San Mateo County Libraries provide resources for last-minute gift making 

David Vargas, a librarian at the Belmont location, said he has seen many residents come in to create crafts — for free — that are perfect for gift giving. Workshops are being held to craft fabric scrap ornaments, crochet drink coozies or sewing mittens. In recent days, one patron came in and embroidered onesies for a newborn in the family, another father came to laser print personalized light shades. 

“It’s really neat that his daughter is going to get this really unique gift that has a story behind it and was made here in our makerspace on a given Friday,” Vargas said. 

The accessibility of the makerspaces and various resources at county libraries is in pursuit of its motto that “everyone is a maker,” Vargas said. “We’re all creatives, and our creative wheels in our mind will start turning,” he said. “You really start to open up and want to explore and it becomes less intimidating. A lot of that can happen with resources.” 

Library staff are available for support and many libraries will host events or workshops to teach residents how to use the technology. Vargas emphasized that anyone, of any skill level, is encouraged to take advantage of the opportunities to create. 

“When you walk into a makerspace, some of these technologies can feel intimidating, but when you have another staff member or volunteer and they show you how user friendly it can be, it opens the door to makers wanting to try,” Vargas said. 

Makerspaces are located at county library locations in Half Moon Bay, Brisbane, Atherton and Millbrae. San Carlos, Belmont and Foster City are getting their own soon, but every location has a 3D printer and some form of maker equipment, Vargas said. 

These resources are available through reservation, which can be made online. Equipment reservations will coordinate you to work with a staff member on the project you’re trying to accomplish, and give you one to two hours to work synchronously. 

Programming also invites residents to certain locations for crafting workshops, which have seen great intergenerational interactions and exchanges, Vargas said. 

“We’re doing a wealth of maker programs that have really benefited people of all ages,” Vargas said. “We’re open to support everyone, all ages and explorations.” 

The county also has memory labs, which offers a variety of tools to digitize older media, such as CDs, VHS tapes, cassettes or 8 mm reels of film. 

“People are going to have these stories and relatable experiences as they visit those past memories,” Vargas said. “Once people know this is a free service, they’re going to want to take advantage. We all have those treasures that need to be preserved.” 

Residents can visit smcl.org/makerspaces for available resources and available workshops. Libraries will close early Dec. 24 and Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. and will be closed Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.