Garland Public Library Earns Special Projects Grant for Makerspace

The Garland Public Library is thrilled to announce the award of a $75,000 grant for its upcoming makerspace, Curiosity Corner, set to open in the first quarter of 2025 at Garland's new Central Library. This grant will fund programs that significantly expand library services, with a strong emphasis on community engagement. The grant was awarded by the Texas State Library and is funded by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

"We are incredibly excited about the possibilities that Curiosity Corner will bring to our community," said Garland Library Director Karen Archibald. "This makerspace will empower patrons with new skills and creative outlets, making our library a true center of innovation and learning."

Curiosity Corner's goals include instructing, informing, giving access, providing materials, assisting, promoting knowledge and facilitating continuing education. The makerspace aims to teach technology classes that develop up-to-date technical skills in an engaging and respectful social setting. Its overarching goal is to bridge the technology gap by training individuals aged 13 and above and making machinery, tools, instruction, assistance and materials for training and basic open lab readily available to all patrons, regardless of their economic status or standing within the community.

Dedicated to providing patrons with enriching learning opportunities, the Garland Public Library offers comprehensive programming, equipment training and hands-on experiences. Remarkably, it is the only public library in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to offer makerspace classes in Spanish. Every class available in English is also offered in Spanish, with project selections that thoughtfully consider Latino culture. Additionally, all machine instructions are translated into Spanish, and Spanish assistance is available during most open lab sessions.

The generous grant will enable the library to enhance its equipment, supplies, classes and open lab times. Curiosity Corner will feature cutting-edge tools, including 3D printers, vinyl cutters, laser cutters, soldering irons, a CNC milling machine, sewing machines, an embroidery machine, a Memory Maker Station, a plotter printer and more. This expansion will ensure patrons have access to the best resources for developing new skills and engaging in creative projects.