The makerspace inside the Anna Community Library got statewide attention Tuesday, when the Texas State Library and Archives Commission published a profile of the room the library calls The Studio.
The space opened along with the library and mixes digital fabrication with ordinary craft supplies. According to the profile, its equipment includes 3D printers, a large-format printer, a UV printer, digital drawing tools, sewing machines, a laser engraver and an assortment of art materials.
Who can use it
Anyone holding a Texas library card can use The Studio. Equipment has to be reserved ahead of time, and users pay only for the materials they consume, the state agency wrote. Staff train newcomers on the machines, and the library does not make everyone sit through a class first; help is matched to what each visitor already knows.
The state profile singles out the UV printer, which cures specially formulated ink with ultraviolet light the moment it lands on a surface instead of drying it with heat or air. The commission noted that the technology is not found in many makerspaces.
Library Services Specialist Susie Bibb, who helped design the room and now runs its offerings, told the agency the printer is very popular; one recent project was a stick-on logo for a local food truck.
Other uses described in the article range from small businesses making stickers and window clings to residents engraving logos onto wood. Someone thinking about buying a 3D printer can try one at the library before spending the money, the profile notes.
