Hackerspace

{{Short description|Community organization}} {{redirect|Makerspace|library makerspaces|Library makerspace}} [[File:RaumZeitLabor Stairs.jpg|thumb|upright|A German hackerspace (RaumZeitLabor)]] A '''hackerspace''' (also referred to as a '''hacklab''', '''hackspace''', or '''makerspace''') is a community-operated, often not-for-profit workspace where people with common interests, such as computers, machining, technology, science, digital art, or electronic art, can meet, socialize, and collaborate.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Davies |first1=Sarah R. |title=Hackerspaces: Making the Maker Movement |date=2017 |publisher=Polity Press |location=Cambridge, UK |isbn=9781509501205}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Mobhe Bokoko |first1=Dave |editor-last1=Uzunidis |editor-first1=Dimitri |editor-last2=Kasmi |editor-first2=Fedoua |editor-last3=Adatto |editor-first3=Laurent |title=Innovation Economics, Engineering and Management Handbook 2: Special Themes |date=2021 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-1-119-83252-2 |pages=161–166 |doi=10.1002/9781119832522.ch18 |language=en |chapter=Hacker – Hackerspace as a Space for Creative Exploration}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Murillo |first1=Luis Felipe R. |title=Common Circuits: Hacking Alternative Technological Futures |date=2025 |publisher=Stanford University Press |location=Stanford, California |isbn=9781503641495}}</ref> Hackerspaces are comparable to other community-operated spaces with similar aims and structures, such as Fab Labs, men's sheds, and some commercial makerspaces.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Van Holm |first1=Eric Joseph |title=What are Makerspaces, Hackerspaces, and Fab Labs? |journal=SSRN Electronic Journal |date=2014 |doi=10.2139/ssrn.2548211 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

== History == The history of hackerspaces is usually traced to several overlapping traditions, including hacker culture, computer clubs, hacklabs, autonomous social centers, squats, artist-run spaces, and other countercultural or community-operated workshops.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Grenzfurthner |first1=Johannes |last2=Schneider |first2=Frank Apunkt |title=Hacking the Spaces: A critical acclaim of what was, is and could be a hackerspace |url=https://www.monochrom.at/hacking-the-spaces/ |website=monochrom |access-date=31 May 2026}}</ref> In Europe, groups associated with the Chaos Computer Club, c-base in Berlin, and later Metalab in Vienna helped shape a model of semi-public, community-run spaces for technical, artistic, and political experimentation.<ref name="wired2007">{{cite magazine |last=Borland |first=John |title="Hacker space" movement sought for U.S. |url=https://www.wired.com/2007/08/us-hackers-moun/ |magazine=Wired |date=11 August 2007 |access-date=31 May 2026}}</ref><ref name="wired2009">{{cite magazine |last=Tweney |first=Dylan |title=DIY Freaks Flock to 'Hacker Spaces' Worldwide |url=https://www.wired.com/2009/03/hackerspaces/ |magazine=Wired |date=29 March 2009 |access-date=31 May 2026}}</ref>

Metalab, founded in Vienna in 2006, became one influential example of this newer generation of hackerspaces. Paul Böhm was among the people involved in Metalab's founding and later helped establish Hackerspaces.org, a wiki-based website that listed hackerspaces and collected practical information about starting and running them. {{As of|2015|September}}, the community list included 1967 hackerspaces with 1199 active sites and 354 planned sites.<ref name="hackerspacewiki-list">{{cite web |title=List of Hacker Spaces |url=https://wiki.hackerspaces.org/List_of_Hacker_Spaces |website=Hackerspaces.org |publisher=Hackerspaces.org |access-date=30 September 2015}}</ref> In 2007, the "Hackers on a Plane" tour brought a group of North American hackers to European hacker events and spaces, including sites in Germany and Austria; participants later helped found spaces such as NYC Resistor, HacDC, and Noisebridge.<ref name="wired2007" /><ref name="wired2009" />

In 2012, Bilal Ghalib helped organize a two-day pop-up hackerspace event in Baghdad, which ''Wired'' described as part of an emerging wave of DIY maker labs in the Middle East.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ackerman |first=Spencer |title=Iraq's First Hackerspace Will Run on 'Irrational Optimism' |url=https://www.wired.com/2012/09/iraq-hackerspace/ |website=Wired |date=18 September 2012 |access-date=31 May 2026}}</ref>

Worldwide, a large number of hackerspace or makerspace facilities have been founded. Nicole Lou and Katie Peek reported that in 2016 the number of active or planned spaces was 1,393, fourteen times as many as in 2006.<ref>{{Cite news|url= https://www.popsci.com/rise-makerspace-by-numbers|title= By The Numbers: The Rise Of The Makerspace|work= Popular Science|access-date= 2018-09-26|last=Lou|first=Nicole|date=2016-02-23|last2=Peek|first2=Katie}}</ref>

The US federal government has started adopting the concept of fully open makerspaces within its agencies {{as of|2015|lc= y}}, the first of which (SpaceShop Rapid Prototyping Lab) resides at the Ames Research Center.<ref>{{Cite web|url= http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/spaceshop|title= NASA Ames SpaceShop|last= Mazhari|first= Alex|date= 2015-02-26|website= NASA|access-date= 2019-03-26|archive-date= 2019-04-02|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190402000123/https://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/spaceshop/|url-status= dead}}</ref>

== Activities == [[File:Hackerspace Software and Hardware.jpg|thumb|upright|Many hackerspaces support the free software movement.]] In general, hackerspaces function as centers for peer learning and knowledge sharing, in the form of workshops, presentations, and lectures. They usually also offer social activities for their members, such as game nights and parties. Hackerspaces can be viewed as open community labs incorporating elements of machine shops, workshops, and/or studios where hackers can come together to share resources and knowledge to build and make things.<ref>{{cite news |last=Saini |first=Angela |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8107803.stm |title=DIY Gadgetry |newspaper=BBC News |date=June 19, 2009}}</ref>

