Who are we?

Maker Jawn is a group of people at the Free Library of Philadelphia with backgrounds as students, engineers, and artists. We are dedicated to mentoring youth as they articulate their own interests through the lens of technology.

We are leading workshops daily at three library locations: the Lillian Marrero Library, the Kensington Library, and the Parkway Central Teen Center in Philbrick Hall.

What does “Maker Jawn” mean?

The term “jawn” is a context-dependent substitute noun that originated in the Philly hip hop scene. Jawn is used in place of basically any noun, and its meaning can change depending on what you’re referring to, e.g., “Let me get a piece of that jawn?” and “That Frankenstein remix jawn be tight!”

Our History

In the past, we have worked with the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Design, the Design School, and the Maker Ed Initiative to develop and run programming at five other Free Library locations. We are excited about expanding and deepening the Maker Movement at the Free Library of Philadelphia this year through an opportunity with the Library Services and Technology Act.