drill Press, etc.).

Metalworking Tools

Welding Tools

Woodworking Tools

3D printers -- printers which produce 3D models from a digital file, generally out of plastics (Abram, 2013).

3D scanners -- scanners which create digital models of physical objects that can in turn be "printed" using 3D printers ("Makerspace," n.d.).

Laser cutters -- machines which have the ability to accurately cut or etch materials from a digital file ("Makerspace," n.d.).

Arduino -- microcontroller boards that have the ability to read input from sensors, control outputs like lights or motors, and connect to computer software (“What is Arduino?,” n.d.).

Raspberry Pi -- affordable computers no bigger than a credit card that plug into monitors and keyboards (“FAQs,” n.d.).

The Educate to Innovate Initiative and Maker Corps

In 2009, President Obama launched the initiative, “Educate to Innovate” (Schulman, 2013). The President said, "I want us all to think about new and creative ways to engage young people in science and engineering, whether it's science festivals, robotics competitions, fairs that encourage young people to create and build and invent—to be makers of things, not just consumers of things" (Obama 2009).

From the “Educate to Innovate” initiative came, “The Maker Education Initiative’s” Maker Corps. Maker Corps was created to “empower young adults, makers themselves, to become role models and to help them inspire others in their communities to involve more children in making” (Thomas, 2012b, para.3). In the summer of 2013, The Maker Education Initiative introduced a Maker Corps pilot program. The Mission of this program is that, “Maker Corps will create teams of young makers who can share their enthusiasm for making and their love of learning with younger children and teens, offering support and encouragement that helps introduce them to science and technology in a personal way" (Thomas, 2012a, para.1).

Some of the “Maker Corps Mentors” from this year’s (2013) pilot program include: Arizona State University College of Technology and Innovation (Mesa, Arizona), Free Library of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Girl Scouts of Central Maryland (Baltimore, Maryland), LevelUP Teen Makerspace (Chicago, Illinois), the Children’s Museum of Houston (Houston, Texas), Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI-Portland, Oregon), The Exploratory (Los Angeles, California), The Da Vinci Center for Innovative Learning (Stockton, California), the New York Hall of Science, (Corona, New York), the Henry Ford Museum (Dearborn, Michigan), and many more (Davee, 2013, pg. 1). The goals of the Maker Corps program are to:

“Provide opportunities for makers to gain leadership skills, increase confidence and build career readiness skills” (Maker Corps, 2013, pg. 1).

“Expand the network of maker mentors and community leaders” (Maker Corps, 2013, pg. 1).

“Expose more youth and families to creative problem-solving through making” (Maker Corps 2013, pg. 1).

“Expand the capacity of youth-serving organizations to serve their communities in maker-oriented projects” (Maker Corps, 2013, pg. 1).

Why Libraries and Makerspaces?

Many public, school, and academic libraries have decided to join the “Maker Movement.” By joining the movement, libraries are providing their patrons with opportunities to experience by building, constructing, developing, and working on projects with others in their community and with those who share similar or mutual interests. Makerspaces in libraries can:

“Foster play and exploration” (Britton, 2012, para. 3).

“Facilitate informal learning opportunities” (Britton, 2012, para. 3).

“Nurture peer-to-peer training” (Britton, 2012, para. 3).

“Work with community members as true partners, not as users or patrons” (Britton, 2012).

“Develop a culture of creating as opposed to consuming” (Britton, 2012, para. 3).

“Reorient the library towards greater user engagement, collaborative creative activity, and participatory learning” (Bailey, 2012, para. 4).

“Position the library as a place of building, inventing, and doing instead of a static location of consumption and acquisition” (Bailey, 2012, para. 4).

“Cater to a particular type of library patron: inventors, artists, entrepreneurs, crafters and youth groups. The technology used in these workshops can revolutionize the manufacturing process, allowing designs and creations that can be modified to suit individuals in ways not possible with mass production” (Newcombe & Belbin, 2012, para.5)

“Help cultivate creative interests, imagination, and passion by allowing students to draw upon multiple intelligences” (Wong, 2013, pg. 35).

“Embrace tinkering, or playing, in various forms of exploration, experimentation and engagement, and foster peer interactions as well as the interests of a collective team” (Wong, 2013, pg. 35).

