Make-a-thek Consortium Meeting in Barcelona
Make-a-thek consortium meeting at Fab Lab Barcelona
This February, we had the pleasure of hosting the Make-a-thek consortium meeting here at Fab Lab Barcelona. Over two intense days — with some truly dramatic weather forecasts (Barcelona was under an extreme wind warning 🌬️!) — partners came together to exchange ideas, reflect on progress, and plan the exciting year ahead. Despite the stormy forecast outside, the energy inside the room was fantastic ⚡ We shared insights, tackled challenges, aligned our plans, and of course had plenty of fun along the way. And the good news? 2026 is going to be a big year for Make-a-thek! 🎉 Here are some highlights of what’s coming:
📚 Library Pilots Across Europe Are Now Live! Since January 2026, several libraries selected through our open call have officially launched their Make-a-thek pilots. Each participating public library is setting up a circular makerspace focused on textile transformation and innovation within their facilities. 🧵♻️ The pilots represent a wide range of experiences 👉 Discover the pilot libraries: https://www.makeathek.eu/partner-libraries
👁️ Keep an Eye On: Our Barcelona pilot at the Camp de l’Arpa Library (https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/biblioteques/ca/bibcampdelarpa) will open its doors this April! We’ll soon launch a communication campaign inviting everyone to come and explore the space, participate in activities, and experience circular making in action. You can already check out activities happening across the network here: 👉 https://www.makeathek.eu/events
🧰 The Make-a-thek Toolkit Is Coming. Our partner @Opendot Foundation has been working closely with the consortium and the pilot libraries to co-develop the Make-a-thek Approach Toolkit. This toolkit is in its final stretch and will include practical tools and resources to help public libraries create their own circular makerspaces. 👀 Keep your eyes peeled — the launch is coming soon!
🗺️ A Huge Open Resource Collection
@Global Innovation Gathering has developed an extensive open resource mapping with more than 300 references gathered from across our networks. It captures the current landscape of textile innovation, circularity, and policy frameworks — from best practices to regulatory insights. All of this knowledge is compiled in an exploratory Kumu map.
👉 Explore it here: https://www.makeathek.eu/mapping-of-resources
🎲 Here at Fab Lab Barcelona we’ve been developing something a bit different — a fun and interactive game that helps you:
🧵 Explore circular textile practices
🧠 Assess your knowledge and skill level
🔍 Discover resources to deepen your expertise
A big thank you to @Olga Trevisan for guiding the development of the tool, and @Julia Bertolaso for supporting the journey from ideation to implementation with her creative direction. 🙌
And that’s just the beginning…This year will also bring:
✨ A Training the Trainers programme
✨ Many exciting activities across our pilot libraries
✨ And a Make-a-thek bus tour across Europe