Lisa Foreman knows the days of quietly contemplating her latest creation may be numbered.
The retired Barrie resident has found her happy place, where several days per week she makes her crafty dreams come true. It’s called the HackLAB, and it is on your left as you enter the Lakeshore branch of the Innisfil ideaLAB and Library.
Some may find its presence intimidating, given the large pieces of equipment inside, so they leave it untraversed. But here you can train to program a video game, print an image of almost anything on a poster or apparel, sew a bucket hat or make jewelry from scratch. If you let it, this place can be an adventure for the mind, only limited by one’s unwillingness to explore.
“I love to do all kinds of projects; arts, crafts or whatever,” Foreman said. "I purchased a (library) card and starting last January, I took every (HackLAB) course I could. I was here almost every other day. I didn't care what we were making, I wanted to learn how to make it. They have all the resources you need."
She's designed an array of items during that time — garden stakes, embroidered tea towels and labels among them.
Sure, you can order any of those online. But this often is less expensive, and you can take pride in learning a new skill, Foreman said.
"If you've got five bucks in your pocket, you can come take a course," she said. "It just really cool and so reasonable."
Staff run several small-group Tinkershops each week, where participants understand how to code, laser-cut door hangers or coasters, make puzzles or tote bags, or use sublimation techniques to personalize tumblers, mugs and earrings. You can even be taught to blow up images for printing on large-scale posters.
And the library hosts a drop-in MakeIT Family program, where kids and parents are encouraged to work together to design signs, magnets, mugs and other items.
But those are just a couple chapters in this proverbial book.
“Our HackLAB is a creative making space,” said Melissa Harris, whose fun-sounding title, creative making and discovery manager, really just means she runs the space. “It is designed to get people of all ages in to learn how to use the software and equipment available. We have a wide range of equipment.”
The space includes multiple printers, a laser cutter and embroidery and print-and-cut vinyl machines.
“It’s pretty cool,” Harris said. “We encourage people to register for programs. The first way to interact with the space is to come in and learn. If you’re a person who likes to learn a little more independently, we have online tutorials and handouts that our staff have designed that will walk you through, step by step.”
Employees are happy to help at any point. But they’re on-site to guide, not to take on a project in its entirety.
“We have customers who come to us with zero computer skills,” Harris said. “Learning how to use a mouse and manipulate an image was a lot. There’s an element of digital literacy happening. We’re about teaching people.”
She credits the library's now-retired chief executive officer, Susan Downs, for envisioning a branch that expanded beyond the bookshelves, as a long-term strategic vision was being drafted more than a decade ago.
“We’ve gone from a 3D printer on the front desk to … a purpose-built makerspace, which is the HackLAB everybody sees today,” Harris said. “We’re not just a library — we’re a community hub. Books are still a huge piece of the puzzle.
"But we have everything from children’s (and) adult programming to (lending) out video games. You can take photos in the media lab. You can learn how to put a logo on a sweatshirt. It goes above and beyond what people think of as the … library," she added.
When asked what projects she’s been captivated by over the past few years, Harris noted a husband and wife who used the laser cutter and brought in their own treated wood to design a custom-made headboard for their bed. They meticulously cut hundreds of small squares, which were then stained and attached to a larger frame.
Another couple comes in to cut and etch their own leather.
As well, the site has become popular with seniors who want to design a unique gift — like, say, a tumbler emblazoned with a family picture — for spouses and children.
You can get materials through the HackLAB, or provide your own.
“If you bring your own, you’re just basically paying ... $2.50 for every 30 minutes you’re on the machine, to cover maintenance and upkeep,” Harris said. “It’s such a great thing to provide equipment to community members they may not otherwise be able to afford on their own. We’ve got lots on the go. We like to be busy. Come check us out.”
For a list of learning resources, upcoming Tinkershops and pricing, visit innisfilidealab.ca/hacklab.
