BUILDING A MAKERSPACE: WHERE TO START

Bohyun Kim http://bohyunkim.net | Twitter: @bohyunkimAssociate Director for Library Applications and Knowledge Systems Health Sciences and Human Services Library University of Maryland, BaltimoreNational Network of Libraries of Medicine – Beyond The SEA Webinar SeriesJune 15, 2016.

Today’s topics – A makerspace

• Planning steps• Challenges• Lessons learned

Stanford Bunny - Image from Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_bunny#/media/File:Stanford_Bunny.png

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What Is a Makerspace, a Fab Lab, a Hackerspace, and a Co-working space?

Image from Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/thehub/12914505255

Why Care about the Maker Movement?

• Production for individuals• Rapid prototyping• Innovation• Collaboration• Community• Making vs. Consuming• A serious economic, technological, and city-development force

http://www.3ders.org/articles/20160615-in-a-worlds-first-doctors-successfully-resect-5-vertebrae-with-a-19cm-3d-printed-spinal-implant.html

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/these-3d-printed-teeth-fight-bacteria-180957030/?no-ist

The Maker Movement’s Impact on Health Sciences and Beyond• The Maker Movement and the 3D printing technology are making a

significant impact on both health sciences research and beyond. • They catalyze innovation and promote entrepreneurship by

emphasizing ‘making’ over ‘consuming’ and facilitating experiential learning and rapid prototyping. 

• Applications to health sciences by discipline : http://guides.hshsl.umaryland.edu/c.php?g=163717&p=1075336

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/672590550/the-arc-neck-and-back-tension-relief-creates-perfe/description

http://www.goarcnow.com/

http://www.shapeways.com/designer/insulincases

A Mini Maker Faire at a Hospital

http://makezine.com/2014/05/30/a-hospital-mini-maker-faire/

http://www.rwjf.org/en/library/articles-and-news/2015/09/nations-first-medical-makerspace-opens.html

Univ. of Maryland, Baltimore - HS/HSL Innovation Space : Launched Apr. 2015; Expanded in Nov. 2015

Offerings @ the HS/HSL Innovation Space

• Tools / equipment and multiple learning resources related to hands-on learning • LibGuide on 3D printing: http://guides.hshsl.umaryland.edu/ispace• LibGuide on 3D modeling: http://guides.hshsl.umaryland.edu/tinkercad

• Orientations and workshops to spread the knowledge of 3D modeling/printing/scanning technology more widely on the campus.

• Promotes and facilitates active collaboration, experimentation, innovation, and entrepreneurial pursuits among students, researchers, and faculty across different disciplines and academic units.

Activities @ the HS/HSL Innovation Space

• Buttons for student conferences• Anatomical models – pelvis, skull,

scapular-• CAT scan imaging data into stackable

three-dimensional slabs• Replace a broken part in research lab

equipment• Scaffolds to grow stem cells• Build and donate free 3D-printed hands

and arms for those in need - http://enablingthefuture.org

• Hobbyist projects Image by the author

https://biblio.uottawa.ca/en/news/health-sciences-library-supports-burgeoning-makerhealth-community-free-3-printing-service

Timeline @ HS/HSL Innovation Space

• Apr. 2014: Task Force convened• July 31, 2014: White paper submitted

• Presented to the library administration and librarians.• The white paper by the Task Force was received favorably.• The library staff was enthusiastic about having a makerspace at the HS/HSL.

• Equipment purchase approved and ordered.• Nov. 2014: Equipment arrived in the library!• Nov. 2014: Getting used to 3D printing and 3D modeling• Dec. 2014: Jan. 2015 – Staff training• Feb. – Mar. 2015: All the things implementation! Location, Space preparation, Policy, Staff

workflow, Web development, Signage, LibGuide, LibCal, Orientation design and orienter training, Pricing scheme, Promotion, Naming contest, and more.

• Apr. 21, 2015: The Innovation Space launch

Some More info about the HS/HSL Innovation Space Planning and Implementation• “Makerspace Task Force Report.” Bohyun Kim, Aphrodite Bodycomb, Everly Brown,

and Thom Pinho, University of Maryland, Baltimore – Human Services and Health Sciences Library, July 2014, http://archive.hshsl.umaryland.edu/handle/10713/4634 [PDF].

• “Making a Makerspace Happen: A discussion of the current practices in library makerspaces and experimentation at University of Maryland, Baltimore” Bohyun Kim and Everly Brown, American Library Association Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA., June 2015. http://www.slideshare.net/bohyunkim/making-a-makerspace-happen.

