Kennett Library receives $500,000 grant to enhance makerspace facilities
07/03/2024 10:07AM ● By Richard GawSince its opening last August, the new Kennett Library has enhanced its forever mission to serve as the hub of curiosity and creativity for residents in the townships and municipalities it serves, and at any time during the day, the wheels of that mission are in full spin, perhaps nowhere as visible as in its two makerspace facilities.
To the many artisans, crafters and young people whose creativity has been given permission to be set ablaze at these two stations – and to thousands more still to come – their work and their imaginations are about to be taken to new heights.
The Kennett Library recently received a $500,000 from Longwood Foundation to expand its makerspace facilities by providing state-of-the-art resources, innovative programming and expanded hours. The library was one of 48 Spring 2024 grantees who received a grant from the Foundation, joining agencies who represent the arts, civic engagement, education, the environment, health and hospitals and social services.
In total, the Foundation made more than $11.6 million in grants during its Spring 2024 grant cycle.
The enhanced makerspace is expected to benefit a wide range of community members, from students and educators to entrepreneurs and hobbyists. Focusing on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education, the makerspace will offer new opportunities for learning and creativity, scheduled to begin by the following timelines:
- By September, the children’s makerspace will be open 55 hours a week with hands on programing five times a week for children ages 2-13 that will improve their digital literacy skills, allow them to explore their artistic expression, acquire 21st-century skills such as critical thinking and creativity through a diverse series of projects that will include workshops and classes in coding, robotics and digital design, as well as dedicated areas for group projects and creative collaboration.
- By December 2025, the library and the adult makerspace will be open 71 hours a week that will include the addition of Friday night and Sunday hours, that will see the addition of five professional development workshops in the makerspaces that will focus on skills such as digital marketing, product design, prototyping, or resume writing an job search strategies, and entrepreneurship incubator programs, where participants will receive mentorship coaching and resources to develop and launch their own product ideas or small businesses.
In addition, it is projected that program attendance in the adult and children’s makerspaces will increase from its current 576 to 3,600 by 2025, and that the library’s audio room will provide guidance for over 700 visitors.
“We are incredibly grateful to Longwood Foundation for their support,” said Kennett Library Executive Director Christopher Manna. “This funding will allow us to transform our makerspaces into a premier destination for innovation and hands-on learning, providing our patrons with the skills and tools they need to succeed in a rapidly changing world.
“When we built this building, we built it mind with one full-time staff member and a few part-time staff and as great as that is, it’s not enough to support two makers spaces, an audio-visual recording studio and an auditorium. This grant will allow us to hire one more full-time staff member and four or five part-time staff that will allow us to open both makerspaces during all open hours of the library.”
Since its founding by Pierre S. du Pont in 1937, Longwood Foundation has invested in Delaware and the Kennett Square area in Pennsylvania in order to serve as a catalyst to nonprofit agencies who provide assistance to their respective communities.
A celebration for all grant recipients was held at Longwood Gardens on June 7.
For more information about the makerspace and upcoming programs at the Kennett Library, visit www.KennettLibrary.org. To learn more about Longwood Foundation and see the complete list of Spring 2024 grant recipients, visit www.longwoodfoundation.org.
To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].