(Tualatin, OR) – While Tualatin Library is closed to the public, we are using this opportunity to reimagine library spaces. We are building a makerspace: a collaborative, creative space where people can create physical objects and digital media.

When we reopen, Library visitors will be able to:

• Learn to model and 3D print their own creations;
• Attend a sticker-making workshop and plaster the world with ideas;
• Learn to solder and build a single-board computer; and
• Upcycle old jeans into something new.

Equipment available will include 3D printers, sewing machines, vinyl cutters, a CNC router, a computer with media creation software, robotic sets, and more! Maker programs will be offered for youth and adults, and drop-in access will also be available.

To create this space, we are remodeling a portion of the Library, adjacent to the Teen Room. At the end of the project, we will have a flexible-use, multipurpose room of 735 square feet. We estimate the work will be completed in late May 2021, but at this time we are unable to predict when the library and the makerspace will be open to the public.

To prepare for the remodeling project, a couple of our library collections are temporarily going into storage. Items from adult books on CD, young adult fiction, and young adult graphic novel collections will be unavailable during this time.

Tualatin Library is an active, vibrant space, and the makerspace furthers the mission of empowering and enriching the community through learning, discovery, and interaction.

Through this makerspace, Tualatin Library seeks to enhance the equity of technology access for our community’s youth, improving their education, and to support an interest in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math). The project is funded through the City of Tualatin, with support from the Tualatin Library Foundation.

The impetus for building a makerspace in the Tualatin Library stemmed from a community revitalization plan generated when Tualatin participated in the nationwide America’s Best Communities competition. The makerspace is also one of several revitalization projects included in Tualatin’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

Community members are encouraged to contact the Library – at librarymail@tualatin.gov – with ideas for maker projects and equipment they’d like to see in the space.