TransFABing: Taking the Library from a Place of Consumption to Creation

The presenters will discuss the conceptualization and creation of the University of Texas at Arlington FabLab in the Central Library. A fab lab, or a fabrication laboratory, is a space providing software and equipment to be used in digital fabrication. These spaces provide users the opportunity to work with other creative and inventive individuals and provide them with open access to technology. The UTA FabLab is a teaching facility focused on the application of cutting-edge technology in the development of professional skills, including teamwork and iterative design knowledge as well as specific technical knowledge. The University of Texas at Arlington is a large research institution, where there are many labs with equipment; however, these labs are segregated in their academic departments, where no students on campus, outside of the upperclassmen in that discipline, have access. The Libraries seek to break down that barrier by allowing all students, faculty, staff, and community members to have access to a centralized FabLab. The FabLab is student-run with students acting as both staff and supervisors. All staff members have been trained to provide exemplary customer service as well as assistance on the software and equipment available in the FabLab. In addition to the core staff are two FabLab Technicians who primarily work to manage the lab, maintain and repair equipment, and work toward specific initiatives that will further the reach, effectiveness, and development of the FabLab. The presentation will describe the methods of building and expanding a beta-fab lab, including Transforming the idea of the library’s role on campus Equipment Purchase and Maintenance Staff Hiring and Development Assessment and Evaluation Construction for the transformation of physical spac