Introduction Making has long been recognized as a part of ­ human activity. We make to survive. We also make for plea­sure. How we make and where we make have evolved as much as what we make. In recent de­cades, the invention of new technologies like 3D printers and virtual real­ity has revolutionized mak- ing and invigorated interest in new forms of making. We began to see unique spaces, broadly referred to as makerspaces, created to support this resur- gence in making at the turn of the 21st ­ century. Since their appearance up ­ until Lou & Peek’s reporting on them in 2016, the number of makerspaces around the globe had reached approximately 1,400. One makerspace of par­ tic­u­lar significance in this growing movement is the Fab Lab at the Fay- etteville ­Free Library in New York state. The Fab Lab is impor­tant not only as an early makerspace in a burgeoning movement but also ­because it is commonly acknowledged as the first library-­based makerspace. Since its opening in 2013, interest in making and makerspaces has continued to sky- rocket, with libraries across the country and around the world recognizing the value and logic of makerspaces in libraries. Our interest in makerspaces and the inspiration for this book ­were sparked by the opening of one such space in our library. As plans for this space unfolded, we began to study the debates about makerspaces happen- ing everywhere on campus from executive meetings to media reports. We observed the excitement build around the proposed new space as well as the mounting criticisms. We attended open ­ houses for the space and engaged in conversations with every­one from students through administrators. We traveled to and studied other makerspaces across the country and around the world. As the discourse of makerspaces grew, we began to recognize the need to synthesize ­these experiences and to formalize our learning about makerspaces to benefit ­ others who are or might be engaging in their own makerspace journey.
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