The Octavia Lab gives members access to free audio, music and photography equipment, and fuels one’s creative endeavors.

Illustration by Shaylee Guerrero and Presley Alexander

Audio equipment, photography studio spaces and live streaming equipment are expensive investments that can take years of income to earn and buy, and the Octavia Lab at the Los Angeles Central Library has all the creative equipment necessary for free.

A library card and photo ID are needed to access the lab, as well as a signature of agreement of treating the space with respect and everyone in it. Located at 630 W. Fifth St in downtown L.A., the lab is open Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m., and Wednesday and Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Some of the amenities available include a 3D printer, vinyl cutter, photography studio, and sewing and embroidery machines. The DIY Memory Lab is available as well, which allows one to convert VHS, cassette tapes, and vinyls to a digital format.

The DIY Memory Lab is available as well, which allows one to convert VHS, cassette tapes, and vinyls to a digital format. An orientation for the lab is given, but the Octavia Lab reinforces the message that members learn the creative process themselves.

“We like to remind everyone this is a learning space, so we can’t sit and teach you,” said Octavia Lab Manager Lauren Kratz. “We want you to learn these skills yourself.”

One of the more popular spaces is the music studio. Due to the enhanced soundproofing and constant updating of equipment, members also choose to use this space to edit their movies.

The inspiration for creating such a space came from universities such as USC having similar resources for students to use. College students who have this type of lab on their campus still come to the Octavia Lab thanks to the convenience and free access.

“At their schools, you have to pay and wait on a long list,” said Kratz. “Any projects you want to work on are welcome and we are willing to help if we can.”

The lab gets its name from the award-winning science fiction author Octavia Butler. She had strong ties to the library as a literacy volunteer.

“Butler’s goal was to tell others to use creativity as a tool for science,” Kratz said. “How the two can go hand in hand for knowledge, science requires creativity.”

According to Kratz, individuals, families and companies use the lab’s tools in a variety of ways. In one instance, a father and son used the 3D printer to replace lost tracks for their toy trains. In another, a man converted cassette tapes to a digital format, in order to hear his grandmother’s voice again after 30 years.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, first responders created face shields with the 3D printer, and a bridal group worked together to make decorations for a wedding.

“We had a family travel from Arizona and were having a wedding here, they needed a sewing machine on short notice and they fixed the bride's veil in time,” Kratz said.

In the future, the Octavia Lab hopes to acquire drawing tablets for digital drawing and animation, photo printers, cameras, and larger embroidery machines. As of May 1, there is a brand-new audio studio for members to livestream and record podcasts.

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