Examples of Makerspaces in Academic Libraries:

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh- The Labs (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

North Carolina State University- Open Hardware Makerspace (Raleigh, North Carolina)

North Carolina State University- The Hunt Library Makerspace (Raleigh, North Carolina)

Stanford University- FabLab@School (Stanford, California)

Stanford University- Transformative Learning Technologies Lab (TLTL) (Stanford, California)

The Library As Incubator Project (Madison, Wisconsin)

The University of Mary Washington- ThinkLab (Fredericksburg, Virginia)

The University of Michigan- 3D Lab (Ann Arbor, Michigan)

Valdosta State University- Odum Library MakerSpace (Valdosta. Georgia)

Examples of Makerspaces in Public and School Libraries:

Allen County Public Library- The Maker Station (Fort Wayne, Indiana)

Chattanooga Public Library- 4th Floor Makerspace (Chattanooga, Tennessee)

Chicago Public Library- CHIPUBLIB MAKER LAB (Chicago, Illinois)

Cleveland Public Library- TechCentral (Cleveland, Ohio)

David C. Burrow Elementary School Media Center- Makerspace (Athens, Georgia)

Detroit Public Library- HYPE Makerspace Teen Center (Detroit, Michigan)

Fayetteville Free Library- FFL Fab Lab (Fayetteville New York)

Madison Public Library- Library Makers (Madison, Wisconsin)

New York Public Library- NYPL Labs (New York, New York)

Northern Onondaga Public Library- LibraryFarm (Cicero, New York)

Oak Park Public Library- Idea Box (Oak Park, Illinois)

Rangeview Library District: The Studio at Anythink Brighton (Brighton, Colorado)

Rangeview Library District: The Studio at Anythink Wright Farms (Thornton, Colorado)

Sacramento Public Library- I Street Press (Sacramento, California)

Salinas Public Library- Digital Arts Lab (Salinas, California)

Skokie Public Library- The Digital Media Lab (Skokie, Illinois)

St. Louis Public Library- Creative Experience Digital Makerspace (St. Louis, Missouri)

Tacoma Public Library- StoryLab (Tacoma, Washington)

Westport Public Library-Makerspace (Westport, Connecticut)

YOUmedia Lab-Chicago Public Library (Chicago, Illinois)

YOUmedia, Learning Labs, and Anythink Library District

Some makerspaces simply provide a space for people to come and tinker. Others provide digital media equipment for people to utilize in the creation of a variety of projects. One example of this is the YOUmedia network (www.youmedia.org). “YOUmedia are spaces where kids explore, express, and create using digital media. YOUmedia’s core philosophy is that youth are best engaged when they’re following their passions, collaborating with others, and being makers and doers, not passive consumers…YOUmedia are transformative spaces—and catalysts—for new kinds of thinking about libraries, museums, and community centers. The sites are open, flexible, and highly creative, with inspiration zones, production zones, and exhibition labs where youth ‘hang out, mess around, and geek out.’ YOUmedia connects three realms of learning—peer groups, interests, and academics—in deliberate ways. One of the most important aspects is that they connect learning directly back to school, careers, and other realms” (“About”).

YOUmedia started in Chicago, and is expanding in different ways across the country. One branch of YOUmedia is the Learning Labs Project, which began in September 2010. It is “an initiative of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation...in answer to President Obama’s ‘Educate to Innovate’ campaign, which called on public and private sector partners to work together to improve America’s student participation and performance in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)” (“Locations”). With a series of grants, the IMLS and the Foundation are working to set up 30 Learning Labs in libraries and museums across the country.

The Studio at Anythink Wright Farms (www.anythinklibraries.org/thestudio), a branch with the Rangeview Library District in Thornton, CO, is a recent addition to the Learning Lab initiative. In 2012, Anythink was awarded a $100,000 grant from IMLS and the MacArthur Foundation to build a digital lab. Built in the spring of 2013, The Studio has three sound-proof rooms (one of which is a recording studio), a green screen, video equipment, and the full Adobe Creative Suite. The idea behind The Studio is to fill teen’s technological needs and help them become contact creators. “At The Studio, it’s not just about what you do, but who you will become. We partner creative community members with teens to help push their creativity to new bounds. These creation labs are places where teens are connected with tools to express their creativity – whether they want to be performers, designers, filmmakers or sportscasters” (“The Studio”). With help from the Tween/Teen Guides (librarians), and the Artists in Residence, teens can learn 21st century technology skills, experiment with a variety of equipment, and fuel their interests.