Many hackerspaces participate in the use and development of free software, open hardware, and alternative media. They are often physically located in infoshops, social centers, adult education centers, public schools, public libraries, or on university campuses, but may relocate to industrial or warehouse space when they need more room.{{Citation needed|date=May 2026}}

[[File:Maker tutorial on configuring a Raspberry Pi 2.png|thumb|Naomi Wu demonstrating how to configure a Raspberry Pi 2]] Most recent studies of hackerspaces in China, where Internet access is heavily censored, suggest that new businesses and organized technology conferences can intervene in the status quo "from within". The first hackerspace in China, Xinchejian,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303722604579111253495145952 |title=In China, Lessons of a 'Hackerspace'}}</ref> opened in Shanghai in 2010. A network of hackerspaces subsequently emerged, supporting an emerging maker culture. By designing open technologies and developing new businesses, Chinese makers use, alter, and sometimes provoke existing systems. DIY makers often bring together seemingly contradictory ideas, such as copycat and open source, manufacturing and DIY, and individual empowerment and collective change. In doing so, they craft a subject position beyond the common claim that Chinese citizens lack creativity.<ref>Lindtner, Silvia (2014), "Hackerspaces and the Internet of Things in China: How makers are reinventing industrial production, innovation, and the self", China Information 28(2): 145-167.</ref>

== Facilities == [[File:XanaduArtistGivesMachineShopTour.jpg|thumb|An artist gives a tour of one of the two machine shops in Xanadu, a makerspace under the aegis of Burning Man (Idaho Burners Alliance) in Boise which is open to all.]] thumbnail|right|Example makerspace layout The specific tools and resources available at hackerspaces vary from place to place. They typically provide space for members to work on their individual projects, or to collaborate on group projects with other members. Hackerspaces may also operate computer tool lending libraries,<ref>{{cite web |last=Williams |first=Wyatt |url=http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/freeside_atlanta_makes_space_for_local_hackers/Content?oid=1214636 |title=Freeside Atlanta makes space for local hackers |publisher=Creative Loafing |date=November 30, 2009 |access-date=2009-12-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091207114428/http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/freeside_atlanta_makes_space_for_local_hackers/Content?oid=1214636 |archive-date=2009-12-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=May 2026}} or physical tool lending libraries, up to and including creative sex toys in some instances.<ref name="Better Loving Through Technology">{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/dec/10/better-loving-through-technology-sex-toy-hackathon |title=Better loving through technology: a day at the sex-toy hackathon Sound-controlled vibrators, 3D-printed clitorises and 'Michael Gove' as a safe word: coders and inventors try to find the future of sex in south London |last=Campbell |first=Hayley |date=2017-12-10 |website=The Guardian |access-date=2018-02-05}}</ref>

The building or facility the hackerspace occupies provides the physical infrastructure that members need to complete their projects. In addition, most hackerspaces provide electrical power, computer servers, and networking with Internet connectivity. Well-equipped hackerspaces may provide machine tools, sewing, crafting, art fabrication, audio equipment, video projectors, game consoles, electronic instrumentation (such as oscilloscopes and signal generators), electronic components and raw materials for hacking, and various other tools for electronics fabrication and creating things.<ref>{{cite web |last=Roush |first=Wade |url=http://www.xconomy.com/national/2009/05/22/people-doing-strange-things-with-soldering-irons-a-visit-to-hackerspace/ |title=People Doing Strange Things With Soldering Irons: A Visit to Hackerspace |work=Xconomy |publisher=Xconomy.com |date= May 22, 2009}}</ref> Specialized large-format printers, 3D printers, laser cutters, industrial sewing machines, CNC machine, or water jet cutters may be available for members to use. Some hackerspaces provide food storage and food preparation equipment, and may teach courses in basic or advanced cooking.

== Organization == [[File:Hackerspace billboard.jpg|thumb|Billboard promoting makerspaces]] The individual character of a hackerspace is determined by its members. There are multiple ways in which hackerspaces are organized.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blog.adafruit.com/2012/11/15/how-to-start-a-hackerspace-part-4-get-it-done/|title=How To Start A Hackerspace: Part 4 – Get It Done|work=Adafruit Industries - Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers! |date=15 November 2012 }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Kostakis|first1=Vasilis|last2=Niaros|first2=Vasilis|last3=Giotitsas|first3=Christos|date=September 2015|title=Production and governance in hackerspaces: A manifestation of Commons-based peer production in the physical realm?|journal=International Journal of Cultural Studies|volume=18|issue=5|pages=555–573|doi=10.1177/1367877913519310|s2cid=43973532|issn=1367-8779}}</ref> * Some hackerspaces are governed by boards elected by active members in good standing. Elected officers may serve predetermined terms, and help direct decision-making with regards to purchasing new equipment, recruiting new members, formulating policy, conforming to safety requirements, and other administrative issues. London Hackspace, for example, is governed by an elected board of trustees.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wiki.london.hackspace.org.uk/view/Organisation/Trustees|title=Organisation/Trustees - London Hackspace Wiki|website=wiki.london.hackspace.org.uk|access-date=2019-06-24}}</ref> * Others, such as [https://www.meetup.com/OpenGarage/ Open Garage], are led by a single Benevolent Dictator For Life (BDFL). This is a common governance structure for hackerspaces which are founded by a single person on their own property.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wiki.hackerspaces.org/Benevolent_Dictator|title=Benevolent Dictator - HackerspaceWiki|website=wiki.hackerspaces.org|access-date=2019-06-24|archive-date=2019-06-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624212618/https://wiki.hackerspaces.org/Benevolent_Dictator|url-status=dead}}</ref> * There are also more anarchist governance models such as a '''Do-ocracy''', in which people receive the authority over a task by doing it.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sebrechts |first1=Merlijn |author2=Hackerspace Gent |title=The Hackerspace Blueprint: Empowering people to be awesome |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TnSSDwAAQBAJ |publisher=Merlijn Sebrechts}}</ref> This model is often combined with other structures such as elected boards or consensus-driven meetings, as is the case in Noisebridge.

