UNC Asheville’s D. Hiden Ramsey Library will further connect students to hands-on resources this fall by establishing the CrAFT (Creativity, Art, Fabrication, and Technology) Studio at Ramsey Library. The studio space, located adjacent to the Media Design Lab, will be funded through a $38,016 award from North Carolina’s Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Grants.

These federal funds are investments that help libraries deliver relevant and up-to-date services for their communities. At D. Hiden Ramsey Library, the LSTA grant will fund the purchase of 3D printers, large format printers, and tablets for instruction and visualization. It will also support student positions to help staff the space.

“The CrAFT Studio offers an exciting opportunity to extend services that are fundamental to the library’s role as a place of learning, discovery, and creation,” said University Librarian Leah Dunn. “It’s an introductory point for students, faculty and staff to experience innovative tools that complement library resources, both traditional and cutting-edge, and it enhances our connections between technology, creativity and scholarship.”

The new CrAFT Studio at Ramsey Library also provides a starting point for students to connect with creative endeavors across UNC Asheville’s curriculum, as well as the city of Asheville, including UNC Asheville’s STEAM Studio at The RAMP (River Arts Makers Place), expected to open in fall 2016, and the Center for Creative Entrepreneurship, in development with The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design.

“Together, these new initiatives offer students a pathway of experience, starting from the heart of campus with this new CrAFT Studio in Ramsey Library. Students will benefit from technology and expert teachers, collaborate with local artists and makers in the STEAM Studio, and have access to community networks and entrepreneurial resources through the Center for Creative Entrepreneurship,” said UNC Asheville Provost Joseph Urgo.

In addition, D. Hiden Ramsey Library at UNC Asheville and Western NC Library Network (WNCLN) have been awarded a $48,825 grant to be used for strategic planning for future directions that serve WNCLN’s mission of fostering active cooperation and collaboration between its members, Appalachian State University, Western Carolina University, and UNC Asheville.

D. Hiden Ramsey Library at UNC Asheville received two of the 48 competitive grants (one in partnership with WNCLN) for fiscal year 2016-17 awarded to North Carolina libraries from this year’s federal allotment of $4,229,540. The LSTA grant program administered by the State Library of North Carolina funds library projects across the state that advance literacy and lifelong learning, expand access to library resources and expertise, promote partnerships and collaboration, and digitize materials important to the cultural heritage of North Carolina.

LSTA funds awarded by the State Library of North Carolina are made possible through funding from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

For more information, visit library.unca.edu or contact University Librarian Leah Dunn at 828.251.6545 or dunn@unca.edu.