Makerspace | David Lee King

Level 2 Tech Center opens on Monday!

August 11, 2022 By David Lee King

I’m really looking forward to this – my library opens our new Level 2 Tech Center on Monday!

What can you find there? A mix of really cool technology, including:

Two small recording studios – one focused on audio, and one on video (audio can be done there too). Each room has a Presonus audio interface, great microphones, and a beefed up iMac. The video room has a Pearl Mini for livestreaming.
Digital Art Studio – this space has 8 computers with the Adobe Suite (a mix of Macs and PCs), two 3D printers, a Cricut digital cutter, a 3D digital scanner, and a laminator.
30 public computers
5 small meeting rooms (we’re calling these the CoLab Rooms)
Chairs and couches for a more informal gathering experience

Who do we think will use the space? Our focus in this space is on entrepreneurs, non-profits, teachers, hobbyists, and other people wanting to make things. Kids, teens and the curious are certainly welcome as well!

I also know some musicians who are pretty excited about the space, and we have already invited an area podcast team to try out the space (and to mention us on their podcast, as well). At the moment, Topeka doesn’t really have a recording studio; certainly not one that is free for everyone to use!

How did we “find” this space? Like most libraries, we had some storage space in the basement that was mostly full of old chairs, tables, and other random stuff. We emptied that space, renovated it, and moved our Technical Services department to that space. Then we started remodeling their old space, which has morphed into this cool new public space.

It will be a bunch of fun to see how the space gets used and who uses it! Find out more about our new Tech Center on this page.

Your Digital Media Lab and the Grammys

March 10, 2020 By David Lee King

The Grammy music awards happened a few weeks ago, and Billie Eilish won six of them. Pretty cool feat for a teenager!

Did you read about how she and her brother Finneas recorded her hit album? Not at a fancy recording studio. Instead, they recorded it in Finneas’ bedroom. Billie sang while sitting on big brother’s bed. Using affordable software and equipment.

For example, when they started recording songs, they used an Audio-Technica AT2020 microphone. It costs $99. I have one. My library has them, too – we use them for our library podcast, and we have one in our digital media lab.

They also used … a Mac and some software – very minimal setup. Here’s an article that goes a bit more in-depth on the geeky recording details of Billie Eilish’s record, if you’re interested.

My point – Billie Eilish used pretty much the same equipment that my digital media lab offers to customers. A Mac, some software, an audio interface, and a mic. That’s it. My library’s digital media lab has the same stuff. Yours probably does, too.

No – it’s not a full-fledged music production studio (though some libraries have that). No, the room that it’s in is probably not professionally acoustically balanced (ours is in a large study room). But the bedroom that Billie recorded in? Also not professionally set up with acoustic treatment and pricey equipment.

And guess what? What we have in our digital media labs is enough to actually make music. And do something with it.

I’m not saying that if you have a digital media lab, your customers will start using it and make a hit album (though that would be pretty freakin cool!).

But I am saying that what you have is more than enough to get started. To launch someone’s exploration of music and recording. And learning. And who knows – maybe even someone’s career!

Photo from Wikipedia

712 Innovations and the Library

September 8, 2015 By David Lee King

712 Innovations My libraryÂ has a really cool partnership with 712 Innovations, and I wanted to share.

712 Innovations is a combined makerspace and coworking space in Topeka, KS. The idea for this space came out of two separate groups of entrepreneurs in Topeka. One group wanted to create a coworking space, and another group was really interested in creating a makerspace.

The two groups realized they’d have more of a chance if they merged, and … ta-da! 712 Innovations was formed … with the help of a bunch of local organizations, including the library, a local university, the city, and a couple of non-profits, among others to help work out organizational and start-up funding issues.

712 Innovations is pretty unique, since it’s a combined makerspace and coworking space. The goal is this:

Creatives in makerspaces have really cool ideas about the stuff they’re making, but have no idea about how to start a business or market what they make.
Creatives in coworking spaces might not know how to make stuff, but they know how to market and create businesses.
What if someone brought the two sides together in one shared space?
If the goal is met, there will be new Topeka-based businesses springing out of 712 Innovations.

Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library is a sponsor of 712 Innovations. Here’s what we’re doing:

We helped plan the space.
Gina Millsap, our Library’s CEO, is on the board of directors for 712 Innovations.
We have an embedded librarian working in the space about 12 hours a week. We hope to act as a business librarian for people using the space – answer questions, help with research, maybe eventually help write business plans!
Daypasses – our customers can check out a 712 Innovations daypass at the library.

Pretty exciting stuff happening in Topeka, KS!

