Over on the PC World blogs, Phil Shapiro has penned a glowing piece about MAKE, entitled “Exit Newsweek – Enter MAKE Magazine,” on the news that Newsweek may be going the way of the dinosaur. The piece is filled with wonderful, flattering quotes about MAKE:
If you haven’t seen this magazine yet, check out the inspiring, amusing and instructive MAKE magazine blog. That same spirit of inventive adventuring bounces off every page of MAKE magazine. Whoever is editing that magazine has high standards. When I read MAKE magazine, I not only learn new things, I become more creative. That magazine puts me into a creative mood: It gets me thinking about constructing creative solutions to a host of different things in my life. The spirit of that magazine is “yes, we can,” which is why it’s no surprise that our new president remarked in his inaugural speech: “… the risk-takes, the doers, the makers of things.”
He suggests that everyone call their local libraries and ask them to subscribe to MAKE (Shaprio himself works in a Maryland library), if they aren’t carrying it already. That way, if Newsweek leaves the rack, there’ll be a worthy replacement. Which IS a good idea. Call you library and make sure they carry MAKE!
He also suggests that libraries create Maker Rooms, mini-hacker spaces where people can learn new tech and DIY skills. That’s actually a great idea for using public libraries, which have suffered so much in the age of the web. They could have TechShop-like spaces, with fab lab equipment, surface mount soldering tools, and other gear that’s too expensive or specialized for most people, and the training and resources on how to use it all.
8 thoughts on “MAKE the libraries of the 21st century”
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That’s a pretty good idea, but here’s an even better one: School shops as maker spaces: http://projectpotpourri.blogspot.com/2008/10/school-tools-toolibrary.html
I’m all for getting make magazine into libraries and having more public maker spaces, but we NEED periodicals like newsweek, time and us news and world reports, along with decent newspapers and other kinds of journalism. They don’t serve the same goals that make does at all. Ripping apart electronics to see how they work and building better gadgets with that knowledge is fascinating to me, but we also need to be aware of the things that are going on in the world, with quality analysis of each of those events in a global context, and make just doesn’t serve that need.
Call your library to ask them to carry make, sure, but also go down to the library and read an issue of newsweek from cover to cover while you’re there so that you’ll know what will soon be going the way of the dodo.
Many local libraries have a request system for acquiring new pieces to their collection including magazines, books, and other media. Be patient because you might not see that MAKE subscription on the shelves until the new year because that is when the weeding and renewing of the magazine section will happen. Put your request in now so that it can pass through the budget, get approved, and MAKE will be on the shelves at your local library next January!
“The spirit of that magazine is “yes, we can,” which is why it’s no surprise that our new president remarked in his inaugural speech: “… the risk-takes, the doers, the makers of things.”
Used to be OMG HES TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE LIEK US to OMG OMG HES TALKING ABOUT US OMG OMG!