The Idea+Space is a small space for your BIG ideas. Opening October 20, 2014 at the Joel D. Valdez Main Library, in Tucson Arizona. A project of the Pima County Public Library with funding from the Arizona State Library, Archives & Public Records (a division of the Secretary of State) with federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Innovation is a literacy that can be taught, and that has many applications. At its heart, innovation startup systems teach how to test a new idea for value and usefulness.

Photo: "School for Startup" at CoLab Workspace, August 2013. School for Startup was an intensive weekend where 11 to 15-year-olds were taught a curriculum that combined the lean startup methodology with Junior Achievement. Photo credit: Lisa Bunker.

Businesses come in many sizes, from artists and freelancers to home-based business to consultants to restaurants and other services, to industry and manufacturers.

Pictured is the craft booth of Elsie Waite, c. 1977. Photo credit: Lisa Bunker.

Libraries across the U.S. are re-thinking how they serve the continuum of businesses, as well as their ability to provide high-end equipment for digital arts and fabrication.

Pictured is the THINKspot at Mesa Public Library's Red Mountain Branch. The THINKspot has a sound stage, 3D-modeling software and printers, and smartboard conferencing equipment. It is part of the Phoenix-based system of Alexandria Network Libraries.

Photo credit: Lisa Bunker

The Idea+Space Team:
+ Lisa Bunker
+ Michelle Simon
+ Kassy Rodeheaver
+ Beth Matthias-Loghry

Pictured: Node Chairs created by Steelcase, and designed for collaboration with the Stanford School of Design.

Photo credit: Steelcase Corp.

Where we are:
Book collection consolidated
Whiteboards + computers purchased
Calendar established through December
Evaluation tool created
Shelving and old tables/chairs removed
Furniture has arrived
Soft launch October 20

By April
Renovation of the Catalina Room
Wall treatments

Class and meetup offerings we will be experimenting with.

We have wonderful partners!

Who should use this space? It's for businesses, jobseekers and nonprofits yes, but also for anyone who wants to explore starting a business, and people who have ideas they want to test for viability.

Image credit: Wordle created from traits listed by people who attended the October 2014 Catalyst Cafe. We asked everyone to list their best traits.

Faith, 15, Phoebe, 18, and Izzy, 15, attended our "GrowUP and Get RICH" startup workshops in October of 2014, and ended up starting a curriculum that will be used by the YWCA to teach financial literacy to teens. They were awarded $750.00 seed money to test the concepts they developed at the workshop at the library.

Photo credit: Lisa Bunker.

At the October Catalyst Cafe Phoebe, Faith, and Izzy shared their experience of innovation training, and what it meant to them. Listening are Robin Breault and Brooke McDonald from LeadLocal, who taught the workshop for the library.

Photo credit: Debbie Gubernick.