Maker Lab at the Chicago Public Library pre-viewing for the American Library Association with Inventables

Today 22,000 librarians came to Chicago for the ALA ( American Library Association ) annual conference. One of the hot topics at this years ALA is 3D printing and maker spaces. Inventables has been working with the folks at the Harold Washington branch of the Chicago Public Library since January 2013 on their new Maker Lab and today we did a preview event for librarians. This will be the first truly free lab that is open to the public. Starting July 8th the hours will be: Monday through Thursday: 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Sunday: 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. This lab is intended to be a showcase to the world on what the future of libraries could be. Yesterday I met Tim Carrigan of the Institute of Museums and Library Services or as they say in the industry IMLS. Tim told me their vision is for libraries to be a place of learning not just a place to store books. It's a fundamental shift compared to what most people thin