Birmingham Library Launches Creative Tech Hub for Kids and Adults

Every afternoon more than a hundred students flood the downtown library. The staff noticed the crowd and decided to build a space just for them. The new Create 205 Lab opened this month at the Central Library.

Inside you find 3D printers, Cricut cutters, podcast booths, video studios, and esports gear. Younger kids get a LEGO wall, building stations, and a cozy reading nook. Everything is set up for hands‑on making.

Target’s Bullseye Build program sparked the project. Ed Farm ran listening sessions with the students to shape the design. About a hundred volunteers from Target, Shipt, and United Way Hands On painted a city skyline mural and installed the equipment last week.

During school hours the lab will host tech classes for seniors. Evenings and weekends will feature community workshops. The effort expands a partnership that already created the North Star Learning Lab in North Birmingham. Ed Farm, started in 2020 by Apple and the Alabama Power Foundation, aims to give digital skills to all ages. The library director says the building is now more than a book repository; it’s a community living room.

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