WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The David and Joyce Milne Public Library still is the best place in town to borrow a book.

 

But it is getting to the point where the word library itself is inadequate to describe all the Milne has to offer.

 

On Thursday, the Main Street library will hold a grand opening for Studio 1095, the Milne's new makerspace, where patrons will have access to creative tools ranging from sewing machines to soldering tools to jewelry-making supplies to creative software like Photoshop and Illustrator to green screen capability to a podcast studio.

 

It marks the latest step in the evolution of the town's library into a full-service community center.

 

"I think Studio1095 is very much part of that broader evolution," Milne Director Angela Zimmermann said last week. "Libraries are continuing to provide those core services people have always relied on — books, information, technology, research help, and a place for learning — while also becoming places where people can create, connect, explore, and participate in their community, a sort of community creative and learning space. 

 

"The Thingdom and Sensory Space are good examples of that same evolution — both of which just happened at the Milne in the last couple of years. They recognize that a library can meet community needs in ways that go beyond traditional collections. And Studio1095 builds on that idea by giving people access to equipment, technology, creative tools, and opportunities they might not otherwise have access to."

 

The Thingdom is the Milne's lending center where cardholders can check out such "non-book" items as a fondue pot, a leaf blower, a paper shredder, a snow sled or an electric drum kit.

 

Sensory Space, which opened in June, is a sanctuary with, "devices, equipment and toys to regulate, decompress or expel energy, depending on the user's needs."

 

Sensory Space was funded, in part, with a grant from the American Library Association's Libraries Transforming Communities program. All three initiatives — Sensory Space, Thingdom and Studio 1095 — were supported financially by the Friends of Milne Public Library, a non-profit that has supported library programs for decades, currently through fund-raising and sales of used books at Chapter Two Books on Spring Street.

 

Both the Thingdom and Sensory Space have been well received and widely used by the Milne's patrons, Zimmerman said.

 

The new makerspace was identified as a need for the community by patron surveys that informed the Milne Trustees' most recent strategic plan. And Studio 1095 was right in Zimmermann's wheelhouse when she was appointed to lead the Milne in early 2024.

 

"I came into this project with quite a bit of experience, since Studio1095 is the fourth makerspace I've brought to fruition in a library," Zimmermann said. "That experience gave me a strong sense of what can work well, what can be challenging, and how these spaces can evolve over time."

 

The ALA does not track how many public libraries nationwide have makerspaces, but the national organization does encourage the innovation.

 

"Fundamentally, makerspaces are a technological leap past library knitting and quilting circles, where patrons and experts have often come together to learn new techniques and train others in a skill," a page on the ALA website reads. "The new tools are a lot flashier, and certainly more expensive than a needle and thread. The cost factor is what makes a makerspace so appealing to library visitors: What one person cannot afford to purchase for occasional use, the library can buy and share with the community."

 

Zimmerman said the Miline staff looked to other libraries for inspiration when developing Studio 1095 and even took a full staff field trip to Boston-area libraries to see makerspaces in action.

 

"And at the same time, we didn't want to simply recreate something that had been done before or copy another library's model," she said. "Every community is different, and one of the most important parts of developing Studio1095 was making sure our staff and our community had a voice in what the space would become. We paid attention to what people were excited about, we polled our community on what they wanted to see, what our staff felt would be useful and manageable, and what made sense for our particular community and our building."

 

Studio 1095 is located in what longtime town residents will remember as the House of Local History (now the Williamstown Historical Museum in South Williamstown) at the rear of the Milne. The makerspace shares that space with the Friends' area for assessing and sorting donated books bound for Chapter Two Books.

 

Patrons will be able to reserve time in the audio and podcasting recording studios through the Milne's website, Zimmermann said. The rest of Studio 1095 will be available through programs, open studio hours and 1-on-1 appointments. The library's newest addition will be managed by Studio 1095 coordinator Athena Volpendesta, who joined the Milne staff in the spring.

 

"[Volpendesta] has been instrumental in helping bring the space together and get it to where it is today," Zimmermann said. "She'll also be leading the majority of the programming in Studio1095.

 

"Bringing this space to fruition has been a true collaborative effort, involving the work of numerous staff members as well as the input, guidance, and support of community members."

 

And, like the library itself, Studio 1095 will evolve, Zimmermann said.

 

"In early 2027, we'll also be adding a Memory Lab, where community members will be able to convert fragile or obsolete analog media, such as older tapes and other formats, into digital files, helping preserve those memories for the future," she said.

 

As for the Milne's other evolution — the trustees' stated goal of developing a plan for a new building or major renovation of the Main Street property — the makerspace was created with that in mind.

 

"The idea was to make Studio1095 as flexible and adaptable as possible, rather than designing it around the assumption that the current space is permanent," Zimmermann said. "The equipment and setup are intentionally versatile, so things can be reconfigured, expanded, or moved as the library's needs and physical space evolve. The podcasting/recording equipment is no exception with that. It can be relocated and incorporated into a future facility if the Milne eventually moves into a new or expanded building."