Dover Library is opening Kent County’s first makerspace

Kent County is getting a makerspace of its own at the Dover Public Library.

A makerspace, for those unfamiliar, is a space shared by people to work on creative and entrepreneurial projects using communal equipment such as 3D printers and laser cutters.

In New Castle County, the makerspace scene includes Barrel of Makers out of 1313 Innovation, the Wilmington branch of the Philly-based Nextfab and the University of Delaware Maker Space.

Dover’s makerspace, being library-based, won’t require membership other than your free library card (FYI, your Delaware Libraries card grants you access to programs at any public library in the state).

“It’s going to start off with a few basic things — of course it will have a 3D printer,” Delaware Libraries Inspiration Space Coordinator Alta Porterfield told Technical.ly.

Makers can also expect to find a place to work on robots and other tech projects.

To launch the makerspace, The Dover Library will throw a free STEM Makerfest on Saturday, June 15, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring science demos and activities, with presenters including Razor Steel Robotics, Engineer Early and the Dover Police CSI Unit.