Our Maker + STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) services department offers technological and artistic resources to encourage creative thinking, innovation, exploration, creation, and problem solving. Check us out for access to 3D printing, digital design software, arts and crafts supplies, robotics, coding, and more! We provide an open, welcoming space to gather, collaborate, and learn from library staff and from each other.

The goal of Maker + STEAM services is to empower a community of makers, encourage creation, and support people of all ages in their endeavors to grow as innovators.

Maker + STEAM spaces

While making and STEAM education can happen anywhere, Main Library features two dedicated spaces where you can explore and create: the Innovation Lab, a makerspace featuring equipment and tools available for patron use; and the MakerLab, a space dedicated for library programs. Each space offers technology, programs, and other resources to aid you in your innovative endeavors.

Innovation Lab open hours

Sorry, we're closed right now

Sunday Closed Monday Closed Tuesday 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM Thursday 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Friday 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Saturday 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM

*Hours subject to change based on staff availability. To confirm hours for a given day, please call us at 919-560-9321 or check our event calendar.

Equipment

Here’s some of the technology we have – see each equipment link for more details:

3D printing

Create physical 3D models from digital files with printers that melt and extrude plastic layer-by-layer.

Cricut / light-cutting machine

Do-it-yourself machines that cut a wide variety of lighter materials such as papers, vinyl, and fabric.

Laser cutter / heavy-cutting machine

An easy-to-use machine that can cut, score, and/or engrave many different heavier materials such as wood, cardboard, and some plastics.

Poster printer

High-quality prints for all of your poster needs.

STEAM kits for checkout

Want to test out some of our STEAM tech with your classroom, group, or family? Need a tool to complete that home or hobby project? You can check out a STEAM tech or tool kit from the Maker + STEAM department!

Common tasks

Upcoming events

This Week In the Lab: Makedo Kit

Wednesday, May 20, 2026 • 3:00pm - 5:00pm

Main Library (300 N. Roxboro St)

Join the Maker + STEAM Team in the Innovation Lab during specified open hours to explore cardboard construction with Makedo kits! Engineer new creations with reusable materials and tools safe for all ages. ...

Ages: Adult, Elementary School, Emerging Adult: 18-24 Year Olds, High School, Intergenerational, Kindergarten, Middle School, Pre-School, Senior Citizen, Teen, Toddler, Tweens: 9-12 Year Olds, DPS

This Week In the Lab: Makedo Kit

Thursday, May 21, 2026 • 10:00am - 2:00pm

Main Library (300 N. Roxboro St)

Ages: Adult, Elementary School, Emerging Adult: 18-24 Year Olds, High School, Intergenerational, Kindergarten, Middle School, Pre-School, Senior Citizen, Teen, Toddler, Tweens: 9-12 Year Olds, DPS

LEGO Challenge! - Super Cleanup

Thursday, May 21, 2026 • 4:30pm - 5:30pm

South Regional Library (4505 S. Alston Ave) (South Regional - Children's Programming Room)

Welcome to LEGO Challenge!...

Ages: Middle School, Tweens: 9-12 Year Olds

Registration required

This Week In the Lab: Makedo Kit

Friday, May 22, 2026 • 1:00pm - 5:00pm

Main Library (300 N. Roxboro St)

Ages: Adult, Elementary School, Emerging Adult: 18-24 Year Olds, High School, Intergenerational, Kindergarten, Middle School, Pre-School, Senior Citizen, Teen, Toddler, Tweens: 9-12 Year Olds, DPS

This Week In the Lab: Makedo Kit

Saturday, May 23, 2026 • 11:00am - 1:00pm

Main Library (300 N. Roxboro St)

Ages: Adult, Elementary School, Emerging Adult: 18-24 Year Olds, High School, Intergenerational, Kindergarten, Middle School, Pre-School, Senior Citizen, Teen, Toddler, Tweens: 9-12 Year Olds, DPS

This Week In the Lab: Makedo Kit

Saturday, May 23, 2026 • 3:00pm - 5:00pm

Main Library (300 N. Roxboro St)

Ages: Adult, Elementary School, Emerging Adult: 18-24 Year Olds, High School, Intergenerational, Kindergarten, Middle School, Pre-School, Senior Citizen, Teen, Toddler, Tweens: 9-12 Year Olds, DPS

This Week In the Lab: Breakerspace

Tuesday, May 26, 2026 • 1:00pm - 5:00pm

Main Library (300 N. Roxboro St)

Join the Maker + STEAM Team in the Innovation Lab during specified open hours to tinker with used and broken electronics through taking items apart! We'll provide the tools, you provide the curiosity!...

Ages: Adult, Elementary School, Emerging Adult: 18-24 Year Olds, High School, Intergenerational, Kindergarten, Middle School, Pre-School, Senior Citizen, Teen, Toddler, Tweens: 9-12 Year Olds, DPS

3D Printer Orientation Part 2 (In-Person)

Tuesday, May 26, 2026 • 6:00pm - 7:30pm

Main Library (300 N. Roxboro St) (Computer Lab)

Learn how to 3D print from idea to design to fabrication! In this two part orientation series, you will learn how to design and 3D print your own ideas....

Ages: Adult, Elementary School, Emerging Adult: 18-24 Year Olds, High School, Middle School, Senior Citizen, Teen, Tweens: 9-12 Year Olds

Registration full. Join the waitlist >

Check for more events like this > or See all events

FAQ

Why is the library offering these Maker + STEAM services?
The library has always been a collective resource for our community by offering different types of services and technologies. From the days of typewriters to the first laser printers, public copiers, and internet computers, libraries have been the place where many members of the community are introduced to new technology. Providing access to maker and STEAM/STEM technologies continues our long-standing commitment to bridging the digital divide.

How much will it cost to use these services?
Check the details for the equipment listed above for exact pricing.

Can you help me design a project?
We’re happy to show you our trainings and the basics of the equipment, and to direct you to online resources, but we will not be able to design your project for you. The true idea of our space is to work together with like-minded community members to learn new skills.

What if my project doesn’t come out the way I wanted it?
We will work with you to determine the best resolution for your project. We can’t guarantee how your project will turn out, however. You are responsible for all costs associated with using the equipment or materials. Fees are non-refundable once they have been paid from your account.

Want to donate tech for our makerspace?
Thank you so much for thinking of us and libraries! Please email us at Maker_STEAM@dconc.gov to let us know what you have and ask if we have availability/use first. We are unable to accept donations on-the-spot, as we have limited storage space as well as county regulations to follow. Thank you!

History of Maker + STEAM services at Durham County Library

We’ve been providing maker programming since 2014! It all started with the purchase of our first Makerbot Replicator, supported by monthly programs for community members to come learn and explore. Over the next few years, our STEAM programming grew in popularity and availability thanks to grant funding from Duke Energy and from the State Library of North Carolina through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). In our first LSTA funding year, we held over 200 STEAM-based programs for youth, with fun topics including LEGO robotics, coding with Scratch, and workshops on 3D printing, just to name a few.

The first dedicated MakerLab @ Main opened in June 2016, also thanks to our LSTA funding. When Main Library closed for renovation in January 2017, maker programming for all ages continued in a temporary space at Northgate Mall.

Now, with the transformed Main Library, what started out as one 3D printer in the computer lab has become a full-fledged Maker + STEAM department, two makerspaces and a Recording Studio, and excited library staff dedicated to providing world-class maker and STEAM programming and resources!

Did you know?

Our First Library in Space project engaged the community in a STEAM adventure by building a small capsule and attaching it to a weather balloon that carried it into near space. Teens at each of our locations competed to have their capsule design selected. The community followed along with the launch through real-time GPS tracking on our website. The library was recognized as a 2014 Top Innovator by the Urban Library Council for the project.
In 2019, the library hosted a four-week, theme-based STEAM Off program geared towards low-income middle school students as part of the Urban Library Council’s Partners for Middle School STEM initiative. Participants developed their maker skills with access to programming and technology like robotics, electronic piano keyboards, and engine-powered rockets.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, our staff 3D printed and laser cut over 280 face shields for Durham County first responders.
While our spaces were closed due to COVID-19, the STEAM team made cool Take & Make STEAM activity packets to pick up and use at home. One included materials to make a robot toothbrush and then use your new bot to create abstract art. Another had a tangram puzzle set, with pieces made on our 3D printers and an accompanying packet with links to the designs.

Meet the Maker + STEAM team

Questions? Contact us at Maker_STEAM@dconc.gov.

Caroline

Caroline has loved libraries since before she could read, and she loves incorporating science and arts into accessible and creative programs. She loves reading most genres, especially middle grade and young adult, fiction with magic, novels in verse, humanities nonfiction, and graphic novels. She graduated with a B.S. in Kinesiology and Master of Library and Information Science from UNCG. When not at the library, Caroline loves spending time with her kids (who love to read, too!) and her favorite people, reading, hiking, exploring, music, and our NC mountains.

Pronouns: she/her

Faye

Faye has an eclectic background. Preschool teacher, switchboard operator, ceramics studio assistant, EMT, disability aid, dishwasher, baker, art tutor. Through it all, it was always his goal to steer his experiences towards public libraries. With an undergraduate degree in anthropology from WCU, Faye hopes that she can put her "aggressively well-rounded" job and educational experience to good use serving the public in Durham. Faye hopes to be an approachable presence to newcomers in the Makerspace. Creativity and knowledge belong to us all, and Faye feels honored to assist the public in their access to creative and informative resources. When not at the library Faye has a second job as a farmhand and loves reading fantasy & nonfiction books, junk journaling/scrapbooking, thrifting, weightlifting, and hanging out with her beloved spouse and friends. Come and talk to her about her pet shrimp, the cultural history of the human-pigeon relationship, or old digital cameras.

Pronouns: he/him + she/her

Kyle

Kyle grew up with a love of anything mechanical, working on cars and bicycles from a very young age. Before joining the team at the library, he taught STEAM classes to students in Nashville and New York City. Kyle has a love of 3D modeling and printing, and as a part of the Maker + STEAM Unit he hopes to bring his experience to the patrons of the library. His favorite genre is science fiction, with a particular affinity for any story set in the vast expanse of space. Outside of the library, Kyle enjoys working on his car, riding his bicycle, or learning new tricks with his yo-yo. If you see him around, ask him to show you a trick!

Pronouns: he/they