This is an open directory of free, no-membership makerspaces at US public libraries. Every pin on the map is a real library branch with equipment a new maker can actually use — 3D printers, laser cutters, sewing and embroidery machines, vinyl cutters, soldering stations, audio studios, and more. As of today, the map covers 734 library branches across 47 states/jurisdictions, with new states added regularly. Last updated June 10, 2026.
Paid memberships and high-barrier fab labs are everywhere — and they're great if you already know what you're doing. But if you're bringing your first design, the friction of a $60-per-month membership stops a lot of people from ever starting. Public libraries solve that. You walk in with a library card and a USB stick, and someone shows you how to use a 3D printer that afternoon. That's the audience this map is built for.
Click any pin to see the branch's address, the equipment they have (with model numbers when public), any fees for consumables, and a direct link to that library's makerspace page. Hover for a quick tooltip of equipment types.
Designer Bee's mission is helping new makers go from idea to first build. Once you find a makerspace near you, use one of the free design tools on our homepage — clock faces, keychains, lithophanes, signs, jigsaw puzzles — to generate a build-ready SVG or STL you can take straight to the library's laser cutter or 3D printer.
The data starts with the IMLS Public Library Survey— the federal government's annual census of every US public library outlet (~17,000 records). After filtering out bookmobiles and short-hour outlets, the remaining ~7,600 library systems are searched on Brave Search for makerspace evidence, then their websites are scraped and read by Claude (an AI model from Anthropic) to extract structured equipment data. The full pipeline and methodology are transparent.
This directory is free to use for personal, educational, and other non-commercial projects under a Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0 license — please credit and link back to designerbee.build. Want to use it for a commercial project? Get in touch for a license.
Yes. Every space on this map is operated by a US public library and open to the public. Most require only a free library card; a few charge small consumable fees (e.g. filament by the gram). No monthly memberships, no buy-ins.
Common equipment includes 3D printers (Prusa, Bambu), laser cutters (Glowforge, Epilog), vinyl cutters (Cricut), sewing and embroidery machines, soldering stations, sublimation printers, button makers, audio recording studios, and CNC routers. Each pin lists what that specific branch has.
Most libraries require a card to reserve equipment, but many issue cards to anyone who lives, works, or studies in the service area — and some honor cards from neighboring library systems. Walk-in events and orientations are often open to non-cardholders.
This dataset is being built one state per day from the IMLS Public Library Survey, using web search and AI extraction to confirm makerspaces and pull equipment lists. Check back daily — new states are added every morning.
The pipeline starts with the IMLS Public Library Survey (every US public library outlet, ~17,000 records), filters out bookmobiles and short-hour outlets, then uses Brave Search to find candidate makerspace pages and Claude (Anthropic's AI) to read each library's site and extract structured equipment data. The methodology is fully transparent, and the dataset is free for personal and non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0 license (credit designerbee.build).
The Iteration-3 outreach phase will email libraries directly to confirm gaps. In the meantime, if your library has a makerspace that isn't on the map, please reach out via Designer Bee.
Looking for a makerspace near you? Below is the full directory of every free public-library makerspace and fab lab on the map, grouped by state. Each entry links to the library's own makerspace page. Currently 734 library branches across 47 states and jurisdictions.