The Last Word: On The Spark Makerspace at the University of North Texas

“We’re like a library, but for technology and skillsets.”

Jake Jacobson
Associate Director
The Spark
.…on The Spark makerspace at the University of North Texas’ Willis Library.

At the University of North Texas’ Willis Library in Denton, you can find lots of books. But something else is getting checked out: The Spark, one of three makerspaces operated by the university. Open to all UNT students, faculty, and staff, The Spark offers a long list of high-tech tools that can be accessed after training—including 3D printers, laser cutters, a computer numerical control mill, sewing and embroidery machines, tools for science and pottery projects, and more. Audio-visual gear and power tools at The Spark can be borrowed as well.

“Many people aren’t familiar with what a makerspace is,” Jacobson said in a statement about The Spark, which was founded in 2014 as an extension of the library’s computer lab. But art and engineering students have caught on fast, using tools and software to help them complete coursework.

 Steven Sparkman, supervisor for the UNT at Frisco makerspace, calls The Spark “the sandbox where students can test what they learn in class.” (The other makerspace is at UNT’s Discovery Park—which the university calls the largest research park in North Texas.)

For a look at what’s being made in the makerspaces, read more here

For more of who said what about all things North Texas, check out Every Last Word.


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