CANCELLED: Tech Bar and The Hive hands-on makerspace to open March 19 at Cambridge Public Library
3/7/2020 • 4 years ago
The information on this page may be outdated as it was published 4 years ago.
The Cambridge STEAM Initiative, a joint venture between the city of Cambridge’s department of human service programs, Cambridge public school department and the Cambridge Public Library, will reach a new milestone with the opening celebration for the new Tech Bar and The Hive from 3 to 5 p.m. March 19 at Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway. The snow date will be from 3 to 5 p.m. March 25. This program will include brief remarks from city officials, unveiling of The Hive mural, tours of the new spaces and more. Light refreshments will be served.
The Tech Bar will offer public computing, serving as a device checkout station and a basic technology advice center. When it opens, patrons will be able to check out items from a device menu that includes laptops, tablets, e-readers, adapters, media players and microphones. Some technology is for in-library use only but, for the first time, patrons will be able to check out some of this technology to take home with them. Take-home technology will be available at library branches as well. Digital screens in the Tech Bar will continually display updated menus of available items for in-library use, checkout, as well as library services and events. Beginning March 19, the Tech Bar will operate during regular Main Library hours.
The Hive, a creative space located in the lower level of the Main Library, will consist of a hands-on makerspace stocked with digital and traditional fabrication tools. The Hive will initially focus on welcoming specific youth and community groups to the space, with limited tools and programming for patrons beginning on March 24. The Hive will slowly increase its offerings for the public over the coming months. In the late spring, two multimedia recording studios for creating audio and video content, and an Extended Reality Lab for experiencing and experimenting with virtual and augmented reality, will be introduced for patron use as well. A schedule of activities in The Hive will soon be available on the Cambridge Public Library’s website,
http://cambridgema.gov/cpl.
“We are very excited to open the Tech Bar and The Hive in March,” said Maria McCauley, director of libraries for the city of Cambridge. “The Tech Bar and The Hive will enhance the Cambridge Public Library’s ability to create learning opportunities for all residents in a rapidly evolving creative, scientific and technological landscape.”
STEAM is an integrated approach to learning that uses any combination of STEAM areas of study -- science, technology, engineering, arts and math -- as access points for inquiry, dialogue and critical thinking. The mission of STEAM at the library is to provide free, hands-on STEAM learning opportunities to the Cambridge community, to provide resources for personal projects and to serve as a hub for skill sharing and creative collaboration.
“I want to thank the city departments involved in our STEAM Initiative for their collaboration and dedication to expanding STEAM education to all residents,” said Louis A. DePasquale, Cambridge city manager. “The Tech Bar and The Hive would not be possible without our staff’s hard work and leadership. I also want to thank the city council for the commitment to the city’s STEAM initiative.”
Funding for STEAM at the library is provided by the city of Cambridge, Cambridge Trust, Cambridge Public Library Foundation, the Margret and H.A. Rey Curious George Fund, Eric and Jane Nord Family Fund and Verizon. Additional funding for STEAM at the library programs has been provided by Friends of the Cambridge Public Library, Google and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.
To attend the opening celebration, RSVP by the end of business day on March 16 to kmascary@cambridgema.gov. Space is limited for the opening reception.