In the recording studio, which can be used for two hours at a time, teens can record their voices and/or music, make podcasts, sports casts, voiceovers, and create their own beats. This room comes equipped with a computer with Garage Band editing software, a MIDI keyboard, microphones, and a guitar.

The recording studio

Next to the recording studio is a green screen, where teens can experiment with lighting techniques, and take pictures or record images with digital cameras available for check out. There is a nearby editing station where they can upload their videos or images, and substitute the green screen with whatever background they want – stationary or animated. Editing software available to them includes the Adobe Creative Suite, Final Cut Pro, and the iLife Suite. They can also incorporate their creations from the recording studio into their final product.

Green screen

Computers for editing photos and videos

The Studio also includes graphic design and photo editing software, and two other sound-proof rooms, which can be spaces for video gaming, karaoke, and quiet places for studying. There is also an extra large Windows Surface that teens can use for web browsing, music, news feeds, and apps.

Surface Pro table top

Sound proof study rooms

Anythink, along with libraries and museums across the country, applied for this grant in a nationwide competition, and was one of the first 12 recipients of the grant. The other 11 locations (four museums and seven libraries) for learning labs included:

San Francisco Public Library (San Francisco, California)

Howard County Public Library (Columbia, Maryland)

St. Paul Public Library (St. Paul, Minnesota)

Kansas City Public Library (Kansas City, Missouri)

New York Hall of Science (New York, New York)

Columbus Metropolitan Library (Columbus, Ohio)

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (Portland, Oregon)

Da Vinci Discovery Center of Science and Technology (Allentown, Pennsylvania)

Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Nashville Public Library Foundation (Nashville, Tennessee)

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Houston, Texas) (Institute “21st Century”)

A second round of grants added learning labs to:

Dallas Museum of Art (Dallas, Texas)

Madison Children’s Museum (Madison, Wisconsin)

Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley, California)

Science Museum of Virginia Foundation (Richmond, Virginia)

University of Alabama/Alabama Museum of Natural History (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)

Rochester Public Library (Rochester, New York)

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

City of Lynn, Massachusetts (Lynn, Massachusetts)

Las Vegas-Clark County Library District (Las Vegas, Nevada)

Parmly Billings Library Foundation, Inc. (Billings, Montana)

Pima County Public Library (Tucson, Arizona)

Poughkeepsie Public Library District (Poughkeepsie, New York) (Institute “New Grants”).

The Maker Movement

Even if a library can’t afford or doesn't have room to have a designated “makerspace,” there are other ways to get involved in the Maker movement. The Maker movement doesn't just include makerspaces, but all kinds of maker opportunities.

When looking into the Maker movement, Maker Media is a good name to know. Maker Media has been the driving force behind the Maker movement, beginning with the first publication of MAKE Magazine in 2005 (“Maker Media,” 2013). Maker Media produces the Maker Faire and Makezine, an online zine that offers makers project ideas, as well as Maker Shed, an online store that sells kits and other supplies for makerspaces.

Not having a “space” for your “Makerspace” doesn’t mean you can’t contribute to the Maker movement. For instance, a “Pop up Makerspace” is a temporary makerspace set up in an alternative location, like a classroom (Houston, 2013). Mobile makerspaces, which are able to be moved easily to and from a space and probably lower tech, are always an option (“Teen Makerspaces,” 2013). Makerspaces don’t have to have high tech tools like 3D printers. They can get started with as little as a few craft supplies and a rolling cart.

Another alternative is for a library to get involved in a Maker Faire. Touted as the “Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth,” the Maker Faire is an annual celebration of the Maker movement (“Maker Faire,” 2013, para. 1). Maker Faires allow makers to share their creations and let others know about the Maker movement. Traditionally, the main Maker Faire is located in the Bay Area, as that is where the Faire started in 2006 (“Maker Faire,” 2013). But since the Maker movement has spread, so have Maker Faires, with a “World Maker Faire” taking place in New York City and “Mini Maker Faires” popping up around the world (“Maker Faire,” 2013). Mini Maker Faires are getting more popular as the Maker movement spreads. Even Urbana-Champaign, IL holds its own Mini Maker Faire to showcase makers in the community.

It is also possible to involve a local maker group, many of which have popped up around the country (i.e., Makerspace Urbana in Urbana, IL). Getting a community group involved in the library’s efforts may draw in extra interest, especially if they are well known.

