Idea Farm to be unveiled at Old Bridge Public Library

OLD BRIDGE – Patrons will learn about the library’s newest addition, its Idea Farm Makerspace and Demonstration Garden, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Central Branch of the Old Bridge Library, Municipal Complex, 1 Old Bridge Plaza.

The family friendly event, which is free and open to the public, will feature a ribbon-cutting ceremony, equipment demonstrations, 3D-printed giveaways and open LEGO play.

The Idea Farm workshop will be an open community area and have a tool collection for individual and group projects, according to a news release. Tools include a leading-edge Makerbot Replicator Fifth Generation 3D printer, a Roland GX-24 vinyl cutter, a George Knight JP14 heat press, LEGO EV3 robotics kits, arduino and electronic fabrication supplies, a soldering station and a food dehydrator with associated Kitchen Arts supplies.

The area will allow patrons to learn by doing, supported by book collections, classes and mentors from the community, the release said.

The Idea Farm makerspace will include a demonstration garden. The garden will allow community members to connect with the full life cycle of a vegetable garden, from seed to plant to plate. Produce grown in the Idea Farm Demonstration Garden will be used in the Kitchen Arts workshops, which will feature demonstrations of such kitchen skills as pickling, dehydration and herbal oil infusion.

As part of this community and creativity-focused project, the Old Bridge Library Idea Farm plans to release its first e-book — a community cookbook featuring recipes from Old Bridge residents that will be available to the public for free.

Funding for the Makerspace Initiative is provided by the New Jersey State Library and by LibraryLinkNJ, The New Jersey Library Cooperative, whose services are funded by the New Jersey State Library, which is responsible for the coordination, promotion and funding of the New Jersey Library network. Additional financial support for the Old Bridge Library Idea Farm is provided by The Friends of The Old Bridge Library.

The Idea Farm newsletter is available at http://bit.ly/LeHKiK.

Additional information is available by contacting Library Director Darren Miguez at 732.721.5600, ext. 5042, or dmiguez@oldbridgelibrary.org.