In researching this book, we did a cursory examination of hundreds of makerspaces across the country and then a more focused set of four detailed case studies. We found that of the makerspaces we examined each involved some element of education, community, and tools. Each makerspace deployed some combination of these three elements in order to support their individual mission.
The missions of makerspaces can be broken down into four general types:
I. Collaborative; the primary purpose is to provide a rentable and collaborative workspace where like-minded individuals can work on projects,
II. Free Education; the primary purpose is to provide universal education and access to new technologies;
III. Innovation; the primary purpose is to provide a space where individuals or organizations can create innovative, new ideas,
IV. For Profit; to provide access to tools for a profit.