Resources

Directories of Active and Operating Makerspaces Throughout the World

Hackerspaces Meetup Groups List

Hackerspaces Wiki

Labs, Fab Foundation Directory

Maker Community Groups

Maker Education Initiative Directory

Maker Faires Around the World List

Makerspace Directory

Makerspaces Meetup Groups List

MIT Fab Lab List

Mobile Makerspace Directory

National Tool Library Google Group

TechShop Locations

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation- Learning Labs Project Location Directory

The International Fab Lab Association: List of Fab Labs

The Maker Map- Find or Locate Maker Resources

The National After School Science Directory

Tool Lending Libraries Directory

YOUmedia Location Directory

Makerspace Project Ideas, Videos, and Tutorial Sites

Adafruit Learning Systems has tutorials on topics such as, how to use “Arduino,” and “Raspberry Pi.” It also provides project ideas, tools, trinkets, and so much more.

DIY.org allows members to share with others what they create. It also contains a variety of different projects and challenges.

FabLab@School Blog provides makerspace and project photos, videos, project ideas, tutorials, resources, and more.

Howtoons- “D.I.Y. Comic Website.”

Instructables has illustrated “DIY” guides on a variety of topics, such as, “Make an Electronic Music Box Powered by Arduino.”

K-12 Digital Fabrication Labs Discussion Group is a K-12 forum that discusses different “Digital Fabrication” topics.

Make It @ Your Library provides librarians with “Maker” project ideas.

Make It @ Your Library in partnership with the American Library Association and Instructables has launched a new website makeitatyourlibrary.org, which provides librarians with project ideas and resources.

Make: Makezine.com-"Contains a collection of projects, video, blogs, and so much more for makers and hackers."

Make: Projects contains a collection of different project ideas, such as “Make a Disney- Inspired Changing Portrait With a Raspberry Pi.”

Make: Videos contains a collection of how to make videos, such as “Star in a Jar.”

Makerspace.com contains a collection of how to make projects.

Sparkfun contains tutorials on many different categories, as well as, curriculum pages that presents educators, parents, students, etc. with curriculum “presentations and handouts.”

Teens Turning Green contains DIY programming ideas created by teens to encourage sustainable, healthy living.

The Exploratorium (San Francisco, California) provides different activities, videos, and more.

The Exploratorium’s Tinkering Studio contains different project ideas and a listing of past “events, workshops, and more.”

How to Start a Tool Lending Library

Tool Library Toolkit via Sharestarter provides a how-to guide on starting your own tool lending (or any other lending) library.

Grants, Scholarships, and Crowd-Sourced Fundraising Sites For Makerspaces and Makers

Grant Sites

Cognizant Technology Solutions- Making The Future U.S. After-school and Summer Program Grants

DARPA

Lego Children’s Fund

GCAA Makerspace Grant Program

Grants for Makerspace Schools

PG&E- Bright Ideas Grant

STEMgrants.com

STEM Grants and Resources

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)- Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program Grant

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation-Learning Labs In Libraries And Museums Grant

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)- List of Grant Applicants

Scholarship Sites

Cognizant Technology Solutions- Making the Future U.S. College Scholarship Program for MakersING Unsung Heroes: Education scholarship for innovated classroom projects

Milton Fisher Scholarship for Innovation and Creativity

MindGear Labs

Crowd-Sourced Fundraising Sites

Crowdfunder

Crowdrise

GoFundMe

Indiegogo

Kickstarter

RocketHub

Budget and Funding Articles and Blog Links

Garcia, L. (2013). 6 Strategies for Funding a Makerspace. Edudopia.

Hlubinka, M. B. (2013). Funding School Makerspaces. Make.

Hlubinka. M. B. (2013). Stocking up School Makerspaces. Make.

Mt. Elliott Makerspace. (2013). "Make A Makerspace".

Print and Electronic Resources

Books on Makerspaces

Anderson, C. (2012). Makers: The New Industrial Revolution. New York: Crown.

Frauenfelder, M. (2005). Make: Technology on Your Time. Sebastopol, CA: Dale Dougherty/O'Reilly Media.

Gabrielson, C. (2013). Tinkering: Kids Learning by Making Stuff. Sebastopol, CA : Maker Media

Hatch, M. (2013). The Maker Movement Manifesto: Rules for Innovation in the New World of Crafters, Hackers, and Tinkerers. New York: Mcgraw-Hill.