Membership fees are usually the main income of a hackerspace, but some also accept external sponsors. In the United States, some hackerspaces are organized as tax-exempt nonprofit organizations, including organizations with 501(c)(3) status, while others have chosen to forgo tax-exempt status.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pumpingstationone.org/about |title=About |publisher=Pumpingstationone.org |access-date=19 February 2010}}</ref> University-affiliated hackerspaces often do not charge an explicit fee, but are generally limited to students, staff, or alumni, although visiting guests from other hackerspaces are usually welcome. Some hackerspaces accept volunteer labor in lieu of membership fees, especially from financially limited participants. In addition, some hackerspaces earn income from sponsoring and staffing high-tech flea markets, where members of the general public may buy and sell new and used equipment and supplies.

There is a loose, informal tradition at many hackerspaces of welcoming visitors from other similar organizations, whether across town or internationally. Free exchange of ideas, skills, and knowledge are encouraged, especially at periodic gatherings sometimes called "build nights", "open door" or "open house" days.

Makerspaces are increasingly being included as learning spaces in schools, learning commons, and other educational facilities.

== Ethics == Hackerspaces are widely defined on hackerspaces.org as "community-operated physical places, where people can meet and work on their projects". Their organization varies from place to place and is determined by their members. Although there is no single blueprint or set of guidelines for creating a hackerspace, many spaces draw on a "hacker ethic",<ref>Cameron Guthrie (2014): ''[https://www.academia.edu/7241516/Empowering_the_hacker_in_us_a_comparison_of_fab_lab_and_hackerspace_ecosystems Empowering the hacker in us: a comparison of fab lab and hackerspace ecosystems]''. Paper presented in: 5th LAEMOS (Latin American and European Meeting on Organization Studies) Colloquium, Havana Cuba, 2‐5 April 2014</ref> which has been described as including autonomy, free access to and circulation of information, distrust of traditional top-down authority, learning by doing, peer-to-peer learning, sharing, solidarity, and cooperation.<ref>Kostakis, V.; Niaros, V.; Giotitsas, C. (2014): ''[http://ics.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/02/13/1367877913519310.abstract Production and governance in hackerspaces: A manifestation of Commons-based peer production in the physical realm?]''. Published in:''International Journal of Cultural Studies''</ref>

Hackerspaces have also been described as physical manifestations of the peer production principles.<ref name=":0" />

== Equity and justice-centered making == Large opportunity gaps in science and engineering (STEM) persist for youth growing up in poverty, and in particular for African American and Latino youth, and have become a focus of STEM-rich Making. The evolving maker movement has generated interest for its potential role in opening up access to learning and attainment in STEM, with advocates arguing for its “democratizing effects" – with access to a makerspace, “anyone can make... anyone can change the world”.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The maker movement manifesto|last=Hatch|first=M|publisher=McGraw-Hill|year=2014|pages=10}}</ref> Makerspaces potentially offer opportunities for young people to engage in STEM knowledge and practices in creative and playful ways, where “learning is and for the making”.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sheridan|first1=Kimberly M.|last2=Halverson|first2=Erica Rosenfeld|last3=Brahms|first3=Lisa|last4=Litts|first4=Breanne K.|last5=Jacobs-Priebe|first5=Lauren|last6=Owens|first6=Trevor|date=2014|title=Learning in the making: A comparative case study of three makerspaces|url=http://hepg.org/her-home/issues/harvard-educational-review-volume-84-number-4/herarticle/learning-in-the-making|journal=Harvard Educational Review|volume=84|issue=4|pages=505–531|doi=10.17763/haer.84.4.brr34733723j648u|s2cid=145488840|url-access=subscription|archive-date=2019-03-06|access-date=2019-03-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306044650/http://hepg.org/her-home/issues/harvard-educational-review-volume-84-number-4/herarticle/learning-in-the-making|url-status=dead}}</ref>

However, an explicit equity-agenda has been fairly absent in the maker movement, especially as it relates to sustained engagement in making. The movement remains an adult, white, middle-class pursuit, led by those with the leisure time, technical knowledge, experience, and resources to make.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Vinodrai |first1=Tara |last2=Nader |first2=Bilal |last3=Zavarella |first3=Karri |title=Manufacturing space for inclusive innovation |journal=Local Economy |date=2021 |volume=36 |issue=3 |pages=205–223 |doi=10.1177/02690942211013532 |pmid=34650320 |pmc=8504410 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Even with the growth of community-based makerspaces, users of these spaces tend to be white adult men. The median salary for those involved in the maker movement in the US is $103,000, with 97% of those who go to Maker Faires having college degrees (and 70% have graduate degrees). Only 11% of the contributions to ''Make Magazine'' (the periodical credited with launching the Maker Movement) are female.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Makeology: Makerspaces as Learning Environments|last1=Peppler|first1=Kylie|last2=Halverson|first2=Erica R.|last3=Kafai|first3=Yasmin B.|publisher=Routledge |year=2016|pages=15–29}}</ref> Thus, as the maker movement has become formalized, the powerful knowledge and practices of communities of color or of low-income communities have not yet become central to its discourse.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Tan |first1=Edna |author2=Angela Calabrese Barton|last3=Schenkel|first3=Kathleen|date=2018|title=Methods and Strategies: Equity and the Maker Movement |journal=Science and Children |volume=055|issue=7 |pages=76–81 |doi=10.2505/4/sc18_055_07_76|issn=0036-8148}}</ref>

