Marissa, whose interest in crafting was piqued by Pinterest, gets a great sense
of accomplishment in learning new skills and has even begun to sell her creations on a craft website and in a local shop that carries unique handmade items.
Erica Domesek, founder of PS I Made This and a judge on The Learning Channel’sCraft Wars, sees this as a strong trend among younger consumers, saying, “People are interested in making their lives more beautiful, more fun.” Homemade crafts offer a welcome respite from the proliferation of impersonal, mass-produced goods.
As crafting grows in popularity, thanks to enthusiastic sharing of craft ideas on social network sites and a renewed desire for handmade artistry, community members are looking for resources that can support their interests.
With a few simple additions, your library can become a rich repository to supportThe Craftersin your community with eBook resources. Gale offers more than 30 titles on a variety of crafting topics, including knitting, cake decorating, making natural beauty products, scrapbooking, beading, and more. Many are for beginners, including titles from the wildly popularIdiot’s Guideseries; you’ll even find some for the youngest crafter. Available are such titles as:
- Knit Step by Step
- Idiots Guides: Making Natural Beauty Products
- Handmade Gifts
- Outdoor Crafts, 1st Edition
- Step-by-Step Cake Decorating
- The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Making Metal Jewelry
- Scrapbook Starters
- The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Selling Your Crafts on Etsy
- Getting Started: Sewing
- Classic Knits
Does your library offerprogramming for crafters? Take advantage ofGVRL’s unlimited simultaneous usage by having workshop attendees access the same project at the same time. Patrons can bring their own device or check out one from the library. Our award-winning eBook platform provides persistent URLs, so you can confidently provide background articles to participants who want to read more on a topic or provide a comprehensive list of online references to help users take a deeper dive after the class — knowing those links will continue to work in perpetuity.
For Crafters who want to expand their favorite hobby into an earning opportunity, patrons can enroll inGale Courses‘ Start Your Own Arts and Crafts Business or readThe Complete Idiot’s Guide to Selling your Crafts on Etsyamong others.
Check out what one woman posted onour Facebook pagerecently about how her library supports her crafting interests:
Bravo! We love to see such high praise for connected libraries!
Access a free trial ofeBooksorGale Coursestoday! Or your Gale representative or call 1-800-877-GALE to request a quote.