Five Things to Remember when Opening a Makerspace

December 9, 2014 By David Lee King

My library just opened our new makerspace, called the Make-It Lab, on Monday. If your library has opened a makerspace, or is thinking about it, remember this – it’s a very different type of service to create, and you most definitely WILL be surprised by something.

Here are some things we have learned through the planning and opening of our makerspace (I’m sure there are more than these!):

1. You can’t train for everything. When you create a service involving stuff you simply haven’t done before, like digital music creation, 3D printing, or offering Mac computers … I guarantee you will be surprised at something. So make sure to train for flexibility, and know who to call when you get stumped.

2. You don’t have all the equipment your customers want. You won’t have everything your customers want. On our opening day, an older gentleman who was interested in seeing the space started asking questions. He liked our VHS-to-digital transfer tools, but wondered if we could also do cassette tapes, VHS-C tapes, and DVDs. We had to say no to some of that because we don’t have all the equipment needed, but told him that we’d keep track of the request and see what we could do as we adjust the room for our customers.

And that was just the first day.

3. You have more stuff than you realize. You didn’t just buy a camera, a 3D printer, and a microphone. You bought a camera (and a power cable, and a battery, and [hopefully] a battery charger, and an instruction manual), a 3D printer (and probably an extra spool or two of filament), and a microphone (and probably a microphone holder, maybe a mic stand adapter, a mic stand, and an XLR cable). You have to figure out where to put everything, how to label all this stuff so it makes sense for customers and staff, and how to check that nothing “accidentally” walks away.

4. There are a TON of details. I’ll admit – details are not my strong suit. Thankfully, I work in a library with some remarkable detail-oriented staff! We had to work through some processes like: how do you check out the room; do you check out the room or the computer; how many people can be in the room at the same time; how, exactly, do you pay for your 3D print; how do you go about getting equipment to customers, etc.

And each of those processes have multiple steps behind them.

5. 3D printers are persnickety. We first bought a Makerbot 5th Generation 3D printer (my earlier post about the Makerbot still holds true – no improvement). As of now, it has not worked well enough for us to feel comfortable putting it out for public use. Makerbot’s “SmartExtruder” is not so smart – it jams every couple of prints. So we did some more research, and purchasedÂ an Ultimaker 2. In the week or two that we’ve had it, it has worked great – no jams!

Bonus point – have fun! If you’re opening some type of makerspace/hackerspace/digital media lab, you have a good chance to attract people to your library that don’t usually use your services, or you might introduce a regular, more traditional customer to a fun, new experience.

What’s not to like about that?

Tour of Kansas City Makerspaces & Co-working Spaces

January 7, 2014 By David Lee King

I recently went on a whirlwind tour of Kansas City area makerspaces and co-working spaces, as part of a group of local community leaders interested in creating a really cool co-working/maker/hacker/media space in the Topeka area.

My library’s definitely interested – we are creating a digital media lab this year. So touring these spaces was pretty useful!

Here’s where I visited – read the post, and follow along in the video!

Johnson County Library’s MakerspaceÂ – this small makerspace has two iMac computers, a 3D printer, a sewing machine, and a scanner, among other things. The space is set up for a variety of creative pursuits.
Homes for Hackers – Not much about this place in my video, but it’s a pretty cool idea. If you have a start-up business, you can move to Kansas City, stay at Homes for Hackers for three months for free, and focus full-time on your idea. And use Google Fiber, too.
Think Big Partners – A co-working space that also offers 6-9 month mentoring programs for early-stage technology-focused startups.Â All of the co-working spaces offered some form of a desk and chair, a mailing address, wifi, coffee, event space, meeting rooms, and flexible, month-to-month payment plans.
OfficePort KC – A co-working space about 2-3 blocks away from Think Big Partners. They also offer a nice-looking sound stage for video work.
Innovation Cafe – Another co-working space. This space was the most affordable for people just needing a place to sit – $39 a month. And it’s across the street from Kansas City Public Library’s main building – can’t beat that!
Union Station’s Maker Studio – a nice makerspace focused on kids and teens. It’s in Science City, a hands-on children’s science museum. They aren’t open yet – I think their plan is to open sometime in January (so really soon). They have 3D printers, Arduino kits, soldering irons, a HUGE CNC router, etc. Lots to learn and experience here.
Hammerspace – A really cool makerspace with a lot to offer. Check out the video – when I was there, there were a LOT of grown dudes making things. Thinks involving Arduinos, 3D printers, soldering irons, coding, etc. There was also an artist working on some sort of screenprint thing. And lots of visiting and sharing, too!