The Maker Studio is a do-it-yourself workshop located at both the Delaware and Liberty branches. Each location is staffed during open lab hours with someone who can help answer questions and show patrons how things work. We’ll be there to guide them through the process as they learn to set up their design and operate the equipment. We offer a wide variety of tools and software to help them achieve their goals.

The two Maker Studios are open Mondays from 10 am – 5 pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 pm – 7 pm, and Fridays from 10 am – 5 pm. Both locations have the same schedule. In the instance where one Studio is closed due to staffing, we aim to have the other location remain open.

There is an age limit for unaccompanied children. Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult. From ages 12 and up, users are welcome in on their own. Age requirements extend to classes as well. While our classes are listed for teens and adults, a computer competent child can attend with their caregiver and they can work together on whatever the topic may be.

Each location has a core set of items, and then a couple of items unique to that location. The full list of equipment can be viewed on the Equipment tab of this website.

The Maker Studio stocks materials for every piece of equipment except sewing machines. We may not have a complete or extensive collection of items, but we do have materials for each machine to use. Patrons are welcome to bring in their own materials as well. If you have questions about bringing your own materials, please contact our Maker Studio staff members for full details.

The Maker Studio charges for the materials provided by the library. If you bring your own materials, there is no cost to use the machine. Whenever bringing in outside materials, it’s a good idea to discuss options with Maker Studio staff prior to doing so. We’ll help ensure that you don’t purchase something that is incompatible with our equipment and help you make sure that the correct technical specifications are taken into account.

The Library accepts cash, checks, and credit cards at both the Delaware and Liberty locations. Payment is due when your project is complete. Non-profit organizations can request an invoice for payment if needed.

Maker Studio staff does not do the work for patrons. Our staff can demonstrate for how something works or help troubleshoot, but we do not do whole projects from start to finish for patrons. This is a DIY workshop, and we’re here to teach you how to do the work!

Patrons are welcome to come in and use the equipment. For your first time, we’ll show you how things work. As you gain more experience and confidence on the equipment, you’re welcome to come and sit down without the help of staff. Of course, we’re always here to answer questions you might have along the way, even if you’re comfortable with the equipment in general.

We offer a how to guide for each piece of equipment at each machine. These are also located on the equipment pages on the Maker Studio website. These guides currently cover how to operate the machine.

Someone is always here to help with the process of running the equipment during Maker Studio hours. In the event that a staff person is out due to illness or vacation, the Studio itself will be closed for the day. Planned closures are reflected ahead of time on our Reservations page to prevent bookings on that day. In the case of an unplanned closure, we will send a notification to anyone with a prior reservation as soon as possible.

The Maker Studio highly recommends making an appointment for the equipment. You can do so from this link. We do not take same day reservations. Any time slots that are not filled by midnight the day before are open to walk-in clients on a first come, first served basis. While walk-ins may be available, it is highly recommended you make an appointment as that guarantees time on the  equipment that you need.

You can make reservations for any Maker Studio equipment, with the exception of 3D Printers and Heat Presses. Each reservation begins at the start of the hour and ends at the start of the next hour. Patrons can make up to 15 reservations a month, spread across whichever equipment and location you want to reserve.

If you have not arrived by 15 minutes after the start of your appointment, you will be considered a no show and your reservation for that hour will be cancelled. A walk-in patron may then take over that cancelled reservation time slot.

While we do our best to stay on schedule, reservations do not always guarantee 60 minutes on the machine. If we’re running slightly behind schedule, we’ll do everything we can to accommodate you.

As mentioned above, our 3D printers are not able to be reserved. 3D printing projects take such wildly varying amounts of time that it’s impossible to account estimate in our reservation system. Use of the 3D printers run on a first in, first out system. Staff will try our best to accommodate a short list of projects should all the printers be in use, but we cannot guarantee the ability to do this.

Additionally, the Heat Presses are not directly reservable. At Delaware, the heat press is only used for vinyl which takes 5 seconds to press; because time is not a factor, the machine can easily be shared even if multiple patrons want to use it at the same time.

At Liberty, we primarily use the heat presses for sublimation which does take a bit longer. Time on the Liberty heat press is “bundled in” with a Sublimation Printer reservation. In the event that you want to use the Liberty Heat Presses for something other than sublimation, they can either reserve the sublimation printer to get the heat presses, or give us a call and we can discuss options with them to use it.

The more prepared a design is prior to sitting down at the machine means the more time you will have to operate the machine. We have several computers intended for design work should you want to design your projects here. But if you have design software at home, bringing in a finished design on a flash drive is the fastest and easiest way to get going.

Design work tends to be the most time consuming part of most projects, so the less time you have to spend preparing their design at the Studio, the more time you will have with the equipment to make your item. Staff will not create designs for patrons from the ground up, but we can assist you with the design process as time allows.

As the Delaware County District Library is a weapon free facility, weapons, weapon components, and realistic but non-functional prop weapons will not be created in the Maker Studio. This can include firearms, ammunition, knives, daggers, rails, magazines, bombs, clubs, etc. Aftermarket parts intended to modify an existing weapon will not be allowed as well. No weapon or part of a weapon will be brought into the library for the purposes of measurement or sizing for an object intended for creation in the Maker Studio. Non-functioning costume prop weapons and small props intended for use with an action figure or model may be made with the discretion of staff on a case by case basis.

Likewise, the Maker Studio equipment will not be used to produce materials that violate local, state, or federal laws or regulations; look like, function as, or appear to function as weapons or parts thereof; appear unsafe, harmful, dangerous, or that otherwise pose a threat to the health and safety of others; or may be construed as obscene or otherwise inappropriate for the library environment.

This is always a tricky question to answer without having details about the project. Here are some rough times for common projects. If your project doesn’t fit into one of these categories, you can always contact the Maker Studio for a time estimate.

• A 4’ banner takes about 25 minutes to print.
• 50 2.5” circle stickers take about 25 minutes to print and cut.
• A 5”x5” design takes approximately 20 minutes to engrave on wood.
• A name or logo on the side of an 8” tumbler takes about 5 minutes to engrave.
• A 1 sq. ft. sheet of vinyl takes about 10 minutes to cut a moderately complex design.
• A ceramic mug takes 2.5 minutes to sublimate.
• A button takes between 30-60 seconds to do.
• A 3 color, 3” design takes about 30 minutes to embroider.

In general, the larger the design, the more intricate it is, and the higher the quantity, the more time your project will need. If you need to engrave a single tumbler, 1 hour is more than enough. If you want to fully engrave five large cutting boards, two hours likely won’t be enough time to finish all five of them.

Unfortunately, today’s schedule is not available on the website. Please contact the Maker Studio to see if there is walk-in time available today for the equipment you need.