The Maker Spot

Hours
- Monday—Friday: 8 a.m. — 5 p.m.
The Maker Spot, located in room 250 of the Dick Smith Library, endeavors to give the Tarleton community easy access to the most innovative technologies for invention, creation, exploration and design, no matter their field of study. The space offers:
- 3-D printers
- Large format poster printer
- Laser Cutter/etcher
- Cricut Maker
- GoPro & DSLR Camera Equipment
- Maker & Computer Development Kits
For questions, please contact the Maker Spot at 254-968-0508 or [email protected].
Laser Cutter
The Maker Spot includes a laser cutter which can cut, etch, & engrave on many types of materials; including wood, cardboard, leather, acrylic, and some stone. Materials are not provided.
- Cost $1 per minutes

Cricut Maker
Our Cricut Maker offers a wide range of tools for cutting, scoring, writing & adding decorative effects. Glides through cotton, fleece, denim & more quickly and accurately – without backing material. Cuts intricate shapes to perfection in materials like cardstock, vinyl, iron-on, poster board & more.
Printing
3-D Printing

3-D printing brings 3-D computer models to life. Our 3-D printers, which are some of the fastest on the market, print in ABS plastic (the same plastic as LEGOs). Our smaller printer can print models up to 9″x9″x9″ and our larger printer can print models up to 9″x20″x9″. Even with our fast printer, prints do take a while, so we ask that you bring your job into the Maker Spot or submit it to us in order to get it in the queue. After a brief review by Maker Spot staff, items will be printed in the order they are received during our operating hours. We will not print weapon parts, obscene items or mass produce items for commercial use.
Cost: $0.12/gram
Large Format Printing

Print photo quality color research posters, banners, and more. We print items 36″ wide on bond paper, glossy paper, or canvas. To add your job to the print queue, bring your file into The Maker Spot or submit it online for printing. Files will only be printed during our normal operating hours.
- Bond Paper: $3/ft
- Glossy Paper: $4/ft
- Canvas: $6/ft
Checkouts

- Items in the Maker Spot checkout for 7 days.
- Items must be checked out from the Maker Spot, but can be returned to the Maker Spot or the Circulation Desk.
- Items can be renewed for another 7 days by calling the Maker Spot at 254-968-0508, going online to your library account, or coming by the Maker Spot during our business hours. Items will not be renewed if another patron has requested the item.
- Late returns will be fined at a rate of $2/day, per item.
- Follow the links for each item below to see current availability.
Action Cameras
GoPro action cameras capture high-resolution 1080p video or 12 MP photographs. We have 4 GoPro cameras for checkout, and a variety of mounts.
Items available for checkout:
- 3 GoPro HERO4 Silver cameras
- 5 GoPro HERO7 White cameras
- Hat/ Head Strap Mount
- Strap Mount for arms and legs
- Floating Hand Grip Mount
- Pole Mount
- 3-way Adjustable mounts
- Suction Cup Mount
- Tripod Mount
- Music Mount
DSLR Camera
DSLR cameras capture high quality images. We offer a DSLR Camera Kit with a standard 18-55mm lens, a telephoto 55-250mm lens, and a separate flash unit. We do not provide batteries for the flash.
Items available for checkout:
- Canon EOS Rebel T6i DSLR Camera Kit
- Canon EOS Rebel T7 DSLR Camera Kit
- Canon Speedlite 430EX III-RT Flash
- Nikon Z-50 Compact Mirrorless Camera
- Sony Alpha A6100 Compact Mirrorless Camera
Maker Kits
Maker kits teach computer, robotics and electronics skills in a fun, accessible way. They form the basis of electronics and computer projects, without requiring a large amount of technical knowledge. We have 10 maker kits available for checkout:
- 1 LittleBits Arduino Coding Kit
- 1 LittleBits Droid Inventor Kit
- 1 LittleBits Gizmos and Gadgets Kit
- 2 LittleBits Premium Kits
- 1 LittleBits STEAM Student Set
- 3 Makey-Makey Kits
- 1 Circuits Scribe Maker Kit
- 1 Lego Mind Storm
Computer Development Kits
Computer microcontroller development kits help you program and design your own computer-based projects. Our kits provide the microcontroller board, as well as a range of wires and accessories to get you started programming your own projects. We have 3 different types of boards available: