DESIGN TREND  Make Way To Create

As makerspaces become part of a larger ecosystem of studios, creation labs, coworking spaces, and event spaces, the acts of creating and showcasing are being given larger footprints within public and academic libraries. Learners, makers, and entrepreneurs increasingly have access to more technology, software, hardware, and resources to explore, create, and share with their communities.

1. At the Albert B. Alkek Library at Texas State University in San Marcos, digital screens are embedded in the ceiling to provide easy, out of the way technology in addition to ceiling-mounted dropdown power. CREDITS: HBM Architects, architect; Parrish Ruiz de Velasco, photo. 

2. The Kearns branch of the Salt Lake County Library, UT, offers a variety of furniture heights for people of all ages to enjoy the activities and resources in the brightly colored and cheerful makerspace. CREDITS:  Architectural Nexus, Margaret Sullivan Studio, architects; Melissa Kelsey, photo.

3. At the Main Library at the University of Arizona in Tucson, a Maker Studio is just one resource in the CATalyst Studios, a new 9,700-square-foot interdisciplinary hub occupying the entire east wing of the ground floor that also features virtual/augmented reality, data visualization, and fabrication equipment. CREDITS: Poster Mirto McDonald, Miller Hull, architects; Chris Richards/University of Arizona, photo.