• “Preparing for the Makerspace Implementation at UMB HS/HSL” Bohyun Kim and Everly Brown, Medical Library Association Annual Meeting, Austin, TX, May 15-20, 2015. (Poster) http://www.slideshare.net/bohyunkim/makerspace-49690948

Building a Makerspace: Where to Start

http://www.hshsl.umaryland.edu/services/ispace/

Challenges

• Unfamiliarity with maker activities• Assessing the community’s need• Securing the necessary funding

Image by the author

1. Equipment – Most Common Question

• A preassembled desktop FDM (fused deposition modeling) 3D printer costs from $1,000 to $2,500.

• The price of a desktop 3D scanner can range from $370 to $2,800.• Purchasing guides for 3D printers:

• “2016 Best 3D Printer Guide,” 3D Hubs, https://www.3dhubs.com/best-3d-printer-guide.

• “The Make: 3D Printer Buyer’s Guide,” Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers, http://makezine.com/comparison/3dprinters/.

• Tony Hoffman, “The 10 Best 3D Printers of 2016,” PC Magazine, April 11, 2016, http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2470038,00.asp.

Before Purchasing a 3D printer,

• Purchase an extended warranty and a service plan for two to three years at least.

• An active user group• Find out what other libraries use :

• The public group on Facebook, “Makerspaces and the Participatory Libraries” https://www.facebook.com/groups/librarymaker/

• American Library Association/Library and Information Technology Association’s Maker Technology Interest Group, formerly the 3D Printing Interest Group, listserv http://www.ala.org/lita/lita-maker-technology

A Very Basic Setup

• A one-kilogram ABS or PLA filament spool -$20 to $50. • A makerspace with one of the most inexpensive 3D printers that do not require

assembly, with some plastic filament, will require approximately $1,300 or so.• Additional tools and resources

• a button maker, • a DNA model, • a molecule model, • a Lynda.com kiosk, etc.

http://www.hshsl.umaryland.edu/services/ispace/

Lessons Learned

• Makerbot Replicator 2X is very picky. It only accepts ABS, not PLA.• Makerbot PLA is not compatible with Afinia H480!• A high performance PC with a special video card highly recommended

for a 3D scanner (3D Systems Sense Scanner).

2. Short-term & Long-term Planning

• Whose responsibility will the makerspace be?• Implementation team =/= Operation team• What additional work will be required once the makerspace is up and

running?• Space design

3. Staff Training

• What kind of staff training and staff expertise will be necessary? • Come up with a plan to familiarize your staff with the new equipment,

new services, and new work flow. • Encourage the staff to play with the new stuff!• Two different levels of training at UMB HS/HSL – orienters vs. ref desk

staff

Image from Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jaymelnick/13482340923

4. Service Goals

• What kind of services will you offer for library patrons?• How will you deliver them? • Determine appropriate staffing accordingly.

Image by the author

5. Fees

• Will you charge fees?• If so, how will you calculate the

appropriate amount?

Image by the author

https://www2.hshsl.umaryland.edu/3d/

Pricing Scheme - Lessons Learned

• Think about pricing way in advance.• No staff wants to measure the 3D printed object for cost.• Users want a simple pricing schema.

• $3 for the 1st hour of 3D printing time and $1 per hr. after is reasonable to users. (No complaint received; No charge for a failed print.)

• Determine and implement the payment process and the staff workflow early.

6. Staff Workflow

• How will users interact with the makerspace? • Once the user comes in, what would be each part of the process until

the user leaves satisfied? • What will guide the staff through the process?

7. Policy

• Hours• Location• Equipment• Services and costs• User responsibility• What is not permitted• Safety precautions• User agreement form

http://www.hshsl.umaryland.edu/services/ispace/ispace-policy.cfm

http://cal.hshsl.umaryland.edu/booking/ispace

Common Questions• How much does it cost to create a makerspace?• What tools and equipment should we buy?

• How much of and what kind of space is needed?• How are we going to support the makerspace equipment?

8. Community

• How will the new makerspace become a valuable asset to your patrons?

• What kind of services and programs will realize that vision?

Image by the author

Education

http://www.hshsl.umaryland.edu/assistance/workshops/

Community-Buildinghttp://us5.campaign-archive1.com/home/?u=8d6a2c0e62ab4cc63311ab6cd&id=7b7755271d

Questions to Ask First

• What kind of activities do you want to see happening in your makerspace?

• How are those activities related to the library’s missions and goals?

https://www.facebook.com/OSU3Dprinting

Challenges

• Weighing the risks against potential benefits

• The sheer volume of comprehensive planning

• Logistics including staff training and daily operation

• Being an early adopter in the institution• Building a community• Continuing investment

LESSONS LEARNED

• Clear interests from library patrons• Use cases may not be something

you expected.• Need to teach / educate users

about new technologies such as 3d printing, 3d modeling, 3d scanning, etc.

• It takes time to build a community.• Promotion, promotion, promotion!

Image by the author

Questions?

Image from Flickr - https://www.flickr.com/photos/56218409@N03/15371262455

Slides are at http://www.slideshare.net/bohyunkim/