New Makerspace in Metro Reference Library in Toronto
The Toronto Reference library debuts a makerspace, via Cory Doctorow at boingboing:
Toronto’s Metro Reference Library has unveiled its new makerspace, which sports 3D printer and scanners, Ardiuno and Raspberry Pi kits, and digital AV production gear. They’ve also lured the Toronto Mini-Maker Faire into relocating to their space. The library’s makerspace will over classes and workshops on programming, hardware hacking, and repairing your electronics. It’s a great all-ages/all-comers complement to Toronto’s existing makerspaces, including Hacklab, Site3, and Makerkids.
The location couldn’t be any better, either. I love Metro Ref. When I was 14, I dropped out of high-school without telling my parents and started taking the subway down to Yonge and Bloor every day, spending all day at the reference library, spelunking in the shelves, subject indices and (especially) the newspaper microfilm, which was amazing. And I’ve always loved the idea of makerspaces in libraries: as I wrote during last year’s Freedom to Read week, “We need to master computers — to master the systems of information, so that we can master information itself. That’s where makers come in.”
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Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
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Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: CircuitPython 2025 Wraps, Focus on Using Python, Open Source and More! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey
