Today I had a rare fun day off work and headed down to the Chattanooga Downtown Library. It has a lot of rad programs, including free garden seeds, a music instrument library for kids/teens, a podcast/music studio, and a tool library. But I want to concentrate on the 4th floor, which is where I spent most of my time.
First thing is, I'm a little biased just because of their love of zines. Right over the main desk is a graphic explaining what a zine is, with fliers of the past Chattanooga Zine Fests. I had just moved here and didn't get to be a part of 2019's, and 2020's was canceled due to Covid (no news on this year thus far). To the left of the elevator is the zine library. You can peruse crates of zines, including some vintage ones like Punk Planet, which brought a small tear to my jaded hipster eye. Issue 1 of Porch Beers is there in the perzine section (if you're reading this, library rockstars, Issue 2 will be en route soon!)
Beyond that is a smorgasbord of tools for creatives, including but not limited to:
a vinyl cutter and printer
a heat press
button presses
a large format printer
3D printers
a sewing lab
Adobe software
I made use of the button presses while I was there. Everyone was super helpful, showing me around and explaining what each station did. One of the librarians showed me how to use the presses, and then I bought materials for 25 buttons for $1.50. I have the graphic design skills of an adolescent chimp but was able to mock up a logo design and print it for the buttons.
The library is kind of a hidden gem in Chattanooga, and I'd love to see more artists utilizing it. This 100% would have been a place I would have LIVED at as a teenager. I've always loved a good library, and this one is no exception.