Our blogs are driven by community data and community input. If you see a gap in a perspective in the data that is needed, please let us know. We will investigate if we have the data from 2018 results, if we are collecting the data in 2019, or whether we need to add it to our dataset to be collected in 2020.
All of the current blogs are from 2018 results. It is a start! We do have data, but in some cases, we do recognize that more data is needed to be more statistically accurate to the broader community of makerspaces. We are encouraging everyone to be a part of Making The Data by Taking the Survey! Please share with other spaces, your leadership, and members.
For 2018 the data collected was focused on the following groupings in each survey:
Community Members of Makerspaces
| Who? | Demographics such as Age, Ethnicity, Gender, Education, Population, Employment |
| Why and How Much? | Usage of the Space, Types of Activities, Whether Work or Tinkering Happens, Time spent, Level of Volunteering, Efforts by Community Members in Support of Spaces |
| Interacting as a Community | Accessibility and Inclusion |
| The Value | Where are spaces hitting the mark? Where are they not? |
Leadership in Makerspaces
| Who? | Demographics such as Age, Ethnicity, Gender, Education, Population, Employment, Professional background |
| Roles & Compensations | Leadership roles, Levels and Types of Involvement, Time spent |
| Running The Space | Activities, Process, Resourcing, Training, Management, Planning |
| Self Assessments | Role, Accomplishments, Challenges |
Economy of Makerspaces
| Organization Demographics | Types, Governance, Structure |
| Organizational History | Startup Funding, Age |
| The Facility | Footprint, Rent or Ownership, Costs |
| Community | Demographics, Population, Fee Structure |
| Capabilities | Tools & Areas, Services, Classes, Basic Cost Structure |
| Economic Development | Businesses, Jobs, Training, Activities |
| Marketing | Visitors & Tours, Communications |
| Wellness & Sustainability | Financials, Strengths, Challenges |
For a more complete list of all the questions in the survey, you can peruse the PDFs for each survey at the following GitHub.
We welcome everyone’s thoughts on the type of data that is valuable to them, especially as it helps to grow and support making in our nation. There are many perspectives to the data as a makerspace, as leaders, as members and as potential members. There are even broader perspectives from a community, city, region or state along the lines of economic development, community impact programs, environmental programs and skills development. This is a just start! Help us drive the metrics of impact and understand the awesomeness of making in our nation! Contact us to let us know the data YOU value or let us know below: