Category Archives: Makerspace

Updates on arts and crafts activities taking place in the makerspace, new maker resources, etc.

Take Your Child to the Library Day Celebration!
February 1st – February 3rd
We want to thank the many donors who made the Children’s Room renovation possible, and invite all of Bethany to enjoy the new space and honor our shared commitment to having a strong public library in Bethany!
The following activities and events will take place during the three day celebration:

Thursday, February 1st – 12:00 – 6:00 PM
Decorate a Cupcake
Cut a Ribbon for the Ribbon Tree
Award Book Basket Raffle
1000 Books Before Kindergarten Sign Up

Friday, February 2nd – 12:00 – 5:00 PM
Decorate a Cupcake
Cut a Ribbon for the Ribbon Tree
Award Book Basket Raffle
1000 Books Before Kindergarten Sign Up

Saturday, February 3rd – 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Decorate a Cupcake
Cut a Ribbon for the Ribbon Tree
Award Book Basket Raffle
1000 Books Before Kindergarten Sign Up
Dedication of the Nancy J. Disbrow Children’s Room – 1:30 PM
Visit from Ali the Balloon Guy – 2:00 – 4:00 PM

Share the Love!
Wednesday, February 7 – Wednesday, February 14
During Library hours we will be providing craft supplies
for patrons to create custom Valentine’s Day cards
and decorations in the Makerspace! All ages welcome.

Thank you to all of our patrons who took part in Snowman Palooza and made it such a resounding success! We received dozens of wonderful snowmen to decorate the Library with, and dozens more went home with the participants – there were around a hundred snowmen in all! If you left a snowman with the library, see if you can find it in the banner above (along with a sneaky prehistoric photo-bomber)!

Help us welcome winter by making snowmen to decorate the Library!
The Children’s Room will have a snowman crafting area
set up in the Makerspace during library hours from
Wednesday, December 13, to Saturday, January 6.
Make one for the Library and one to take home! All ages welcome.

The amazing results of the All Together Now! House-Building Project are now available in the Children’s Room as a physical book! Ask at the check-out desk and you can browse through it to see individual pictures of every house created for the project, as well as shots that show them off as part of the model town of Clarkville!

Special thanks to local quilting artist Wendy Frieden for donating an original quilt to decorate our new Children’s Room. We will celebrate the addition of the “Kaleidoscope Quilt” with a kaleidoscope themed Arts@Clark! Makerspace activity on Saturday October 7th, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.

The following children’s programs will be offered September 13 – December 13:

Wednesday Morning Storytimes: Wednesdays 10:30 AM
Family friendly stories, activities, and a craft. For all ages.

Open Maker Days: Wednesdays 3:00 – 5:00 PM
Visit our Makerspace to build, tinker, dream and delight in our hands-on activities.
Drop in and enjoy! For all ages.

Arts@Clark! Saturdays: Saturdays 1:00 – 4:00 PM
Explore your creative side! Enjoy our exhibits in the Community Room
and then see what’s going on each week in the Makerspace area. For all ages.

Robin McCahill Drop-In Talk & Art Workshop, September 16th. Drop-In Talk, 12:30-1:30 PM, Library Community Room: Robin McCahill will discuss her work and techniques in fiber arts. All are welcome! Art Workshop, 2:00-4:00 PM, Library Makerspace: Robin will teach participants how to create a simple felted wool rod puppet. For adults and children ages 10+. Space is limited; signups are required.

Local artist Robin McCahill will be hosting two events on September 16th! There will be a drop-in talk from 12:30 to 1:30 in the Community Room downstairs, where Robin’s art is currently on display; Robin will discuss both her work and fiber art techniques in general. This event is open to all and does not require signups.

Then there will be a workshop from 2:00 to 4:00 in the Makerspace area of the Children’s Room, where patrons will learn how to create their own simple felted wool puppet! Workshop participants must be at least 10 years old. Space is also limited and signups are required; you can either call the Library at 203-393-2103 or stop by the main desk to sign up.

Both events are free, and supplies for the workshop are provided. And remember, you don’t have to attend the drop-in talk if you are attending the workshop, or vice-versa!


During the Library’s summer children’s program, our young patrons took part in the All Together Now! House-Building Project – starting with identical paper templates and squares of foamboard, they created over thirty unique houses and yards using craft supplies and their imaginations. At the end of the project, we put all the finished houses together into Clarkville: a model town that reflects the creativity and diversity of our full-sized Bethany community. You can take a brief tour of the completed town using the slideshow above! We will be collecting pictures of all the houses in a book that patrons will be able to flip through when they stop by the Children’s Room as well, and possibly even more exhibitions of the results of this amazing program in the future.

Thank you so much to everyone who took part in both the House-Building Project and the summer children’s program as a whole!

Next week’s Makerspace activities are the last of the summer program!
We will be taking a short hiatus until mid-September to plan our fall programming.
Be sure to stop in for “Glitter Fish” on Wednesday, August 9th, 12:30 – 4:30 PM,
and “Design Your Own Boomerang” on Saturday, August 12th, 12:30 – 4:30 PM.
Children will create shiny fish decorations using glitter dots on Wednesday,
and decorate custom four-armed boomerangs on Saturday.