What to Know
- The lab supports 3-D printing, laser cutting, green screen filming, sewing, and more.
- The lab is free, but users must call to reserve specific equipment.
- The lab’s hours are Monday through Friday 1 to 5 p.m. Hours are extended on Wednesday and Thursday from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The Los Angeles Public Library is fueling creativity.
The new Octavia Lab maker space and audiovisual studio at the LA Central Library will allow the public to 3-D print, laser cut, film on green screen, and sew.
Using the lab is free, but users must call to reserve specific equipment. There are fees for using the supplies necessary with some of the equipment, but the use of the equipment itself is free.
The lab's hours are Monday through Friday, 1 to 5 p.m. Hours are extended on Wednesday and Thursday from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The 3,000-square-foot space is named after science fiction author Octavia Butler. In her 30-year career, Butler published 12 books and a collection of short stories.
Butler was a frequent visitor of the Central Library.
News
Top news of the day
Another key feature of the lab is the DIY Memory Lab, which helps to digitize personal media. It can handle slides, negatives, prints, VHS tapes, audio cassettes, floppy disks, and more. Users must provide your own drive to put the digitized material on, but the library aims to help preserve memories.
The library also offers a mobile version of the memory lab, which will be a pop-up program available at multiple branches around the city.
Call 213-228-7150 to reserve.
Available services in the Octavia Lab:
- DIY Memory Lab
- Adobe Creative Cloud
- HP Sprout/3-D Scanner
- Silhouette Cutting Tool
- Roland Vinyl Cutter
- Epson Large Format Printer
- Sewing Machines
- Serger
- Lighting Equipment
- Final Cut Pro
- Pro Tools
- Microphones
- Computerized Embroidery Machine
- HTC Vive — VR
- Wacom Tablets
- Laser Cutter
- 3-D Printer
- CNC Mill
- Green Screen Backdrop/Buff Screen Backdrop
