Creative and curious types will soon have a dedicated place in Norfolk to explore their interests or discover new ones. In the next few months, a makerspace will be opening up in the Norfolk Public Library. The library was recently awarded a $15,000 Library Services and Technology Act grant by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners to create the makerspace, according to Libby O’Neill, the library’s director. “We’re really excited about this grant,” said O’Neill. “Hopefully what we are planning with it will have long-lasting impact.” A makerspace is a collaborative place where people of all ages can make, learn, explore and share. It’s a haven for tinkers, do-it-yourselfers, and crafters of all stripes, a place where visitors can enter with an idea and leave with a completed project, working alone or with others. A makerspace is a natural fit for a library, with its mission to make knowledge accessible to all. Most makerspaces contain both high- and low-tech tools, advice, a workspace, and a sense of community. Proponents of makerspaces say the hands-on learning aspect can boost selfconfidence and even serve as incubators for business startups. For school-age visitors, these spaces can help equip them with critical skills in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The project is just getting off the ground, explained O’Neill. Last month, library patrons were invited to take a survey asking what they’d like to see in a makerspace. Responses ranged from a 3-D printer to robotic kits to a sewing machine. In addition, O’Neill says the makerspace will also likely include a variety of equipment like a media and podcasting kit (microphone, video camera, green screen, and selfie stick), coding kits, electronics, a button maker, textiles and wearables kits to explore sewing and knitting, and STEM-related building kits for younger visitors, like LEGOS and K’Nex. Some of the kits will contain iPads, purchased by the Friends of the Norfolk Public Library, who are contributing to the grant. Several of the items and kits can be checked out of the library, noted O’Neill, so patrons will be able to explore at their own pace and comfort level. O’Neill hopes to eventually hold classes in the makerspace, taught by volunteer instructors, both virtually and in person. “Part of the grant is to not only showcase the makerspace but also to flush it out with programming to highlight what we have,” she said. The makerspace will share the children’s programming room, which will contain locked cabinets for equipment storage when the room is in use for youth activities, noted O’Neill. The library director hopes to partner with the schools and organizations like the Council on Aging. She envisions bringing the maker kits out into the community to introduce and engage people with the possibilities of a makerspace and hopefully entice them to come into the library and explore themselves. The pandemic has thrown a monkey-wrench into some of these plans. Initially, patrons will have to sign up to enter the room, but post-COVID patrons will be able to wander in and explore without an appointment. In the meantime, O’Neill is brimming with ideas to make the space and equipment accessible to as many people as possible. “If the weather is nice, maybe we can bring some of the equipment outside and hold programs,” she said. “There’s a lot we may be able to do if we put on our creative COVID hats and envision ways this grant can work to impact the community, despite the current challenges caused by the pandemic.”