Media space : Tabakalera, San Sebastian

While Tabakalera is not technically a library, but rather a wider cultural centre that incorporates library elements in the city of San Sebastian in Spain. The centre also offers a large interactive learning space that allows citizens to develop creative and artistic skills. Their MediaLab is an open space where anyone can explore and experiment with media technologies and digital culture. A visitor describes their experience of it:

“Going into this library, I saw straight away an incredible area that was set out with band equipment, with a drum kit and bass guitar, and another guitar and a mic and everything. And there were children, I don't think they were any more than about eight years old, playing away with headsets on. There was an area where there was a family using an area where they'd set up props, a backdrop, a whole film crew, and all the film recording equipment, where anybody could go make a film. And in the area there was also the most exquisite zine making kit. So all the right printing gear, all the wonderful old typewriters, an array of things. There must have been about 1000 zines in their collection, all beautifully displayed. There were games playing out, and there were loads of beautiful consoles where people could sit and watch films in the library with their headsets on the exquisite seating. And there were people, every age, ethnicity, background, occupying this incredible space.”

In the UK, libraries like Gloucestershire Libraries have similar digital and media lab spaces that local communities and professionals can use to develop their own media projects or take part in the library’s creative skills programmes.