Fab Labs at the Library

There’s something unusual sitting in the parking lot of the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Ind. Pay a visit to the 50-foot trailer and you might be surprised with what you find. Inside are various tools for cutting and shaping wooden objects, an electronics work bench, an injection molding machine and one of the most advanced gadgets for inventors, a 3-D printer.

Allen County is one of just a handful of public libraries that have set up multipurpose workshops for patrons who want to share and collaborate in order to create and build things. The terms used to describe these spaces include "makerspaces," "fab labs" or "hackerspaces."

So why does the Allen County Public Library have a high-tech lab for would-be designers, engineers and inventors? "The library is in the learning business, not just the book business," said Director Jeff Krull. "Anytime libraries come across an opportunity for people to learn and grow, they should do it."

By Pat Newcombe,Nicole Belbin

Full Story: http://www.govtech.com/e-government/Fab-Labs–at-the-Library.html