Emerging research has begun to address how the maker movement might address equity concerns broadly. There is recent research in this area, which is challenging the field to consider new directions in the design of maker spaces, in maker space programming and pedagogies, and in how to make sense of the outcomes of making. These include: 1) Expanding what counts as making;<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Tan|first1=Edna|last2=Calabrese Barton|first2=Angela|date=2018-01-02|title=Towards Critical Justice: Exploring Intersectionality in Community-based STEM-rich Making with Youth from Non-dominant Communities|journal=Equity & Excellence in Education|volume=51|issue=1|pages=48–61|doi=10.1080/10665684.2018.1439786|s2cid=150173739|issn=1066-5684|url=http://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/E_Tan_Towards_2018.pdf}}</ref><ref name="Kafai 532–556">{{Cite journal|last1=Kafai|first1=Yasmin|last2=Fields|first2=Deborah|last3=Searle|first3=Kristin|date=December 2014|title=Electronic Textiles as Disruptive Designs: Supporting and Challenging Maker Activities in Schools|journal=Harvard Educational Review|volume=84|issue=4|pages=532–556|doi=10.17763/haer.84.4.46m7372370214783|issn=0017-8055}}</ref> 2) Design of makerspaces that foster an open, flexible and welcoming atmosphere to youth;<ref name="Angela">{{Cite book|title=STEM-rich maker learning: designing for equity with youth of color|last1=Calabrese Barton|first1=Angela|last2=Tan|first2=Edna|date=27 July 2018|isbn=9780807759233|location=New York, NY|oclc=1028843326}}</ref> 3) Maker space programs and pedagogies that support an equitable culture of making, the incorporation of participants’ cultural knowledge and practices,<ref name="Calabrese Barton 761–800">{{Cite journal|last1=Calabrese Barton|first1=Angela|last2=Tan|first2=Edna|date=August 2018|title=A Longitudinal Study of Equity-Oriented STEM-Rich Making Among Youth From Historically Marginalized Communities|journal=American Educational Research Journal|volume=55|issue=4|pages=761–800|doi=10.3102/0002831218758668|issn=0002-8312|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Barajas-López 7–20">{{Cite journal|last1=Barajas-López|first1=Filiberto|last2=Bang|first2=Megan|date=2018-01-02|title=Indigenous Making and Sharing: Claywork in an Indigenous STEAM Program|journal=Equity & Excellence in Education|volume=51|issue=1|pages=7–20|doi=10.1080/10665684.2018.1437847|s2cid=149539777|issn=1066-5684}}</ref> a focus on new literacies;<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Tucker-Raymond|first1=Eli|last2=Gravel|first2=Brian E.|last3=Wagh|first3=Aditi|last4=Wilson|first4=Naeem|date=2016|title=Making It Social: Considering the Purpose of Literacy to Support Participation in Making and Engineering|journal=Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy|volume=60|issue=2|pages=207–211|doi=10.1002/jaal.583|issn=1936-2706}}</ref> and valuing multiple iterations and failing-forward;<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ryoo|first1=Jean J.|last2=Bulalacao|first2=Nicki|last3=Kekelis|first3=Linda|last4=McLeod|first4=Emily|last5=Henriquez|first5=Barbara|date=2015|title=Tinkering with "failure": Equity, learning, and the iterative design process|journal=Fablearn}}</ref> and 4) Expanding the outcomes of making to include agency, identity, and the after-life of maker projects.<ref name="Angela"/> Cutting across these areas are specific attention to gender and computer science,<ref name="Kafai 532–556"/> indigenous epistemologies and maker activities,<ref name="Barajas-López 7–20"/> and how makerspaces may ground STEM-rich making in the lived experiences and wisdom of youth of color and their families and communities.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Barton|first1=Angela Calabrese|last2=Tan|first2=Edna|title=Proceedings of the 7th Annual Conference on Creativity and Fabrication in Education |chapter=Equity-oriented STEM-rich making among youth from historically marginalized communities |date=2017|pages=1–4|location=New York, New York, USA|publisher=ACM Press|doi=10.1145/3141798.3141809|isbn=9781450363495|s2cid=8269177}}</ref>

One emerging area of studies examines the production of an equitable culture in making, including in-depth longitudinal cases of youth makers in community settings, how youth and community co-design for equitable learning opportunities and outcomes.<ref name="Calabrese Barton 761–800"/>

== Difficulties and critique == Hackerspaces can run into difficulties with building codes or other planning regulations, which may not be designed to handle their scope of activities. For example, a new hackerspace in Nashua, New Hampshire, was shut down by the city after an inspection in 2011. The main issues involved ventilation of heat and toxic fumes; the space was reopened after improvements were made to the building.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/943138-196/makeit-labs-the-new-hackerspace-in-nashua.html|title=MakeIt Labs, the new 'hackerspace' in Nashua, closed by the city for permits, other issues|work=Nashua Telegraph|access-date=28 May 2015}}</ref>

The difficulties with opening hackerspaces and makerspaces within nonprofit organizations such as schools and public libraries include cost, space, liability, and availability of personnel.<ref>{{cite web|author=Educause|title=7 Things You Should Know About Maker Spaces|url=https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7095.pdf|access-date=31 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102154801/https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7095.pdf|archive-date=2013-11-02|url-status=dead}}</ref> Many makerspaces struggle to sustain viable business models in support of their missions.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.makery.info/en/2017/03/31/a-londres-les-makers-face-a-la-gentrification/|title=In London, makers face gentrification|work=Makery|access-date=2018-07-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Shivers-McNair |first1=Ann |title=Beyond the Makerspace: Making and Relational Rhetorics |date=2021 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |isbn=978-0-472-90241-5 |pages=1–158 |url=https://www.fulcrum.org/concern/monographs/3197xn981}}</ref>

In 2009, Johannes Grenzfurthner published the much debated pamphlet "Hacking the Spaces" that dealt with exclusionist tendencies in the hackerspaces movement. Grenzfurthner extended his critique through lectures at the 2012 and 2014 Hackers on Planet Earth conferences in New York City.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Niarchos |first1=Nicolas |title=A Print Magazine for Hackers |url=https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/print-magazine-hackers |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=5 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Dunbar-Hester |first=Christina |date=2020 |title=Hacking Diversity: The Politics of Inclusion in Open Technology Cultures |publisher=Princeton University Press |series=Princeton Studies in Culture and Technology |page=59 |isbn=978-0-691-19288-8}}</ref>

== Benefits == Research on makerspaces and hackerspaces has identified several potential educational and social benefits. These include the development of psychosocial skills such as motivation, self-directed learning, initiative, confidence, and positive risk-taking.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Mersand |first=Shannon |date=September 2021 |title=Untapped Potential: Makerspace as Conduit for Talent Development |journal=Journal of Thought |volume=55 |issue=3/4 |pages=39–58 |via=EBSCOhost}}</ref> Hackerspace experiences may also help participants connect classroom learning to practical applications, gain access to resources and materials that would otherwise be unavailable, and develop persistence through iterative work and failure-based learning.<ref name=":1" />

Some studies argue that makerspaces can broaden access to STEM opportunities for underrepresented or economically disadvantaged students.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Barton |first1=Angela Calabrese |last2=Tan |first2=Edna |last3=Greenberg |first3=Day |date=June 2017 |title=The Makerspace Movement: Sites of Possibilities for Equitable Opportunities to Engage Underrepresented Youth in STEM |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/016146811711900608 |journal=Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education |volume=119 |issue=6 |pages=1–44 |doi=10.1177/016146811711900608 |issn=0161-4681 |via=Sage Journals |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Hands-on activities in such spaces have also been associated with experiential STEM learning in school libraries and other educational settings.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Woods |first1=Stacey |last2=Hsu |first2=Yu-Chang |date=May 2020 |title=Making Spaces for STEM in the School Library |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11528-019-00460-9 |journal=TechTrends |volume=64 |issue=3 |pages=388–394 |doi=10.1007/s11528-019-00460-9 |issn=8756-3894 |via=EBSCOhost |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Because many hackerspace activities involve group projects, they may also support collaboration and leadership skills.<ref name=":1" />

The social role of makerspaces has also been discussed in relation to emergency response. The 2024 Austrian documentary film ''Hacking at Leaves'' examines a makerspace in Durango, Colorado, that produced protective medical equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. FM4 described the film as including an excursus on the development of hackerspaces, while ''Make''/Heise described it as a documentary about the maker movement in an American small town.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ein Hackerspace rettet Leben |trans-title=A hackerspace saves lives |url=https://fm4.orf.at/stories/3049784/ |website=FM4 |publisher=ORF |date=17 September 2025 |access-date=31 May 2026 |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Hansson |first=Marcus |title=Hacking at leaves: Dokumentarfilm mit Makerbezug online frei verfügbar |trans-title=Hacking at Leaves: Documentary film with maker connection available online for free |url=https://www.heise.de/news/Hacking-at-leaves-Dokumentarfilm-mit-Makerbezug-online-frei-verfuegbar-11067577.html |website=Make |publisher=Heise Medien |date=6 November 2025 |access-date=31 May 2026 |language=de}}</ref>

==Notable hackerspaces== A directory of hackerspaces is maintained at the Hackerspaces.org wiki.<ref name="hackerspacewiki-list" />

{{Category see also|Hackerspaces}}

Over the years, many hackerspaces have grown significantly in membership, operational budgets, and local media attention. Many have also helped establish other hackerspaces in nearby locations.