Honey, M., & Kanter, D. (2013). Design, Make, Play: Growing the Next Generation of STEM Innovators. New York, NY: Routledge.

Kemp, A. (2013). The Makerspace Workbench: Tools, Technologies, and Techniques for Making. Sebastopol, CA : Maker Media, Inc.

Lang, D. (2013). Zero to Maker: Learn (Just Enough) to Make (Just About) Anything. Sebastopol, CA : Maker Media, Inc.

Martinez, S. L., & Stager, G, (2013). Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom. Torrance, CA: Constructing Modern Knowledge Press.

Preddy, L. (2013). School Library Makerspaces: Grades 6-12. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

Roberts, D. (2010). Making Things Move : DIY Mechanisms for Inventors, Hobbyists, and Artists. New York : McGraw-Hill

Roslund, S., & Rodgers, E.P. (2013). Makerspaces. Ann Arbor, MI: Cherry Lake Publishing.

Books on Arduino and Raspberry Pi

Baichtal, J. (2013). Arduino for Beginners: Essential Skills Every Maker Needs. [S.l.] : Que Publishing.

Margolis, M. (2011). Arduino Cookbook. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly Media.

McComb, G. (2013). Arduino Robot Bonanza. New York : McGraw-Hill.

Monk, S. (2013). Raspberry Pi Cookbook. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly Media.

O’Neill, T., & Williams, J. (2013). Arduino (21st Century Skills Innovation Library: Makers As Innovators). Ann Arbor, MI: Cherry Lake Publishing.

Partner, K. (2013). Raspberry Pi for Beginners. [S.l.] : Dennis Publishing.

Richardson, M., & Wallace, S.P. (2012). Getting Started with Raspberry Pi (Make: Projects). Sebastopol, CA : O'Reilly Media.

Severance, C. R., & Fontichiaro. (2013). Raspberry Pi (Makers As Innovators: 21st Century Skills Innovation Library). Ann Arbor, MI: Cherry Lake Publishing.

Electronic Resources

Makerspace. (2012). High School Makerspace Tools & Materials. O'Reilly Media.

Makerspace (2013). Makerspace Playbook. O'Reilly Media.

Makerspace. (2013). Makerspace Playbook: School Edition. Maker Media. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US.

Young Makers. (2012). Maker Club Playbook. O'Reilly Media.

Additional Web Resources

ACRL TechConnect Blog

Arduino.cc

ALA Online Community- Digital Media Labs

ALA Online Community- Makerspaces

Creative Commons

Digital Media: New Learners of the 21st Century

Fab Central

Hackerspaces Wiki

Institute of Museum and Library Services- Learning Labs in Libraries and Museums

Learning Labs In Libraries and Museums Resource Information

Library as Makerspace Blog

Libraries & Maker Culture: A Resource Guide

MAKE magazine

MakerBot.com

Maker Faire.com

Maker Media.com

Maker Shed

Makered.org

Makerspace.com

Makerspaces and the Participatory Library- Facebook group

Makezine.com

Mt. Elliot Makerspace

Open Education Database (OEDb)- “A Librarian’s Guide to Makerspaces: 16 Resources”

Raspberry Pi.org

ShopBot Tools

SparkFun Electronics

Spotlight on Digital Media and Learning Blog

Teen Makerspaces @ Your Library

The MakerBridge Blog

Thingiverse- "Digital Designs for Physical Objects"

Young Makers.org

YOUmedia Network: Reimagining Learning in the 21st Century

References

Abram, S. (2013). Makerspaces in Libraries, Education, and Beyond. Internet@Schools, 20(2), 18-20.

“About.” The YOUmedia Network. Web. 14 Nov. 2013 www.youmedia.org/youmedia-network

Anythink: A Revolution of Rangeview Libraries. (2013). Anything Brighton Awarded Grant to Design Teen Makerspace. Retrieved on November 8, 2013 from http://www.anythinklibraries.org/news-item/anythink-brighton-awarded-grant-design-teen-makerspace

Bagley, C. (2012) What is a Makerspace? Creativity in the Library. ALATechsource. Retrieved on November 10, 2013 from http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2012/12/what-is-a-makerspace-creativity-in-the-library.html

Bailey, J. (2012). From Stacks to Hacks: Makerspaces and LibraryBox. Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO). Retrieved on November 8, 2013 from http://metro.org/articles/from-stacks-to-hacks-makerspaces-and-librarybox/

Batykefer, E. (2013). The Youth Maker Library. Voice Of Youth Advocates, 36(3), 20-24.

