The Hive makerspace at Cambridge Public Library
Cambridge Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
The Hive is a state-of-the-art makerspace and hub for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) learning, creativity, and community in Cambridge. Using a racial justice lens to frame its efforts, The Hive’s mission is to provide free, hands-on learning opportunities to the public, resources for personal projects, and an environment for skills sharing and creative collaboration to Cambridge residents who are most impacted by systemic inequities. In FY24 we held 1,036 STEAM programs with 13,392 attendees, a 61% increase in participation from the previous fiscal year. The Library collaborates with community partners including schools and universities, City departments, businesses and nonprofits through our STEAM Initiative. One of these partners is Innovators for Purpose, a BIPOC-led non-profit design and studio in Cambridge. Through this partnership, the CPL STEAM Academy offers young people free, immersive learning and mentorship experiences.
Challenge/Opportunity
Although Cambridge’s education institutions and businesses are at the center of STEAM innovation on a global scale, many people in our community—particularly those who are under-resourced, people who identify as BIPOC, people with disabilities, and women—do not see themselves represented in this world. The role of the Library to create learning opportunities for all residents from birth to end of life in a rapidly evolving creative, scientific, and technological landscape aligns naturally with the Cambridge STEAM Initiative. The Hive provides a physical hub to build STEAM skills through workshops, programs, and mentoring from STEAM professionals. It is a gateway for the public to engage in our city’s innovation economy and a critical element in establishing a more equitable pipeline to the City’s STEAM workforce, especially given that the Main Library is adjacent to Cambridge’s only public high school, the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS), whose student body is 63% non-white.
Key Elements of Innovation
The Hive stems from a partnership with Cambridge’s Department of Human Services and Public Schools to develop a City that leads in both STEAM industry and STEAM education. It is integral to the City’s STEAM learning ecosystem.
The Hive includes:
- Two recording studios
- AR/VR lab
- Fabrication lab
- Skill-building workshops in multimedia production, computer-aided design, digital fabrication, and traditional crafts
- Professional staff with backgrounds in engineering, arts, design, and music
- Contracted subject-area expert instructors
- STEAM opportunities at our Branch Libraries have expanded
A crucial aspect of The Hive is collaboration with partners who have established trusted relationships with the communities we aim to serve. Partners like Innovators for Purpose, the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, and Loop Lab help us connect with populations that are typically underserved in STEAM education and bring people into the makerspace.
Achieved Outcomes
Over 31,000 patrons have built skills through a STEAM program since July 2021. More than 50 public programs are offered on-site monthly. Our focus on equity and access informs strategic community partnerships with over 300 off-site engagement visits to date.
Over 150 young adults utilize the space in career development programs. Of the eight teens who graduated from high school while enrolled in our partner program with Innovators for Purpose, all eight will be starting 2 or 4-year college in the fall. Seven of these are in STEAM courses of study while the eighth plans to pursue a political science degree to create lasting change around education inequities she witnessed firsthand.
Over 50 teens use the space in career-path design coursework through our partnership with Cambridge Public Schools. One such student has gone on to intern in The Hive and esteemed design firms in the area. Currently, he works part-time in The Hive while pursuing a degree in User Experience Design.
Additional Materials:
