Many Dutch libraries nowadays have a makerspace, where knowledge is not only consumed but also increasingly produced, such as 3D designs, home-made robots and knitting. In Rotterdam's makerspace010, a (maga)zine was recently made by library staff in a makerspace. This zine-making workshop was intended both as a community-building activity and as a research method to find out what is going on among library staff.

Zines - short for magazines - are small-scale, self-published and self-printed journals with texts and images. Some libraries organise zine-making workshops as a relatively inexpensive activity for their visitors. Within our research project, we use zine-making to explore and contribute to the sense of community within the library by bringing people together. We do this through several workshops with different target groups, including library administrators, visitors and policymakers. Our first workshop was with eight employees of the Rotterdam library.

During the workshop, participants were first briefly informed about our research and then set to work themselves. To stimulate discussion, participants were sent into the library with some 'task cards'. They could choose which task they wanted to perform. For example, to observe: 'Through which objects, spatial layouts and interactions does the library present itself as a social infrastructure? Walk around the library and explore the environment. Take notes". Or to think about the future: "As a librarian, what would you wish for the library and your work within it? What is redundant for you? How do you imagine the future of libraries? Write down or draw your wishes."

After briefly discussing the main findings, the participants went on to create one or more zine pages alone or in pairs. They had a wide variety of materials at their disposal: old newspapers and magazines, glitter paper, stickers, scissors and markers. During the creative making process, not only beautiful pages emerged, but also important insights. At the end of the workshop, the created pages were presented to each other. The final result is the zine titled Future Guide: The City’s Living Room (available under publications).

The workshop certainly created a - at least temporary - sense of community; participants appreciated having time and space with each other to brainstorm important developments in the library. They made acquaintances and shared knowledge with unfamiliar colleagues across branches, floors, functions or mission lines. Although they saw value in this, participation did require a lot of time and commitment: some participants had to arrange substitutes at the workplace or swap their home working day to join the workshop.

The main issue that emerged during the workshop was limited communication, both internally and externally. Like the rest of the Dutch library sector, there are substantial and rapid changes in the Rotterdam library, such as the introduction of the mission lines policy, an upcoming renovation and many staff changes. The organisation is dynamic, but also restless. Employees feel like small islands in a divided organisation, and do not really know what colleagues are doing. A general recommendation is therefore that libraries not only focus on community librarians, but also take care of a community for librarians.

In addition, participants expressed suspicion that while internally it is known that the library is more than a place with books, the 'new' or 'social' library is still relatively unknown to the outside world. The main branch is hardly recognisable as a library from the outside and even inside the library it is a maze for some visitors because of poor signage. Better marketing and stronger profiling should make it clear what can be experienced in the library for whom. The library is more than an IDO (Information Point Digital Government) point for requests for help; it is the main cultural institution in many cities, but is often not seen as such yet.