The event in Hvolsvöllur took place at Héraðsbókasafn Rangæinga, the library of Hvolsvöllur, on May 8th 2023. After joining the Community Co-Creation project, Elísa Elíasdóttir, the head of the library, thought about what events or projects people residing in the community might benefit from. Eventually, she concluded that having access to tools and learning how to use them might be one of the things that people in the community could benefit from the most. Thus, Elísa decided to buy a Cricut machine and a 3D printer for the library.

A Cricut machine is a computer-controlled cutting machine allowing crafters to cut out different patterns. A 3D printer allows people to print out and create 3D prints. Acquiring tools for the library is a step from traditional use of the library space as a place for borrowing books and reading in solitude towards a place for different activities, such as creating collaboratively. The event on May 8th was thus also the opening of the workshop of the library, giving visitors the opportunity to explore, try and create for free. 

During the event, both machines were presented to the audience by staff members of the library as well as relatives of Elísa. Attendants learned about different ways to use the machines and the potential of these machines as well as about the library in general. A class of people attending a course in Icelandic as a second language in Hvolsvöllur was attending the event and the participants were thus not only introduced to the tools that had newly been acquired by the library but also received a general introduction to the work of the library. The staff then took the opportunity to introduce library activities to the newcomers and present them with library cards as a gift.

The event in Hvolsvöllur on May 8th 2023 was a continuation of the work previously done by Elísa Elíasdóttir who has actively initiated a number of projects aimed at reaching out to the community in Hvolsvöllur and surrounding places. 

This workshop in Hvolsvöllur is a part of the project Community Co-Creation. The project is an exploration journey around Iceland that includes stops in libraries, museums, cultural centers, and artist residencies in urban and rural regions.  It explores the possible impact of art methods in working with immigrant communities. 

Further information on the project activities of Community Co-Creation:
Lara Hoffmann
Project manager and researcher
laraw@unak.is