<!-- +++++ EDITORIAL NOTE +++++ Add new entries in approximate CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER. New entries should be *historically notable*; this section may eventually be converted into a "History" section. --> * c-base (1995) from Berlin is recognized as one of the first independent hackerspaces in the world, not affiliated with a school, university, or company. ''Wired'' writes that "European groups, particularly in Germany, have a long tradition of this kind of activity".<ref name="wired2007" /> Another known German hackerspace is RaumZeitLabor, organizer of Trollcon.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/Trollcon-Christopher-Lauer-ist-Troll-des-Jahres-1733470.html |title=Trollcon 2012 |date=21 October 2012 |publisher=Heise.de |access-date=2013-07-10}}</ref> * The Geek Group, formed in 1994, was a nonprofit hackerspace in Grand Rapids, Michigan that had a large following and internet presence. There were various chapters around the United States. Their main focus was as an open source hackerspace to increase STEM education accessibility and one day become an accredited institution of higher education. The organization dissolved in 2018.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2018-12-31 |title=GR tech group blames fed search fallout for shutdown |url=https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/the-national-science-institute-shutting-down/1680937370 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181231205752/https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/the-national-science-institute-shutting-down/1680937370 |archive-date=2018-12-31 |access-date=2026-05-22 |work=WOODTV |language=en-US}}</ref> * Metalab, founded in 2006, is generally considered to have pioneered the funding principles that enabled rapid spread of the concept.<ref>{{cite web | last = Brugh | first = Willow | work = MAKE |title= Metalab, Extroverted Viennese Hackerspace | url = https://makezine.com/2012/01/16/metalab-extroverted-viennese-hackerspace/ | date = January 16, 2012 | access-date = October 30, 2018 }}</ref> * TechShop was the first chain of commercial hackerspaces. It was launched in October 2006. {{As of|2012|10}}, there were six TechShop locations in the US: three in California and one each in North Carolina, Michigan, and Texas, the last a partnership with the Lowe's home improvement chain. {{As of|2019|05}}, the company had declared bankruptcy, with plans for reorganization or liquidation to be announced.<ref name="Woods">{{cite web |last1=Woods |first1=Dan |title=TechShop Closes Doors, Files Bankruptcy |url=https://makezine.com/2017/11/15/techshop-closes-doors-files-bankruptcy/ |website=Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers |access-date=2019-05-15 |date=15 November 2017}}</ref><ref name="Su">{{cite web |last1=Su |first1=Jean Baptiste |title=Report: TechShop Shuts Down, Files For Bankruptcy Amid Heavy Losses, Unsustainable Business Model |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeanbaptiste/2017/11/15/techshop-shuts-down/#4d50d17e6c26 |website=Forbes |access-date=2019-05-15 }}</ref> * In August 2007, a group of North American hackers visited Europe "to get a sense for the potential of European 'hacker spaces'"; upon their return, the groups NYC Resistor and HacDC were set up in late 2007, with Noisebridge following in fall 2008.<ref name="wired2007" /><ref name="wired2009" /> * RevSpace is a Dutch hackerspace founded in 2009. A regular of its IRC channel perpetrated a DDoS attack on VISA and MasterCard in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.computerworld.com/article/2511821/hackers-rally-around-dutch-wikileaks-ddos-suspect.html|title=Hackers rally around Dutch WikiLeaks DDoS suspect|last=Winter|first=Brenno de|date=2010-12-10|website=Computerworld|language=en|access-date=2020-01-21}}</ref> * Dallas Makerspace (DMS) was founded by members of the Dallas Personal Robotics Group (DPRG) in 2010.<ref name=bustillos2017>{{cite web|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/business/technology/2017/06/09/creators-find-camaraderie-lifelong-learning-dallas-makerspace|title=Creators find camaraderie — and lifelong learning — at the Dallas Makerspace|last=Bustillos|first=Esteban|date=9 June 2017 |publisher=The Dallas Morning News|access-date=18 August 2017}}</ref> As of summer of 2017, it has a paying membership base of 1500, "making it one of the largest, if not the largest, nonprofit, volunteer-run makerspaces in the country" according to Dallas Morning News.<ref name=bustillos2017 /> * The first Chinese hackerspace Xinchejian was established in Shanghai in the fall of 2010. Thereafter hackerspaces have grown in numerous cities including Beijing, Shenzhen, Ningbo, Hangzhou and Guangzhou. Chinese makers became internationally visible when the first Maker Carnival was hosted in Beijing in 2012.<ref>Lindtner, Silvia (2014), "Hackerspaces and the Internet of Things in China: How makers are reinventing industrial production, innovation, and the self", ''China Information'' 28(2): 145-167.</ref> * Columbus Idea Foundry moved into a 65,000-square-foot factory in Columbus Ohio on May 22, 2014.<ref>{{cite news |title=Columbus Idea Foundry becomes a work in progress |publisher=The Columbus Dispatch |date=November 2, 2014 |url=http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2014/11/02/01-work-in-progress.html |access-date=2015-06-26 |archive-date=2015-07-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711040421/http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2014/11/02/01-work-in-progress.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> By one account, it is "the country's largest such space".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/07/world-without-work/395294/|title=A World Without Work|first=Derek|last=Thompson |website=theatlantic.com |date=23 June 2015 }}</ref> * NASA's Ames Research Center Rapid Prototyping Lab was developed as the first open makerspace within the US Federal Government. It has trained thousands of Federal employees on emerging rapid-prototyping equipment.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/spaceshop|title=NASA Ames SpaceShop|last=Mazhari|first=Alex|date=2017-06-28|website=NASA|access-date=2019-03-26|archive-date=2019-04-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402000123/https://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/spaceshop/|url-status=dead}}</ref> * According to Wired magazine, Artisan's Asylum (Somerville, Massachusetts), was believed to be the largest makerspace in the world in 2012.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2012/08/artisans-asylum-hackerspace-builds-stompy-the-giant-robot/|title=Building Stompy the Giant Robot Inside the World's Biggest Hackerspace|first=Joseph|last=Flaherty|magazine=Wired|quote=Just shy of 40,000 square feet, the warehouse is believed to be the largest hackerspace in the world, and filled with an impressive arsenal of tools: }}</ref> *''Verstehbahnhof'' in Fürstenberg (Havel) station is an example of a makerspace in a rural German town with a declining population. Daniel Domscheit-Berg is one of the principal contributors to this space.{{Citation needed|date=May 2026}}

== Variations == Many places share values similar to those associated with hackspaces, whether or not they use that terminology. A few examples follow:

=== Public library hackerspaces === Public libraries have long been places to share learning resources. Some have reconsidered their roles to include resources for hacking and making. These spaces generally call themselves library makerspaces. For example, Chattanooga's 4th floor in Tennessee may have been the first use of a library as laboratory and playground for its community. The User Experience (UX){{where|date=March 2025}} is another public laboratory and educational facility.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chattlibrary.org/4th-floor|title=4th Floor|work=chattlibrary.org|access-date=28 May 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/05/future-of-libraries/making-room-for-innovation/#_|title=Making Room for Innovation|work=Library Journal|access-date=28 May 2015|archive-date=12 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512184358/http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/05/future-of-libraries/making-room-for-innovation#_|url-status=dead}}</ref> According to ''Forbes'' magazine, the first public library to open a MakerSpace was the Fayetteville{{which|date=March 2025}} Free Library.<ref>{{cite web|last1=McCue |first1=TJ |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2011/11/15/first-public-library-to-create-a-maker-space|title=First Public Library to Create a Maker Space|website=Forbes|access-date=13 November 2017}}</ref>

=== Feminist hackerspaces === In response to the misogyny allegedly shown by the tech bro culture that sees hackerspaces as "male" spaces, Seattle Attic was founded in the summer of 2013, as the first Feminist Hackerspace in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://peerproduction.net/issues/issue-5-shared-machine-shops/peer-reviewed-articles/feminist-hackerspaces-the-synthesis-of-feminist-and-hacker-cultures/|title=Feminist Hackerspaces: The Synthesis of Feminist and Hacker Cultures|last=Toupin|first=Sophie|publisher=Journal of Peer Production|access-date=14 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://modelviewculture.com/pieces/the-rise-of-feminist-hackerspaces-and-how-to-make-your-own|title=The Rise of Feminist Hackerspaces and How to Make Your Own|last=Henry|first=Liz|publisher=Model View Culture|access-date=14 February 2015}}</ref> They were soon followed by Double Union, in San Francisco.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.doubleunion.org/|title=Double Union|access-date=14 February 2015}}</ref> Their founding came as a result of The Ada Initiative and their AdaCamp conferences, which has also led to the formation of FouFem in Montreal, the Mz Baltazar's Laboratory, a start-up organization and feminist hackspace in Vienna, the Anarchafeminist Hackerhive in San Francisco, the Hacktory in Philadelphia and the Miss Despionas in Tasmania, Australia,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dpi.studioxx.org/en/feminist-hackerspaces-safer-spaces|title=Feminist Hackerspaces as Safer Spaces?|last=Toupin|first=Sophie|publisher=Feminist Journal of Art and Digital Culture|access-date=11 April 2015}}</ref> and others.{{Citation needed|date=May 2026}}

=== Public school maker/hackerspaces === Some public schools in the US also include hackerspaces. The first high school to open a true makerspace was in Sebastopol, California,{{when|date=September 2014}}{{citation needed|date=October 2013}} and middle schools followed the trend. For example, White Hill Middle school in Fairfax, California has now opened up their own makerspace with a class called "Makers and Hackers".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whitehillrobotics.com/?page_id=557|title=White Hill Robotics|access-date=31 October 2013}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable (WP:NOTRS).|date=May 2026}} In 2018 Penketh High School became the first school to have a school makerspace in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/16038242.Penketh_High_becomes_first_state_school_in_the_country_to_build_dedicated__makerspace_/|title=Penketh High becomes first state school in the country to build dedicated 'makerspace'|website=Warrington Guardian|date=22 February 2018 |access-date=2018-04-15}}</ref>

In Shenzhen, China, the nonprofit SteamHead organized a school makerspace inside Shenzhen American International School in 2014, and SZ DIY makerspace organized a makerspace inside Harbour School{{Which|date=May 2026}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Design and Maker Education for Shenzhen's Children and Young People |date=9 August 2016 |url=https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/shekou/design-and-maker-education-for-shenzhens-children-and-young-people |publisher=V&A |access-date=3 August 2019}}</ref>

=== Fab labs === Fab labs are spaces (part of a network initiated by MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms) whose goal is to enable people to "make (almost) anything". They focus heavily on digital fabrication tools.

=== Community spaces === Many community art spaces share values with hackerspaces. Some, like AS220 and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts have embraced fab lab structures to expand the range of media represented in their spaces to include digital fabrication tools. There are also community-based makerspaces focused on open-access to allow community members to address community-based problems – for example, to share resources and access to critical manufacturing equipment. Makerspaces could also be seen as spaces for the co-production of tools that “foster conviviality to the extent to which they can be easily used, by anybody, as often or as seldom as desired, for the accomplishment of a purpose chosen by the user”.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kostakis |first1=Vasilis |last2=Niaros |first2=Vasilis |last3=Giotitsas |first3=Chris |date=2023-09-01 |title=Beyond global versus local: illuminating a cosmolocal framework for convivial technology development |journal=Sustainability Science |language=en |volume=18 |issue=5 |pages=2309–2322 |doi=10.1007/s11625-023-01378-1 |issn=1862-4057|doi-access=free |bibcode=2023SuSc...18.2309K }}</ref>

From a justice perspective, open access is important because many makerspaces require payment to use. Examples of community-based making spaces include [http://getcity.org GET City] and [http://www.wedgedetroit.com/project/mt-elliott-makerspace/ Mt Elliot], both in Michigan.{{Better source needed|reason=Currently just links to the home pages for the maker spaces|date=May 2026}}

=== University maker/hackerspaces === thumb|Laser cutter in a university library Universities and institutions of higher education around the world have at different rates embraced the educational possibilities of these spaces. Makerspaces provide colleges and universities with an inspirational and resource-rich environment where innovative connections between technology and curriculum can be utilized for experiential teaching and learning activities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338534023|title=Developing Experiential Curricula|work=Lone Star College|access-date=2020-01-31}}</ref>

