Hackerspaces

With the rise of the maker movement, community spaces that support maker practices, often called makerspaces, have garnered significant attention from the public. As this movement mushrooms in schools and in libraries, museums, and other out-of-school places, a crucial question remains largely unanswered: What is a makerspace? Part of the mobilization of makers grew out of the same technological revolution where hackers are rooted. In this entry, hackerspaces are outlined as one historical root of what came to be called makerspaces. The entry discusses some of the differences between these two types of spaces and provides information about the characteristics that unite them as community spaces.