Bookbinding At The Library

In 2026, Huntsville-Madison County Public Library hosted a new type of makerspace class – and one that has excited patrons enough to have filled registration in a week or less each time! The Downtown Huntsville Public Library Makerspace Librarian Andy Anzollitto had seen such interest in the ‘Zine’ Club Meetings, he decided to branch out and teach a Bookbinding Class.

In two relaxed classes lasting about 90 minutes, participants were led through the process of creating their own small moleskine-sized journal to take home. All it took were simple supplies, easy-to-follow instructions, and eager crafters to make this delightful event.

“This had been such a long-term thing on my radar; something I had wanted to incorporate,” Anzollitto says. “The bookbinding was definitely very successful; everyone got really into it.”

They certainly were into it, with one patron even deciding to bring sticker packs and decorating supplies so that everyone could personalize their journals. Participants jumped into the project with convivial energy, creating a crossover of signups into the new Papermaking Class as well. In future bookbinding classes, Anzollitto plans to include a method for crafting bookplates to allow patrons to further personalize their projects.

“The premise of a makerspace is to create things that are based on your own ideas,” Anzollitto says. “The process of that is almost always multi-disciplinary, so I think the purpose of a makerspace is to let people make whatever they want and make it as true and fulfilling to their vision as possible. In short, we want to give people all the tools we can for them to create with.”