On March 23, all are welcomed to stop by the Mullica Hill Branch Library to make various crafts and test out new technology
By KRYSTAL NURSE
The Sun
The Mullica Hill Branch Library is participating in a statewide initiative to boost makers for the fourth year in a row.
On March 23, anyone who is interested in creating different crafts using science, technology, engineering, arts or math is asked to attend the free event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The library will have activities available for all ages to partake in. People are asked to email [email protected] if they wish to volunteer that day.
Jim O’Connor, library assistant and maker resident at the library, said funding for the event is through the library’s programing budget and through the state. He added all libraries are participating in it in some fashion, and in Mullica Hill, they’re emphasizing their summer reading program on space.
“We’re going to have watercolor planets where you use watercolors and wet a circle then splash on paint to make an organic-looking planet,” said O’Connor. “We are going to have a button-maker and a selfie station with space-theme props, a Virtual Reality app that people can use with our VR headsets — one of them is the James Webb Satellite.”
He said other crafts such as straw rockets and planet clocks using recycled CDs will also be available that day. The library, he added, purposely made it so everyone is able to participate in any and all activities. Preschoolers and younger kids may need help, but he said they should be able to do it on their own, for the most part.
O’Connor went on to add the state is deliberate in not describing what a maker is because it’s a “broad term.”
“For us, a lot of our makers work with 3D printing, vinyl cutters, photographers, gardeners,” he said. “It’s a convenience term for people who are inspired to work on something — work on a project or solve a problem. Some of our makers do that with code, art, and we also work a lot with audio and video recording.”
At the Mullica Hill Library, he said they host many educational events on getting people of all ages trained on the technology within their Maker Studio, for free. He said the library system has been stressing the importance of the maker culture in the past five years and has classes nearly twice a week on their products.
O’Connor said he’s seen people from nearby towns stop by the library to participate in the activities, and then go on to create a route throughout the county and stop by multiple other libraries to see the things they have available.
“It’s fun seeing things that I like being accepted by a younger audience,” he added. “I’m an artist and I make upcycled clocks and digital collages. Doing something like that on my own is fun and satisfying. Seeing the next generation enjoy this is enjoyable to me.”