Behen. L.D. (2013). Recharge Your Library Programs with Pop Culture and Technology: Connect with Today’s Teens. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited.

Britton, L. (2012). Making Space for Creation, Not Just Consumption. Library Journal. Retrieved on November 8, 2013 from http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/10/public-services/the-makings-of-maker-spaces-part-1-space-for-creation-not-just-consumption/

Colegrove, T. (2013). Editorial Board Thoughts: Libraries as Makerspace?. Information Technology & Libraries, 32(1), 2-5.

Davee, S. (2013). Celebrating Our Maker Corps Mentor Class of 2013. Maker Education Initiative: Every Child A Maker. Retrieved on November 8, 2013 from http://www.makered.org/tag/maker-corps/

Education Innovator. (2013). Maker Education Initiative. Retrieved on November 9, 2013 from http://blog.nwp.org/educatorinnovator/partners/maker-education-initiative/

FAQs. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2013, from Raspberry Pi website: http://www.raspberrypi.org/faqs

Garcia, L. (2013). 6 Strategies for Funding a Makerspace. Edudopia. Retrieved on November 11, 2013 from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/6-strategies-funding-makerspace-paloma-garcia-lopez

Graham, R. (2013). Bring Back Home ec! The Case for a Revival of the Most Retro Class in School. Boston Globe. Retrieved on November 19, 2013 from http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2013/10/12/bring-back-home/EJJi9yzjgJfNMqxWUIEDgO/story.html?s_campaign=sm_tw.

Hlubinka, M. B. (2013). Funding School Makerspaces. Make. Retrieved on November 11, 2013 from http://makezine.com/2013/09/05/funding-school-makerspaces/

Hlubinka, M. B. (2013). Stocking up School Makerspaces. Make. Retrieved on November 11, 2013 from http://makezine.com/2013/08/21/stocking-up-school-makerspaces/

Houston, C. (2013). Makerspaces @ your school library: Consider the possibilities!. Kentucky Libraries, 77(3): 26-28.

Institute of Museum and Library Services. “National Competition Selects 12 Libraries and Museums to Build Innovative Learning Labs for Teens.” IMLS. Institute of Museum and Library Services, 17 Nov. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. www.imls.gov/national_competition_selects_12_libraries_and_museums_to_build_innovative_learning_labs_for_teens.aspx

Institute of Museum and Library Services. “New Grants Help Museums and Libraries Connect Youth with Friends, Learning, and Mentors to Link Their Passions to Future Success.” IMLS. Institute of Museum and Library Services, 8 Nov. 2012. Web. 14 Nov. 2013 www.imls.gov/new_grants_help_museums_and_libraries_connect_youth_with_friends_learning_and_mentors_to_link_their_passions_to_future_success.aspx

Institute of Museum and Library Services. (2012). Talking Points: Museums, Libraries, and Makerspaces. Retrieved on November 8, 2013 from http://www.imls.gov/assets/1/AssetManager/Makerspaces.pdf

Kroski, E. (2013). A Librarian’s Guide to Makerspace: 16 Resources. Open Education Database (OEDB). Retrieved on November 8, 2013 from http://oedb.org/ilibrarian/a-librarians-guide-to-makerspaces/

“Locations: Learning Labs Project.” The YOUmedia Network. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. www.youmedia.org/locations/learning-labs

Maker Corps. (2013). Maker Education Initiative: Every Child A Maker-Maker Corps. Retrieved on November 8, 2013 from http://www.makered.org/makercorp

Maker Faire: A Bit of History. (2013). Retrieved November 24, 2013, from Maker Faire website: http://makerfaire.com/makerfairehistory/

Maker Media (2013). Retrieved November 24, 2013, from http://makermedia.com

Makerspace. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2013, from NSCU Libraries website: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/spaces/makerspace

Manufacturing MAKER SPACES. (2013). American Libraries, 44(1/2), 44.

