Friends of Montclair Library

Whether you want to build a cupcake car, meet a need in your community, or just improve the way your water bottle fits on your bike, you may already be a maker. From the practical to the wildly inventive, the culture of making seems to have taken off in the last few years, hitting a touchpoint somewhere at the intersection of DIY, steampunk, saving money and being green.

Last week (June 18, 2014), the White House even hosted a special-edition Maker Faire to celebrate the Day of Making.

Summer, long the province of tree houses, camping and time for creative exploration, is a great time to get in touch with your inner maker. Here are some books from the Oakland Public Library system to get you started – and don’t forget the Tool Lending Library if you need to borrow some gear!

None of these books are available at the Montclair branch, but many of them are available as ebooks, and it’s super-easy to request books from other branches and have them delivered to Montclair.

Unbored: The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun by Joshua Glenn and Elizabeth Foy Larsen

Made by Dad: 67 Blueprints for Making Cool Stuff by Scott Bedford

Geek Mom: Projects, Tips, and Adventures for Moms and Their 21st-Century Families by Natania Barron

Geek Dad by Ken Denmead (ebook)

The Art of Tinkering by Karen Wilkinson and Mike Petrich of the Exploratorium

Zero to Maker: Learn (Just Enough) to Make (Just About) Anything by David Lang (ebook)

LEO the Maker Prince: Journeys in 3D Printing by Carla Diana (ebook) (According to Make magazine, “the first book on 3d printing for kids.” — Which reminds me, thanks again to HoneyPoint3D for donating a prize for our book craft contest this spring!)

Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing: The Promise and Peril of a Machine that Can Make (Almost) Anything by Hod Lipson & Melba Kurman (ebook)

The Maker Movement Manifesto: Rules for Innovation in the New World of Crafters, Hackers, and Tinkerers by Mark Hatch (ebook)

Makers: The New Industrial Revolution by Chris Anderson

Made by Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World by Mark Frauenfelder

And don’t forget Make Magazine – available at Temescal and Piedmont.

Lastly, honorable mention goes to a book not in the OPL system, but available from other library systems through Link+ : 50 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Children Do by Gever Tulley.

Top photo: Molly Stevens via Flickr Creative Commons