Cossitt Creation Station FAQs

F.H. Cossitt Library Reimagined

 

Granby Public Libraries are excited to present a new opportunity to the community! Throughout the coming winter, the F.H. Cossitt Branch Library will close and undergo a transformation sure to impress all.

 

Granby Public Library's mission is to support intellectual freedom and the right of individuals to read, learn, and gather together in a safe, friendly, and welcoming environment. The Library provides free access to diverse ideas, resources, and experiences and strives to enhance the quality of life in our community by providing and encouraging lifelong learning through a variety of resources. Our motto is “Something for Everyone!” In pursuit of meeting this mission, on November 2nd Cossitt Library will officially close to the public and begin being transformed into Granby’s newest “makerspace”- The Cossitt Creation Station.

 

What is a makerspace? A makerspace is a place where people meet up, share creative interests, tinker with technology, and learn to make things. The maker movement gained momentum several years ago. Libraries across Connecticut, and beyond, have established maker spaces to meet the needs in the community and we are excited to finally be jumping on the bandwagon and bringing these opportunities to the Granbys!

 

What does this all mean? To start, the lower level of the library will be the new home to a variety of tools and equipment for creating! This will include sewing machines, 3d printers, a laser cutter and a digitization station to convert all those old home movies. Along with this equipment, we plan to have classes for patrons, opportunities to learn about new equipment, and creating a space where the community can come together to help make visions come to life. This space will be geared towards older teens and adults but kids ages 8-14 will have opportunities to come and create with their parent/guardian’s supervision. More makerspace opportunities for kids will be made available at the main branch as well.  

 

Makerspaces have been proven to provide communities with a plethora of benefits. Some of these include hands on learning opportunities, a place for creative expression, community collaboration and inspiration, social skills and community involvement, entrepreneurship and career learning, promotion of diversity and individual ideas, assisting with creative affordability and decreasing the digital divide. All of this will be provided through grant funding, donations, and fundraising efforts of our library groups.

 

What does this mean for the current collection? No worries, the library is NOT getting rid of all the books. Many items will be moving to the Main Branch but the upstairs at Cossitt will continue to be a circulating library as it is now. It will still be a pickup spot for materials and the upstairs collection will include a small children's collection, new fiction and nonfiction for adults, a small collection of DVDs and a specialty collection of materials that fit the themes of the lower level, DIY, being creative, innovative and collaborative.