* MIT has pioneered the Fab lab movement and implementation of similar spaces in universities around the world. Non-Fab-Lab-associated Maker and Hackerspaces are also common. * Carleton College's ''Class of 1969 Makerspace'' is particularly multifaceted, offering resources for, and classes on textile arts, carpentry, robotics and electronics, metalsmithing, 3D printing, bike repair, and more.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Class of 1969 Makerspace |date=2019-10-01 |title=Class of 1969 Makerspace - Carleton College |url=https://www.carleton.edu/makerspace/ |access-date=2026-03-21 |website=Carleton College}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bruell |first=Emily |title=‘One-stop shop’ for creativity at Carleton: The Class of ’69 Makerspace is open for business |url=https://thecarletonian.com/6531/arts-and-features/one-stop-shop-for-creativity-at-carleton-the-class-of-69-makerspace-is-open-for-business/ |access-date=2026-03-21 |website=The Carletonian}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=Class of 1969 Makerspace |date=2019-10-02 |title=What Can You Do? - Carleton College |url=https://www.carleton.edu/makerspace/for-students/capabilities/ |access-date=2026-03-21 |website=Carleton College}}</ref> * Wheaton College is one school pioneering new Hacker and Maker curriculums and spaces,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://wheatoncollege.edu/academics/special-projects-initiatives/imagine-network/|title=IMAGINE Network - Wheaton College Massachusetts|work=Wheaton College Massachusetts|access-date=2018-01-05|archive-date=2018-01-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180106063803/https://wheatoncollege.edu/academics/special-projects-initiatives/imagine-network/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://wheatoncollege.edu/news/making-matters/|title=Making matters - Wheaton College Massachusetts|work=Wheaton College Massachusetts|access-date=2018-01-05|archive-date=2018-01-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180106063726/https://wheatoncollege.edu/news/making-matters/|url-status=dead}}</ref> as is Yale University with spaces like its "CEID".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ceid.yale.edu/|title=CEID Homepage|website=Yale CEID|access-date=2018-01-05}}</ref> * Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering has also pioneered Makerist and Hacker curriculum to great success. * The Bioengineering Department at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Engineering and Applied Science combines their educational lab space with an open Bio-MakerSpace in their [http://belabs.seas.upenn.edu/ George H. Stephenson Foundation Educational Laboratory & Bio-MakerSpace] (or Biomakerspace or BioMaker Space), encouraging a free flow of ideas, creativity, and entrepreneurship between Bioengineering students and students throughout the university.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.asee.org/public/conferences/140/papers/25721/view|title=From Course Instruction to Bio-MakerSpace: Creating a Lab Space for Independent Investigation and Innovation: American Society for Engineering Education|website=www.asee.org|access-date=2019-06-27}}</ref> * William & Mary is rapidly expanding their [https://makerspaces.wm.edu makerspace resources] to include engineering spaces for all undergraduate & graduate degrees as part of their new Coll curricula.

=== Tool library === Tool libraries generally lack a shared space for making or hacking things, but instead serve as a repository of tools people can borrow for use in their own respective spaces.

=== Repair cafe / clinic === "Repair cafés" are semipermanent places where people can come together to teach and learn how to fix things. "Repair clinics" are pop-up events without permanent facilities, though they are often sponsored by organizations such as public libraries, schools, or universities.<ref name="Brinkman">{{cite web |last1=Brinkman |first1=Camilla |title=Education, empowerment and enlightenment through guided disassembly of your broken stuff |url=https://news.mit.edu/2012/education-empowerment-and-enlightenment-through-guided-disassembly-of-your-broken-stuff |website=MIT News |date=7 February 2012 |publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology |access-date=2019-05-15}}</ref> The emphasis is on basic DIY repairs rather than building new things, but there is a similar informal atmosphere of exploration and learning new skills.{{Citation needed|date=May 2026}}

=== Bicycle coops === Bicycle cooperatives are places where people can build or fix bicycles.

=== Cooking makerspace === Cooking makerspaces are places where anyone can use different professional kitchen equipment and try culinary experiments.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ktchnrebel.com/the-high-tech-playground/|title=The high-tech playground|last=Marx|first=Ilona|website=KTCHNrebel |date=December 2018 |access-date=2018-11-08}}</ref>

=== Biomakerspace === {{See also|List of Biomakerspaces in the United States}} Biomakerspaces, as opposed to the typical makerspace, are communal laboratory spaces specifically for biology. Typically, their facilities include biological equipment such as PCR machines, autoclaves, and centrifuges. Many biomakerspaces also offer courses on biological techniques.<ref>{{Cite conference |conference=2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference |last1=Patterson |first1=Michael |last2=Godon |first2=Carolyne |last3=Dourte Segan |first3=LeAnn |last4=Mannickarottu |first4=Sevile |date=June 22, 2020 |title=Under the Hood of a Bio-makerspace: Automating Lab Operations |url=http://peer.asee.org/35408 |publisher=ASEE Conferences |doi=10.18260/1-2--35408|via=ASEE Peer}}</ref>

== See also == {{Portal|Manufacturing}} * {{annotated link|Hacker culture}} * {{annotated link|Hackerspace Global Grid}} * {{annotated link|Maker culture}} * {{annotated link|Maker Faire}} * {{annotated link|Men's shed}} * {{annotated link|Tinkering School}} * Urban manufacturing

== References == {{Reflist|30em}}

== External links == {{Commons category|Hackerspaces}} * [https://wiki.hackerspaces.org HackerspaceWiki] – Global hackerspace database and resource * {{Cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131644649 |title=A Space For DIY People To Do Their Business |work=NPR |date=November 28, 2010 |first=Jon |last=Kalish}}

{{Hackerspace}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:501(c)(3) organizations Category:Computer clubs Category:DIY culture Category:Educational environment Category:Hackerspaces Category:Hacker culture