Medford MakerSpace & Tech Lab
Medford Public Library has both a MakerSpace and Tech Lab full of tools and materials for working on personal projects, learning new skills, tinkering, and finding inspiration! Both spaces have classes and programs designed for anyone ages 8+. You can find all of them by choosing [Maker/Tech] in the Category filter, and you can further filter by age group.
The MakerSpace and Tech Lab are available to all. We welcome makers and creatives of every kind! Crafters, engineers, artists, tinkerers, musicians, and more will be right at home in our spaces. You can use our materials or bring your own – when in doubt, just ask a staff member. If you want a quick rundown of our most frequently asked questions, check out our FAQ page here.
In addition to the main Library staff and our wonderful volunteers, the MakerSpace is now staffed by a MakerSpace Coordinator, MakerSpace Assistant, and Programming Librarian. The dedicated MakerSpace staff and new supplies have been generously funded by a grant from the Cummings Foundation. Their initial contribution opened the MakerSpace, and their continued support keeps our community crafting, creating, and learning!
MakerSpace Reservations
Both the MakerSpace and the Tech Lab can be reserved for independent use by anyone who has received a General Safety badge. Specific equipment requires an equipment badge to use. Badges can be earned in:
General Safety
Laser Cutter
Sewing Machine
3D Printer
Cutting Machine
If you are already a subject matter expert and would like to test out of one of these introductory equipment courses, they can start that process by contacting the instructors.
Hours
Reservable Hours
When the Library is open and the MakerSpace isn’t being used, patrons who have received a General Safety badge can book the room for personal use at the following times:
- Monday – Thursday: 9:00AM – 8:30PM
- Friday: 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM
- Saturday: 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Drop-In Hours
Come in and work on your projects during our drop-in hours. Registration is not required to attend. If you are thinking of swinging by, be sure to check our calendar for cancellations and the most up-to-date schedule information!
- Monday: 6:00PM – 8:30PM
- Friday: 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
- Occasional other evenings and Saturdays – check our calendar to see if there are any coming up!
We also have regularly scheduled themed drop-in hours.
Quiet Drop-In | First Wednesday of Mar., Jun., Sep., Dec. | 6:00 – 8:00 PM | Work on your projects with soft background music. This program is intended to be more accessible to those with sensory needs by creating a quieter and more predictable environment than our regular drop-ins. Power tools are not available during this program.
Social Drop-In | First Wednesday of Jan., Apr., Jul., Oct. | 6:00 – 8:00 PM | Get to know other local makers and work on your personal projects in a social environment.
Fiber Crafts Drop-In | Second Tuesday of each month | 6:00 – 8:00 PM | Work on any and all fiber crafts, including crochet, knitting, spinning, needle felting, sewing, and more.
Visual Arts Drop-In | Third Tuesday of each month | 6:00 – 8:00 PM | Work on any and all visual arts, including drawing, painting, collage, digital art, sculpting, and more.
MakerSpace Inventory
We take donations of art and craft supplies and have a varied and rotating assortment of Weird Objects and Possible Art Pieces. The Library cannot promise that specific consumables will be available at any given time, but the consumables mentioned in any of the below categories are regularly part of the collection.
Any equipment with a note that says [requires badge] requires that you take our badge class for that equipment or test out before using it. Any equipment with a note that says [requires staff supervision] cannot be used without a staff member present.
- Cricut Maker [requires badge]
- StrongGrip mats 12”x12”
- StandardGrip mats 12”x12”
- StandardGrip mats 12”x24”
- LightGrip mats 12”x12”
- FabricGrip mats 12”x12”
- Card mat
- Various blades and tool tips
- Weeding tools
- Mat scrapers
- Brayer
- Cricut EZ Press 3
- Cricut EZ Press Mini
- Cricut Mug Press
- Cricut infusible ink markers
- Cricut metallic markers
- Glowforge Pro laser cutter [requires badge]
- We ask that independent users bring their own LASER-COMPATIBLE materials to cut in the machine – materials will be provided for those taking a class. If in doubt about whether your material is laser-compatible, ask a MakerSpace staff member or the manufacturer of your material.
