Libraries Upgrades Shop Room, Invests in Student Success

The University of Texas at Arlington Libraries has expanded and enhanced the FabLab Shop Room to support the success of UTA students and faculty. The upgrades include an increase of square footage, new welding equipment, and optimized infrastructure.

Katie Musick Peery, Director of the FabLab, says these renovations came in response to an increased demand for the Shop Room and will lead to greater student success, regardless of area of study.

“We believe the increased capacity—in physical space, in equipment offerings, and in expanded instruction—will lead to increased opportunities for creative exploration and discovery in our students,” Musick Peery said. “They will have greater options and flexibility for when and how they use the space, and will be gleaning both practical equipment- and safety-based skills as well as critical design thinking abilities they can carry forward into their professional careers.”

The Shop Room is a space in the FabLab that features a host of manual and computer-aided design and manufacturing technologies that facilitate working with woods and metals. These tools are free to use by UTA Libraries students, faculty, and staff who have completed the appropriate trainings, all of which are offered by FabLab staff.

With these updates, the Shop Room is growing by about 550 square feet, an increase of about 40%. This will allow for a more efficient and safer layout of equipment. The Libraries is also adding an isolated HVAC air system for the Shop Room, updating the electrical system, adding plumbing, and extending compressed air lines for pneumatic tools.

In addition, the FabLab is installing a new metal CNC router. This will facilitate more metal fabrication techniques that were previously unavailable to Libraries users. A new instructional area with multiple work tables and screen to share presentations will allow FabLab staff to offer more programming, like the Furniture Workshop Series.

Timothy Neill, FabLab technician and lead on the Shop Room remodel, says these upgrades were essential to grow the FabLab’s offerings.

“We see programs like the Furniture Workshop Series as another way to engage with our learners,” Neill said. “Providing step-by-step, hands-on instruction…lowers the inherent intimidation factor of working with our shop equipment. To facilitate more programs, the Shop Room [needed] to be expanded.”

The Furniture Workshop Series, which has run two four-week sessions in the last year, has been well-received by participants. Vikram Gupta, a graduate student in Computer Science Engineering, has attended both Furniture Workshop Series sessions, and credits the program for helping him feel comfortable with certain tools.

“I am no more hesitant of using power tools,” Gupta said. “They seemed daunting before the workshop; I now think I can use them more confidently.”

For Ashlley Tapia, an undergraduate student studying Public Health and Spanish Translation, the Furniture Workshop Series in Fall 2019 was an important learning experience that required no prior skills to participate.

“I was able to really connect with why I need this particular life skill,” Tapia said. “The more confident I feel in my skills to build, the more creative I can get with what I make.”

The upgrades are expected to be unveiled in early August. Due to social distancing guidelines, the reopening of the Shop Room to the public is still to be determined.

Users can follow the progress of the project—and learn more about the Shop Room offerings in the era of COVID-19—on the FabLab’s Facebook and Instagram pages.