Are you a maker, architect, designer or tinkerer interested in fostering creative, social thinking and learning through making?

Following the launch of the Maker Libraries Network at Design Indaba Expo in Cape Town with Thomas Heatherwick and Daniel Charny, we are pleased to announce an open call for four new Maker Libraries in South Africa. 

The Maker Library Network (MLN) is a new initiative that promotes collaboration and knowledge-sharing between designers and makers, and is a British Council project commissioned as part of Connect ZA, a programme running throughout 2014 & 15 which aims to create connections between young creatives and audiences in the UK and South Africa.  

The MLN is looking for four new Maker Librarians in South Africa to join the network, with an open call for applications from makers across a range of creative design disciplines who want to run their own Maker Library through 2014 to 2015.

Creative, publically accessible spaces that combine reading, showing and making, this new type of library aims to encourage local development and knowledge sharing, and will form the base of a new international mentoring network. Each selected Maker Library will receive a starter kit which includes a blueprint and materials budget to build a library, a core set of books, a growing resource of open designs and access to a panel of mentors via an online platform.

The 2014 programme will culminate with an event to showcase the achievements of the first year, with the ambition to expand into a world-wide network.

How to Apply

If you are a maker practicing in South Africa and would like to apply to become one of our four new Maker Libraries, please complete and submit this online form: http://makerlibrarynetwork.org/application/ 

The closing date for applications is the 4 April 2014.