*This post is part of an on-again off-again series where I visit makerspaces in schools, libraries and public/private spaces. It’s a great chance to see the amazing diversity of spaces there are in the Maker Movement*
The HIVE is Tampa’s first public library Makerspace, and it’s awesome. Their motto is “create – collaborate – cowork” and the space is fantastic for everyone from young makers to entrepreneurs to adults just wanting to learn some new skills.
The HIVE is located on the 3rd floor of the John F. Germany Library in downtown Tampa (fun fact: I worked at this branch during my public library days for about a year). It opened up this past summer, and it’s already buzzing with activity. Taking up the entire floor, the HIVE is divided into different work areas with a nice smattering of common areas for brainstorming and collaborating.
The Media:scape pit
I am pretty seriously jealous of the HIVE’s media:scape setup. I’ve drooled over this particular Steelcase setup for a long time. The technology allows patrons to collaborate by sharing their devices’ screens with one another using a device connected to the monitor. This side is set-up for groupwork/collaboration, which the other side is set up for small group instruction. I took a class on Tinkercad there in the fall and got to make my first ever 3D printout.
The Makerspace
The HIVE has two Makerbot Replicator 2’s in their Makerspace area, and Hillsborough County library card holders are allowed to print for free thanks to the donation of filament from the Friends of the Library. Patrons can even e-mail their .stl files and pick up the print-outs later. Of course, I think it’s much more fun to get to watch them at work 🙂
The makerspace area of the HIVE includes a variety of tools for patrons to tinker with, including Arduinos, littleBits, a Shapeoko and hand-tools.
The Robotics Center
The HIVE has their very own First LEGO League team and they’ve got a great set-up for robotics team practices. They’ve had several groups of students using this space, and it’s in a window enclosed area in the middle of the floor, so other visitors to the HIVE can watch al the robots at work.
The Arts Center
The arts center has whiteboard walls, arts and crafts supplies, sewing machines and a vinyl cutter. The HIVE has already held several programs in this space, including one focused on teens creating cosplay outfits.
The Recording Studio
The Recording studio has a green screen, high quality cameras, recording and video editing software. Library card holders can set up appointments to use the equipment here. They were doing a pretty awesome green screen photobooth during one of my visits here.
The Flex Space
I didn’t get pictures of it somehow, but the flex space is a great group meeting area with movable tables and chairs, whiteboard walls, a projector setup for presentations, etc. My district’s media specialists group, HASLMS (Hillsborough Association of School Library Media Specialists) held one of their meetings in this space.
If you’re in or around Tampa, I highly recommend checking out the HIVE. It’s pretty awesome 🙂
Check out their Facebook page for up-to-date information.