PORTLAND — By this time next year, teens mostly from Portland’s Rockwood neighborhood will be able to use 3D printers and scanners, laser cutters, robotics and electronic kits and other technology, all free of charge.
Where? A Multnomah County Library branch.
The Rockwood branch will add more than 1,000 square feet of new space, called the Rockwood Innovation Station.
Gone will be the days of learning at the library branch with only books and basic computers, officials said. They’re testing a concept that provides hands-on technology opportunities to motivate young people toward careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and math.
The ways people learn have changed and evolved, and “you have to be part of that change as well,” said Terrilyn Chun, manager of programing and community outreach for the Multnomah County Library system.
Similar laboratories have sprouted across the country, and the Chicago Public Library system was among the first, said Cindy Gibbon, access and information services director.
Rockwood was chosen in part because it is an area with significant poverty, refugees and other underserved communities.
Gibbon said many of Rockwood’s youth don’t have opportunities to interact with technology at home and other places.
“There aren’t as many opportunities at school as we all wish there could be,” Gibbon said, “and so this is a great place to try this project.”
She said teens would earn electronic badges as they complete classes. They’ll be able to show colleges and employers the skills they learned.
With a construction price tag estimated at $502,550, the new technology laboratory should open by January and host a variety of after-school and summer classes for teens. It’ll also be open at times for patrons, including adults, to drop in and use the lab.
Classes will run through the summer using the branch’s existing meeting space and computers, Chun said.
Yessenia Villalobos, a Centennial High School senior, volunteers at the library as a computer and homework helper. She and her two sisters spend a few hours at the library helping others on Saturdays.
“My major interest is math and science because math is universal language for people,” Villalobos said about the help she provides to young immigrants. “Math is understood around the world. You don’t need a normal language to comprehend it.”
During a January planning session with other youth, the sisters helped provide suggestions about what the Innovation Station should look like. Even though she’s off to college in the fall, Villalobos said she’s looking forward to visiting and seeing young people use the space.
Alma Villalobos, Yessenia’s younger sister and an eighth grade student at Centennial Middle School, said she’s lucky to have an older sister to help with homework but she’s noticed others who visit the library don’t.
“I know that some kids come from other countries or don’t have other siblings and sometimes they don’t understand things at school,” Alma Villalobos said. “Most of them really like technology. Most of them are smart, and they just need a little boost for help.”
The Mt. Hood Cable Regulatory Commission provided a $300,000 grant to help pay for the construction and other costs. Other organizations such as Pixel Arts, OpenFAB PDX and the East Metro STEAM Partnership will provide mentors and trainers to run the technology classes.
The Library Foundation will also raise funds and contribute to the project.
Once completed, the laboratory will be open 30 to 35 hours per week. Officials hope to reach 400 students in 2016 and 800 people in each of the two following years. They expect participants will increase testing scores at school and hope at least 40 percent of the participants will be female.
Vailey Oehlke, the county’s director of libraries, said Rockwood was chosen in part because of the area’s need and support from the regulatory commission. If the project proves successful, other branches could see similar laboratories in the future depending on funding.
“Books are still important, but with the notion of the library as a learning institution, we’ve seen that all along,” Oehlke said, “Finding out where we can plug in to benefit a community is a great place to start.”
