Jim Correll, director Fab Lab ICC at Independence Community College, Independence Kansas 

Staffing will always be a challenge for most Fab Labs and other maker spaces. Those of us in the International Fab Lab Network that grew out of the original Fab Lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) beginning in 2000 have agreed to provision in the charter to make Fab Lab ICC “available to the community.” For us, in this market, that means individual memberships for about $10 per month. This is not enough for the overall sustainability of our existence, yet we believe it’s the right philosophy. 

We’ll always be thinly staffed and most of our members realize that while we’re there to be helpful and friendly, we won’t ever have the resources for one of us to sit down beside members from start to finish of their projects, guiding every step of the process. Part of the magic of Fab Labs is the necessity for members and students to learn to learn on their own while freely asking for occasional help from staff and other members. As part of the membership agreement, our members agree to help each other learn. It’s really satisfying for us to observe this member helping member activity. 

A substantial part of our staffing strategy is to leverage volunteers who are willing to give of their time in an organized process of helping other members. Enter our brand new Fab Lab ICC Volunteer Program. Former John Deere employee, now retired, Wayne Stephany has volunteered to lead our efforts to organize our volunteer program. For members that get involved in this program, we’ll train them quickly on our four most popular work centers. They will then agree to be on hand and available during scheduled periods to help other members with their projects. During the times when there are no members in the lab needing help, the volunteers can work on their own projects. That, in and of itself will be an enjoyable experience, but the real satisfaction will come as these volunteers see light bulbs coming on and gears turning as they observe new members experiencing Fab Lab ICC. 

Although we are now actively seeking our members to volunteer for our volunteer program, some have come forward on their own. Such was the case with Wayne Stephany and also the case for two special volunteers; Laurie Rutland and April Whitson. 

Laurie and April are good friends, both working full-time at different companies. They began coming to the lab in search of a series of products they could make together to sell. One of their ideas was to re-make classic board games, like Chinese checkers in a stylish way to inspire family game-playing in a way that doesn’t involve smart-phone screens. They were in the middle of prototyping their new folding board one night when they told me they might have a new goal; to organize classes to teach women the joy of creating at Fab Lab ICC, thus Fab Lab Divas was born. During the first of what will be many “Make & Take” sessions, participants will learn enough about laser etching on glass to take home an etched wine glass. There are two sessions from which to choose on Saturday, April 8. The evening session on Wednesday, April 12 is full with a considerable waiting list, but at this time there are still spots in the Saturday sessions. 

On the horizon, but very early in the planning stages are ukulele and guitar making classes led by volunteers. 

All this is indicating to us that the organized use of volunteers is going to be a viable strategy in serving our members even while on a very slim staffing budget. 

Jim Correll is the director of Fab Lab ICC at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship on the campus of Independence Community College. He can be reached at (620) 252-5349 or by email at jcorrell@indycc.edu. Archive columns and podcasts at www.fablabicc.org.