SparkFun and the DeLaMare Science & Engineering Library
Check out some electronics!
The DeLaMare Science & Engineering Library at the University of Nevada-Reno is, for the most part, a typical collegiate library. It has approximately 1200 active journal subscriptions, 100,000 volumes of monographs, bound journals, and government documents, and - of course - a whole bunch of books. It houses materials on everything from earth sciences to metallurgical engineering. It also is home to about a dozen SparkFun Inventor's Kits.
For us, this is kind of mind-blowing. Five years ago, we never would have thought you could "check out" a SparkFun kit at the library. But, lo and behold, you can! We recently spoke with Tod Colegrove, Head of the DeLaMare Library, who told us that not only are SparkFun products on the shelves, but they are proving to be quite popular. It's awesome that students are able to check out a SparkFun kit and get a taste of embedded electronics.
One of the students, after checking out an inventor's kit (and in typical collegiate fashion), built a DIY breathalyzer. Very cool! Check out his project page to see how you can build your own. Thanks to Tod and the DeLaMare Library for making us aware of this awesome development!
