Readers, Writers, and Builders in Libraries

Most people know that Libraries are places to go and find materials to read - either for research or for pleasure. What most people don't consider is how the library influences and supports the writers of those books, past present and future.
Toronto Public Library, Writer's Room is one such dedicated space. Available to writers - published or unpublished, this research and work space is open on a first-come-first-served basis to assist writers in the Toronto area fulfill their goals.
Writers in the Library is a program offered by the University of Tennessee to encourage local writers and showcase them with award-winning authors world-wide.
Edmonton Public Library Welcomes 2016 writers-in-residence is an ongoing program in Alberta to encourage local writers. Three years running this program has touched thousands of lives, author and reader alike.

Libraries are also developing dedicated areas, tools, and kits for the purposes of teaching skills beyond the traditional sit-and-read icon. Calling them "Maker Spaces" they are as much a mindset as an opportunity for patrons and visitors to try out things they could never afford on their own.
Edmonton MakerSpace is available to residents and tourists of Edmonton. You can print books, film green-screen videos, use 3-D printers, cut vinyl records, and much more. These tools are not likely to find their way into the average household any time soon. Libraries make them accessible.
Sudbury Makerspace, Brantford Makerspace, Ottawa Library ImagineSpace, Moncton Public Library Makerspace, and many others are available to encourage the tactile learners (and those of us who just want to make things!) to learn skills that up until now have been beyond our reach.
What a wonderful world we live in!