The Redwood City Public Library is inviting the public to get a sneak peek at its newest community workspace slated for an official opening early next year.
The public will have the opportunity to preview and tour the Library Makerspace on Dec. 2 at the Downtown Library, said Lisa Hicks-Dumanske, executive director of the Redwood City Library Foundation.
The event will include demonstrations, exhibits and limited tours, she said.
The library reopened Monday, and while construction of the Makerspace has been ongoing, many in-person classes and events have been postponed due to COVID-19 concerns. That has caused delays in planning for the workspace, Hicks-Dumanske said.
At this time, it’s unclear whether events and classes for the Makerspace will begin due to the library reopening, she said.
“Once the construction is complete in October, the librarians who will staff the space will get trained and oriented, and we can have a ‘soft’ opening of the Makerspace to the public,” Hicks-Dumanske said.
The Library Makerspace is scheduled to open in 2022 when the public will gain access to everything the workspace has to offer, including 3D printers, a laser cutter, photography equipment, soldering irons, an entire podcast studio and sewing machines.
The space that was used for the new addition was previously the Computer Lab, Hicks-Dumanske said, adding that public computers have been moved to another room.
The total cost of the project was estimated to be around $620,000, according to a city report. Funding for the Library Makerspace, more than $340,000, was primarily through fundraising from the Redwood City Library Foundation, the report showed. The city also approved $165,000 from the Capital Improvement Program budget.
Major donors include SAGA Foundation, Sunlight Giving and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
The Library Makerspace sneak preview event takes place on Dec. 2 between 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
This story will be updated with additional information about in-person events.
