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PORT NECHES — For ages, libraries have been a wealth of information for anyone in search of learning something new. Now, the Effie & Wilton Hebert Public Library in Port Neches is helping those take their curiosity a step further with a new Maker Table.

Chelsea Moore, adult programs coordinator for the library, said they purchased the table to allow the public to work on projects or just try new activities.

“It is pretty much going to be treated like the conference room and study room are,” she said. “You can reserve the table for three-hour increments. If you have a project to work on and need a large space, you can use it. We have a lot of our quilters say this is a perfect quilting table.”

The biggest feature with the table is the Cricut Explore Air 2.

“The Cricut is a design maker and it also cuts,” Moore said.

The machine is connected to an iPad that guests can use to create designs and patterns for the machine to cut. After they create a design, they can use any number of types of papers to complete their projects.

“I’ve used the sticker paper,” Moore said. “I got some from Hobby Lobby. I wanted to cut some stars out. If you are a teacher or someone that likes to do projects and needs it done quickly, this is a good resource.”

Depending on the types of paper used, one can create designs to go on t-shirts and coffee mugs, along with endless possibilities. Those who want to use the machine need to bring their own paper and products. If one wants to put a design on a shirt, they need to bring a shirt and vinyl paper. The library also has a heat press to aid with projects.

“When we purchased it, we got a bundle of materials,” Moore said. “We got some leather, so I made a book mark. It just cut it out. We got on iron on vinyl. We cut it out to say ‘Books and Stuff.’ You can cut that out and put it on a shirt using the heat press. We use it very frequently here. It is really helpful.”

For those with bad handwriting, the Cricut machine can also use a writing utensil.

“It comes with pens,” Moore said. “You stick the pen and it will write for you. It’s really cool.”

Library director Mark Durham said the library is more than a place to find information.

“We want you to be able to take the information you find and transform it in to a real world practical function,” he said. “You can use this to help with a brand.”

The library also offers free bound covers for books.

“If a kid has written their own story, we can insert it into a pre-bound cover,” Durham said. “We can insert the cover page photo and bind it up for them. The kid, then, has their own book that they have written and published themselves.”

Moore said she is excited to see what people create and encourage all to come give it a try.