Why did we select this case?
Rapid technological advancements have an enormous impact on the future of work. The types of jobs that will last through automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the coming century will be those where people can apply their creative and critical thinking skills to solve complex problems with the help of technology. To give people a chance at developing these skills, local governments play a vital role. This case study reflects an example of how city governments can enable citizens to develop necessary skills for the 21th century.
About the case
Library at The Dock is a cultural community space built into the Victoria Harbor, running a range of free classes to help the community learn video editing, coding and 3D printing.
‘The Makers’ space is an informal area for community to run activities that create, develop skills, and workshop. This could be gaming events, screen printing, craft or 3D printing.’ City of Melbourne
The library also hosts Mini Make Days. During this event people from across the city get the opportunity to discover the latest trends in the maker movement.
‘Mini Make Day is a Maker event that brings Melbourne’s Maker Culture to Library at the Dock, an experimental library of the future that houses a fully functional Makerspace and technological session.’ Gil Poznanski (founder Mini Make Day)
The makerspace is staffed by a team who encourage the entire community, including young children, students and elderly, to become better makers by learning new skills that can bring to life a range of electronic, technological and art projects.
Photo from Mini Make Day Library at the Dock