Markham, D. (2013). Kids' Museum Challenges Throwaway Mentality with Repair Exhibition. Tree Hugger. Retrieved on November 19, 2013 fromhttp://www.treehugger.com/gadgets/kids-museum-challenges-throwaway-mentality-repair-exhibition.html.

Mt. Elliott Makerspace. (2013). Make A Makerspace. Retrieved on November 11, 2013 from http://www.mtelliottmakerspace.com/makeamakerspace/

National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future (2007). Committee on Prospering in the Global Economy of the 21st Century: An Agenda for American Science and Technology. Washington D.C.: National Academies Presses.

Newcombe.P., & Belbin, N. (2012). Fab Labs at the Library: Community ‘Makerspaces’ Give Access to Cutting-Edge Tools. Government Technology. Retrieved on November 9, 2013 from http://www.govtech.com/e-government/Fab-Labs--at-the-Library.html

Obama, B. Remarks by The President at The National Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting. The White House Blog. Retrieved on November 8, 2013 from http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-at-the-National-Academy-of-Sciences-Annual-Meeting

Plemmons, A. (2012). Opening the Space: Making the School Library a Site of Participatory Culture. Knowledge Quest, 41(1), 8-14.

Schulman, K. (2013). White House Hangout: The Maker Movement. The White House Blog. Retrieved on November 8, 2013 from http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/03/27/white-house-hangout-maker-movement

Stoll, C. (2013). Makerspaces: Surveying the Scene in Illinois. ILA Reporter, 31(2), 4-9.

Teen makerspaces @ your library. (2013). Retrieved November 24, 2013, from Teen Librarian Toolbox website: http://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2013/08/teen-makerspaces-your-library.html

“The Studio.” Anythink Libraries. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. www.anythinklibraries.org/thestudio

Thomas, A. (2012a). Introducing: Maker Corps. Maker Education Initiative: Every Child A Maker. Retrieved on November 8, 2013 from http://www.makered.org/introducing-maker-corps/

Thomas, A. (2012b). Maker Corps Empowers The Next Generation of Innovators. Maker Education Initiative: Every Child A Maker. Retrieved on November 8, 2013 from http://www.makered.org/maker-corps-empowers-the-next-generation-of-innovators/

What is Arduino?. (n.d.) Retrieved November 24, 2013 from Arduino website: http://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/Introduction

Wong, T. (2013). MAKERSPACES TAKE LIBRARIES BY STORM. Library Media Connection, 31(6), 34-35.

[Tumblr Transcriber: Camilla Y-B]

#library resource #makerspace #STEAM #Wikispaces #STEM education

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Defining the state-of-the-art in adjustable-height furniture, all iMovR tabletops are Ergo-contoured on precision CNC (Computer Numerical Control) equipment and then hermetically sealed with Surf(x) 3D lamination, providing superior performance to conventional high-pressure laminated, powder coated, and even hardwood tops you'll find on other desks.

Every desk manufacturer claims their table tops are "unique," but in fact, most all of them use the same "high-pressure lamination" (HPL) process that’s been around for decades.

Sounds fancy, but all it really means is that a 3mm thick laminate is pressed onto a particle board or MDF (Medium density fiberboard) core, usually 3/4" or 1” thick.

If you've ever removed the grommet cover and looked at the cross-section of the unfinished inside of one of these typical table tops you've surely noticed the raw wood showing through. All iMovR table tops are manufactured with much more advanced technology than standard HPL.

They outperform all HPL and powder-coated table tops, and even most hardwood tops, in resistance to dings, scratches, discoloration, and damage from cleaning chemicals – and they look oh, so much nicer.

People often mistake our 3D-laminated tabletops for expensive solid hardwood tops, even though they cost less than what competitors charge for the old stuff.

All the edges and corners of our tabletops are precision-contoured to create an elegant, yet ergonomic "comfort edge," while also rounding off those sharp corners that are unavoidable with a standard "PVC edge-banded" rectangular table tops.

The chosen color or woodgrain image is then thermofused to the core using an advanced 3D lamination process that covers every exposed surface of the wood - even down through the insides of the fully-laminated grommet holes.

This 3D lamination method is not only more elegant in appearance compared to standard lamination, it better protects the tabletop from moisture damage and warping, and guarantees a higher level of durability. So durable, in fact, that even strong disinfectants used in hospitals will not tarnish your table top's finish.

#IMovr #Solid Color #Left Keyboard #30 X 72 #Black #Treadmill Desk

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