libraries

Little Free Libraries

Little Free Libraries

By Haley Pierson-Cox

Haley Pierson-Cox

Haley Pierson-Cox from Red-Handled Scissors is a maker of crafts, a lover of cats, an avid swearing enthusiast, a cross-stitch book author, and a general purveyor of quirk. She's also sometimes an irritable cartoon named Tiny Cranky Haley. https://www.redhandledscissors.com

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Tips on setting up little free libraries in your community.

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Make iT at the Library Training Session

Make iT at the Library Training Session

By Courtney Lentz

Courtney Lentz

Courtney Lentz is the Marketing Relations Coordinator for MAKE magazine. Much of her time in and outside of work is spent curating libraries into makerspaces, helping to create the tools libraries need to transform their spaces. Her current focus is on continuing to develop a library checkout kit program.

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Earlier this month, a few MAKE staffers ventured to Boise, Idaho in response to an invitation to meet with librarians from across the state and to lead an afternoon training session for the pilot project, Make iT at the Library. The project focused on supporting the creation of five makerspaces in libraries.

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Summer Reading for Maker Kids

Summer Reading for Maker Kids

By Michelle "Binka" Hlubinka

Michelle "Binka" Hlubinka

Michelle, or Binka, makes . While at Maker Media, she oversaw publications, outreach, and programming for kids, families, and schools. Before joining Maker Media in 2007, she worked at the Exploratorium, in Mitchel Resnick’s Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab, and as a curriculum designer for various publishers and educational researchers. When she’s not supporting future makers, including her two young sons, Binka does some making of her own, most often as a visual artist.

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was reminded recently of The Swiss Family Robinson (free), a book which I never read, but whose treehouse at Disneyland I loved–all those pulleys and bridges and funny little rooms. It got me to thinking about summer reading and what I would recommend to young makers who’d like to take a break from making, and curl up under a tree to read about characters like them.

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Check it out: Libraries Embracing Makerspaces

Check it out: Libraries Embracing Makerspaces

By Stett Holbrook

Stett Holbrook

Stett Holbrook is editor of the Bohemian, an alternative weekly in Santa Rosa, California. He is a former senior editor at Maker Media.

He is also the co-creator of Food Forward, a documentary TV series for PBS about the innovators and pioneers changing our food system.

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The American Library Association (ALA) is wrapping up its annual conference in Chicago tomorrow. Today was “Maker Monday,” a day that showcased the growing intersection of libraries and the maker movement.

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Phone Booth Fit With Free Take/Leave Shelves

Phone Booth Fit With Free Take/Leave Shelves

By Sean Michael Ragan

Sean Michael Ragan

I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c't – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

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Neat idea from NY architect John Locke, who designed this slot-together plywood shelf unit to hang over the standard public telephone kiosk without fasteners or other alterations to the existing public property. The phone, if present, can still be used normally. So far, John has tested two prototypes, and in both cases passers-by were confused […]

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Got Weekend Plans? How About a Visit to the Materials Library?

Got Weekend Plans? How About a Visit to the Materials Library?

By Sean Michael Ragan

Sean Michael Ragan

I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c't – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

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Two years ago I wrote about what a delight it was to discover the UT-Austin School of Architecture’s Materials Lab when I was on campus there, and it seems appropriate to resurrect the topic in honor of our theme this month. Kevin Kelly just posted a roundup of major materials libraries around the USA over […]

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Portland Tool Libraries

Portland Tool Libraries

By Gareth Branwyn

Gareth Branwyn

Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

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We got this message from Clifton Burt: The Northeast Portland Tool Library is a non profit lending library of tools located at NE 20th and Killingsworth Sreet (Portland, OR). Open on Saturdays and Wednesdays, the checkout of the tools is free; it works just like a lending library for books. It began a year ago […]

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