- [Coming soon!] Genmitsu 3018-PROVer CNC router [requires staff supervision]
- [Coming soon!] LUNYEE 3018 Pro MAX CNC router [requires staff supervision]
- 3-in-1 soldering iron station
- Benchtop fume extractor
- Helping hands station with magnifying glass
- [Coming soon!] Tektronix TPS2012 two channel digital storage oscilloscope (100 MHz, 1GS/s)
- LittleBits Pro Library
- Snap Circuits (various)
- LEGO EV3 robotics kit
- (18) Ozobot
- (2) K’nex Education STEM Building Solution kit
- KidSpark Young Engineers Mobile STEM lab
- Bloxels kit
- (5) Brother CS7000X sewing machine [requires badge]
- (2) Janome 2212 sewing machine [requires badge]
- [Coming soon!] Baby Lock Victory serger (4/3/2 threads, jet-air threading, automatic tension)
- (5) 24″x36″ self-healing cutting mat
- 18″x24″ self-healing cutting mat
- Fabric scissors
- Rotary cutters
- Rectangular and square sewing rulers
- Slacks and pants ruler
- Arm hole ruler
- (2) Iron
- Ironing board
- Medium dress form
- Bobbins, pins, and other sewing accessories
- Hand sewing and embroidery tools
- Crochet hooks
- Knitting needles
- (2) Yarn swift
- Various threads
- Buttons
- Zippers
- Polyfill stuffing
- Embroidery floss
- Fabric – quilting cotton (with some Aida, garment, and upholstery fabrics), fat quarters, and scraps
- Yarn – full skeins of medium-weight acrylic (with some natural fibers and other weights)
- Ribbon
- Needle felting tools and supplies [requires staff supervision]
- Styrofoam
- Cardboard
- Broken electronics for parts
- Small pieces of wood
- Glue
- String
- Wire
- Toy parts
- Pom poms
- Pipe cleaners
- Popsicle sticks
- Clothespins
- Marbles
- Bottle caps
- Beads
- Tape, various
- Glue, various
- (3) Claw hammer
- (2) Adjustable wrench
- Miter back saw
- (2) Hack saw
- Measuring tape 10’
- Protractors
- Rulers
- Level
- Bar clamp
- (2) Quick clamp
- Spring clamp
- (6) Phillips head screwdriver
- (6) Flat head screwdriver
- Small screwdrivers, various
- Scissors
- Adjustable pliers
- (6) Round nose pliers
- (11) Needle nose pliers
- Hook nose pliers
- Staple remover
- (4) Hole punch
- Snap lock punch
- Pipe cutter
- (2) Shears
- Sandpaper
- Box cutter
- XActo knife
- Heat gun
- (4) Hairdryer
- (18) Hot glue gun
- Pyrography (wood burning) tool with tips
- Iron
- Card stock, solid color
- Card stock, patterned
- Construction paper
- Tissue paper
- Origami paper
- (4) Bone folder
- (8) Punch awl for bookbinding
- Paper cutter, small
- Paper cutter, large
- Logan compact mat cutter
- Scissors
- Ellison die cut machine
- A-Z dies
- 0-9 dies
- Shape dies: star of David, ring, heart, star
- Bookmark dies: cat, heart, dinosaur, award, elephant, teddy bear, pencil
- Animal dies: fish, turkey, t-rex, puppet frog, rabbit, cow, seahorse, rabbit, butterfly, duck, cat, penguin, pig, horse, teddy bear
- Seasonal: mitten, Christmas tree, pumpkin, sun, flower, sailboat, shamrock, dreidel, gingerbread man, balloons, snowflake, snowman
- Other: open book, sheriff badge, footprint, ice cream cone, apple, candle, covered wagon
- Stickers
- Cordless drill, Kimo
- Cordless drill, Black and Decker
- Dremel engraver 290-01
- Dremel rotary tool 4300
- Sanding heads
- Polishing heads
- Grinding heads
- Engraving heads
- Mouse sander, Black and Decker
- Newline Interactive Multi-touch Display
- (15) iPad
- (10) Apple Pencil
- Drawing paper
- Canvases
- Pencils
- Pens
- Paint markers
- Washable markers
- Sharpies
- Acrylic paint
- Watercolor paint
- Crayons
- Colored pencils
- Pastels
- Charcoal
- Chalk
- Paintbrushes
- Paint sponges
- Paint trays
Tech Lab Inventory
Sign up for our 3D Printer Badge Class to learn more about using our printers!
- (2) MakerBot Sketch FFF 3D printer [requires badge]
- (4) Build plate
- Dremel DigiLab 3D45 FFF 3D printer [requires staff supervision]
- [Coming soon!] Sindoh 3DWOX FFF 3D printer [requires badge]
- [Coming soon!] Bambu Labs X1-Carbon FFF 3D printer with Automatic Material System [requires badge]
- (3) Digital calipers
- (3) Scraper tools
- (2) Flush cuts
- XActo knife
- Newline Interactive Multi-touch Display
- (2) Mac
- (9) Desktop PC
This acoustically insulated room is great for anyone who would like to record clean, high-quality audio.
- (1) Mac
- GarageBand
- iMovie
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Logic Pro
- PreSonus M7 standing microphone
- PreSonus HD7 headset
- PreSonus audiobox USB96
- (2) Oxygen Pro 49 keyboard
- Akai Professional MPK keyboard
- (3) Akai Professional MIDI Controller 219