The Crafty Library

The Crafty Library is a library available to all Ace MakerSpace members.  

The library is meant to provide access to useful books, magazines, patterns, catalogs, and all kinds of publications that are related to the kinds of classes offered at Ace, and the kinds of activities members engage in while at Ace. 

  • There is a branch upstairs in CleanFab between the 3D printing and Electronics areas.
  • There is a branch in Co-Working near the couches.

Clean-Fab Branch

In The Clean-Fab branch you’ll find resources about:

  • Woodworking
  • Metalworking
  • Electronics
  • CNC
  • Special topics like making guitars, bicycles, musical instruments, turning bowls, joinery, boxes and cabinets, finishing and much more.
  • Deep dives into specific tools & techniques, such as Japanese joinery, all the stationary tools, routers and much more.  

Co-Working Branch

In the Co-Working branch you’ll find resources about:

  • Sewing
  • Textiles 
  • Art
  • Arts & crafts

These are all still to be cataloged, but they are already there for your use.

Members can take library items into any of the workspaces, but not off the premises.

Members agree to take good care of library items, many of which are very old, rare and out-of-print books and pamphlets from the last 100 years.

Library Index

You can see and search through the growing list of library items here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12A6ofsjagc3sP5XueK1nrkwNN-eoECdMIntPE2IUxLA/edit?usp=sharing

Member Use of the Crafty Library

All members have access to the library and may take items from it into any of the workspaces in Ace MakerSpace, but not off the premises. 

Members agree to take good care of items in the Library, which includes but is not limited to:

  • Not writing on or highlighting any print items like books and magazines
  • Not spilling any chemicals, finishes, glue, water, beverages, etc. on library Items
  • Not to allow tools to damage library items
  • Not cutting patterns, but putting pins through them for the purpose of copying the pattern to a material is acceptable within reason, as long as it doesn’t cause a tear
  • Putting items back into the library before leaving Ace

Members agree to notify the library steward if any library item is damaged or if they notice it is missing.

Photographing Copyrighted Library Items

Ace MakerSpace is a nonprofit learning institution, with a focus on personal growth in a wide variety of crafts.  Individuals learning and teaching craft techniques likely qualify for Fair Use, and if so, may take photos of loaned items for educational use.  This also helps protect the actual library items for others to use, given that the information in them is needed in dangerous locations like the workshop, and where people use tools and substances that can harm the library items.  

Members must not use such photos for any commercial purpose whatsoever, because that would certainly not qualify for Fair Use.

Please note: 

The copyright has not expired for any of the items in the Crafty Library

Read about Fair Use here before you choose to photograph library items:

https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/

Loaning Items to the Crafty Library

Loans to the Crafty Library are subject to the approval of the library steward,  a workspace steward or instructor, or any council member: any such approval is sufficient.

Any loaned items must be stamped, embossed or marked with the name of the owner on the inside of the front cover of any book or magazine, preferably in an upper corner, or In a conspicuous place that cannot be easily removed.  For example, an “Ex Libris” sticker or stamp.

Anyone who approves an addition to the Crafty Library agrees to notify the steward about the additions so they can be added to the index and if needed, moved into position within one of the branches.  It is fine for them to be stamped and inserted into the library and then to notify the steward about the new items.

Loaned items are protected by all of the same measures that protect Ace MakerSpace’s own tools and materials; however, Ace MakerSpace is not responsible for the loss of or damage to loaned items.  The owner of loaned items acknowledges that loaned items could possibly be damaged, destroyed, stolen, lost, etc.  The owner of loaned items acknowledges that they might not get loaned items back.

The owner may remove their loaned items at any time.  If they do so, they agree to promptly notify the library steward.  If the owner cannot find the item, they should ask the library steward for help, regardless of who approved the loan of the item.

The owner doesn’t need to ask permission to remove their owned items.  Notifying the steward is our social contract around how the end of the loan is handled, not a contingency of its return.

Loaning items doesn’t convey membership at Ace, and someone doesn’t need to be a member of Ace to make a donation.  Non-members who make donations may contact the library steward for access to their loaned items, for example, to remove them.

Guidelines for Library Items

Books, magazines, pamphlets, sewing patterns and other printed materials are all candidates for inclusion in the Crafty Library.

In general, jigs, accessories, tools and materials are not candidates for the library and should be kept in the appropriate workspace.  Any donation, and the storage of such items, would be at the discretion of the steward of that workspace.

The essential choice is whether you learn from it (belongs in the library), or use it directly (belongs in a workspace).  Sewing patterns seem to straddle this divide, but they are printed information, so the library is an acceptable location.

Original Ace Collection

Ace Makerspace has had a loosely organized library of materials in coworking in a book case near the couches, as well as on a shelf by the couch.   There are still many books and magazines there, but the workshop, metal and electronics books were moved to the Co-Working branch.  

With very few exceptions, we do not know who loaned these materials to Ace.  They are being indexed as part of our collection, but almost all of them are not stamped with an owner’s name. 

The Library Steward

The library steward maintains a spreadsheet of all library items.  They add new items when they are donated, and move them to a separate sheet when they are removed.  The sheet tracks their name and condition, ISBN number if applicable, manufacturer and pattern number, etc. to unambiguously identify each item.

The library steward also maintains a separate spreadsheet with the contact information of people who are currently loaning items to the library, so they can be contacted if needed.  

The library steward is one of the people who can accept new library items offered, along with all Ace Makerspace board members, instructors and stewards.

The library steward handles the intake of new items, ensuring they are properly labeled and that the owner’s contact information is recorded as well as adding the info to the library item index.

The library steward also handles notifications from members about damage or loss of library items. 

The library steward also coordinates access to the library for non-members who currently have loaned items to the library, for example, so they can be removed.

The library steward may arrange items in the main library.  Workspace stewards and instructors may arrange their section of books however they wish.   Libraries should be arranged  with the intention of being useful to members.  Books in a series should be adjacent to each other.  Books on the same topic should be adjacent to each other.

The libraries are still in the process of being sorted, so feel free to sort library items if they need it.

The current library steward is:

Howard Cohen, @hoco on slack

/Asset Log

To make it easier to track information about the library, it has an asset number so the /asset command can be used in slack channels.  It is mostly used by the library steward.  

Whereas tools have a convention of up/down following the asset number the library has a convention of the following:

Add – followed by description of what has been added 

Removed – followed by description of what has been removed

Damaged – followed by description of what has been damaged 

Lost – followed by description of what has been lost

A separate /asset command is not needed for every item added or removed.  A single /asset command can generally describe the set of things added.

A separate /asset command is needed for every item damaged or lost unless multiple items are listed within a single /asset command.  Regardless of the number of /asset commands used, all damaged or lost items should be listed in a /asset command.

Beginners

You’ll find step-by-step guides and project-oriented resources that get you going and help throughout the project with tips, patterns, bill of materials and great drawings. 

Intermediate Skills

You’ll find resources to take you to the next level.  Deep dives on special topics, techniques, tools, and niche skills can extend any skill you have.  You can become an expert by learning from experts. 

Expert Skills

You can learn from experts who have mastered their craft and shared their knowledge.  There are resources from the 1920s through today.   There are books dedicated to topics other books merely mention.

There are rare, long out-of-print books from masters across the last 100 years.

Measured drawings in many of the periodicals make it easier to grasp the extent of any project, to help with planning similar projects.  Whatever you want to make, there is almost certainly a measured drawing or circuit or pattern for something similar in the library.