Frequently Asked Questions

A makerspace is an area that offers library customers the opportunity to create, learn, explore, and share using resources such as computers, 3D printers, audio-visual equipment, laser cutters and more.

The St. Louis Public Library has three digital makerspaces!

You can find Creative Experience at:

• Barr Library: 1701 South Jefferson Avenue
• Central Library: 1301 Olive Street
• Julia Davis: 4415 Natural Bridge Avenue

Creative Experience @ Barr Library is open:

• Monday: 12 - 8 p.m.
• Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Friday & Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Sunday: Closed

Creative Experience @ Central Library & Julia Davis Library are open:

• Monday - Thursday: 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.
• Friday & Saturday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Sunday: 1 - 5 p.m.

Anyone with a valid St. Louis Public Library card or computer pass can use a Creative Experience computer or recording room to work on creative projects or explore the software.

The computer workstations and recording rooms in Creative Experience are available for two hour reservations. If no one is waiting for a computer, you may go into extended time.

All you need to reserve a computer or recording room is a valid St. Louis Public Library card.

• Computers are available on a walk-in basis, except during special programs. Creative Experience staff are available to help you login.
• If a recording room is available, you can login without a reservation.
• To book
• To book Barr, Julia Davis, or Central’s recording rooms ahead of time, call 314-241-2288 or ask Creative Experience staff. Recording Room reservations can be made up to one week in advance for a maximum of two hours per day.
• Reservations will be held for 15 minutes after the scheduled appointment time.

If you would like to book multiple computers for a group, schedule a tour, or discuss special programming, please contact the Manager of Digital Library Services at cexp@slpl.org or 314-539-0341.

All recording rooms feature a PC computer with dual monitors running Windows 10, audio production software, a Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 audio interface, headphones, and M-Audio 88-key MIDI keyboards.

• At Barr’s recording room, there are four Heil PR40 microphones set up and ready for use.
• At Central’s recording room, there are two Yeti Pro USB microphones set up and ready for use.
• At Julia Davis, there are two recording rooms. In Recording Room 1, there are four Yeti Pro USB microphones set up and ready for use. In Recording Room 2, there are two Yeti Pro USB microphones set up and ready for use.

You can check out additional Shure SM58 microphones and stands, instrument cables, and various connectors.

The workstations in Creative Experience have PC computers running Windows 10 with digital creative software.

• At Barr’s Creative Experience, we have Microsoft Surface Studio computers with web cameras, headphones, and Alesis V-25 MIDI keyboards (available by request).
• At Central's Creative Experience, we have 4 Microsoft Surface Studio computers and 1 large computer Pod, all with web cameras, headphones, and Alesis V-25 MIDI keyboards. Blue Yeti USB microphones are available upon request.
• At Julia Davis’s Creative Experience, we have 12 Microsoft Surface Studio computers with web cameras and headphones.

You can check out additional headphones, card readers, other MIDI controllers, and a photo scanner for use at the computers.

• Ableton Live 10 Intro- Record and sequence audio and MIDI
• Adobe Acrobat DC- Create, edit, and sign PDF documents and forms
• Adobe Acrobat Distiller DC
• Adobe After Effects CC- Cinematic visual effects and motion graphics
• Adobe Animate CC- Flash Professional is now Adobe Animate CC. Interactive animations for multiple platforms.
• Adobe Audition CC- Audio recording, mixing, and restoration
• Adobe Bridge- Centralize your creative assets
• Adobe Character Animator (Preview 4)
• Adobe Creative Cloud- Login if you have your own account
• Adobe Dreamweaver CC- Design and develop modern, responsive websites
• Adobe Extension Manager CC-Easily install and manage extensions
• Adobe Flash Builder 4.7
• Adobe Fuse (Beta)-Create custom 3D characters for Photoshop projects
• Adobe Illustrator CC- Vector graphics and illustration
• Adobe InCopy CC- Collaborate with copywriters and editors
• Adobe InDesign CC- Page design and layout for print and digital publishing
• Adobe Lightroom- Digital photo processing and editing
• Adobe Lightroom Classic CC
• Adobe Media Encoder CC-Quickly output video files for virtually any screen
• Adobe Photoshop CC- Image editing and compositing
• Adobe Photoshop Express- Quickly retouch photos
• Adobe Prelude CC- Metadata ingest, logging, and rough cuts
• Adobe Premiere Pro CC- Professional video production and editing software
• Adobe SpeedGrade CC- Film finishing and color grading
• Audacity- Record and edit audio (Open Source/freeware)
• Blender- 3D animation software (freeware)
• Callnote Pro- Record skype conversations
• Camera- Take selfies and record videos with Webcam (Windows)
• Code Writer-Write code in various languages (Windows)
• FL Studio 20, Signature Edition- Record, edit, and mix audio and MIDI; especially good for creating beats and loops. (Image Line)
• Game Maker Studio 2- Create video games using a drag-and-drop interface (Yo Yo Games)
• Gimp-image editing (Open Source/freeware)
• Google Earth Pro-Go anywhere on earth! (freeware)
• Google SketchUp- 3D modeling software (freeware)
• HandBrake-Convert video codices (Open Source/ freeware)
• Kindle Create- Format and publish eBooks (Amazon freeware)
• Lego Digital designer- Use to build Lego models (freeware)
• Lego Mindstorms- (freeware)
• Magix Music Maker- Create electronic music in an easy-to-use interface (Vegas)
• Microsoft Excel- Spreadsheet software
• Microsoft PowerPoint- Digital presentation software
• Microsoft Publisher- Page layout software
• Microsoft Word- Word processing software
• Minecraft- Gaming software (Only allowed during Makerspace Club, Makerspace Jr., and other special programs)
• MakeHuman- 3D character modeling software (Open Source/ freeware)
• Movie Studio 14- Edit videos in an easy-to-use interface (Vegas)
• NetBeans- Develop software in Java and other programming languages (Apache freeware)
• Paint 3D- Windows app
• Processing 3- Create visual art projects with code (freeware)
• Pro Tools 12- Record, edit, and mix audio and MIDI (Avid)
• QuickTime-Audio and video capture and playback (freeware)
• Roxio Creator NXT 5- Create and author CDs and DVDs (Corel)
• Skype- Video calling software (freeware)
• Steam-Gaming platform (only allowed during special programs)
• Studio One 4- Record, edit, and mix audio and MIDI (PreSonus)
• Tux Paint (full screen and windows)- Painting program for kids (freeware)
• VLC- Play audio and video (Open Source/ freeware)
• Windows Media Player- Play audio and video; view images (Windows)
• Xbox- Gaming software (only allowed during special programs)
• Unity- Create 2D and 3D games

Yes! All three Creative Experience locations have a large format printer you can use to print posters, banners, photos, and much more. Print your projects on glossy photo paper, banner paper, matte canvas, and heavy-weight paper.

Yes! We have six 3D printers at Barr’s Creative Experience, four 3D printers at Central’s Creative Experience, and eight 3D printers at Julia Davis’s Creative Experience. All 3D printers are Dremel 3D45 printers. To print your 3D designs, submit them using our online form and staff will notify you when your print is ready.

Creative Experience offers free workshops focused on the software and hardware offered in the space. Staff are available to answer questions. If you would like one-on-one assistance getting started with your digital creative projects, sign up for a Tech Connect and schedule an appointment. You can also access LinkedIn Learning via the Library’s website for in-depth video tutorials.