In 2012, the Community Library invested in its first 3D printer. Today, it has an active public printing service and conducts forty 3D printing programs annually. Learn how we got started, where our journey took us and the lessons we learned. There will be a discussion of both 3D printing and 3D scanning. This presentation will examine developing services for the public, creating interactive displays and conducting programs for children, teens and adults.

1. Adventures in 3D Printing
Nick Tanzi, Assistant Director of Technology Services at the Mastics Moriches Shirley Community
Library

2. A long time ago…. (June 2012)

3. We have a coupon for a 3D printer!

4. Two schools of thought when selecting a 3D
printer
Analytical Approach
 Have you considered how you intend to use
your printer?
 Have you read reviews on sites like 3D Hubs?
 Have you considered what staff expertise
exists at your organization?
 Have you considered how a particular printer
aligns with your mission statement?
Emotional Approach
 Do you have a coupon?

6. We have a printer —
now what?

7. We studied up on the hardware
 Establish a point person & assign responsibilities
 Learn the basic operation of the printer
 Engage in troubleshooting
 Determine best practices

8. We experimented with design software
 Free options
 TinkerCAD
 Blender
 123D Design
 Tablet-based software
 Cubify
 Blokify
 123D Creature

9. We took advantage
of online learning software!

10. We developed programs for all ages
 Lecture style classes
 What is 3D printing?
 Printing demonstrations
 Hands-on design classes
 Instruction with different software
 Design and print your own object

11. Finally…

12. We broke it.

13. Good job!

14. “Breaking” a printer can be a good thing!
 Lose the “new car” fear
 Lose the fear of failure
 Grow accustomed to in-house fixes

15. Fast forward…

16. Implementation
Time!

27. Some Key
Takeaways

30. Manage expectations

31. Printing is a slow process.
Give yourself plenty of lead time!

32. Phase 2

34. Task-focused
1-hour Classes

36. Characteristics of the Key Chain Era
 Paint-by-numbers projects
 Class all works on same object
 Patrons add their own customizations

38. Phase 3

39. Free Play Design
Sessions in
TinkerCAD

40. Early Results

42. What Went Wrong?
 A lot of time was spent teaching the software
 Designs weren’t always printable
 Classes required minimum of 1½ hours
 Projects weren’t always completed in time
 Multi-session classes were problematic
 Inconsistent attendance

43. Enter the
3D Printing Club!

44. Structure of the 3D Print Club
 Meets twice a month for 1½ hours
 Individuals pursue their own interests,
occasional group projects
 Designs are printed in miniature—
good or bad
 Improvements are made to
unsuccessful prints

46. Enter the
3D Printing
Art Show

47. 3D Printing Art Show
 Held twice a year
 Participants of the club built a portfolio,
which was then printed on cardstock
 One of their prints would be rendered HUGE—
approximately a 10-hour print
 Works would be displayed for the evening in a
gallery, then taken home
 Used to recruit new members!

49. Getting ambitious

50. July 2017:
The Hand
Challenge

51. What is the Hand Challenge?
 Library partnered with e-NABLE and the
Prosthetic Kids Hand Challenge to create
open-source assistive limb devices.
 Library purchased kits & 3D-printed the parts
 Our community volunteered their time to
assemble the prosthetics over two days.

53. Field Test:

61. Dabbling with
3D Scanning

62. Active Scanning with the iSense 3D

67. Celebrating
William Floyd’s
Birthday!

68. William Floyd, in brief:
 Signer of the Declaration
of Independence
 Locally famous.
 School holds an annual birthday celebration
with our Library.
 Never smiles.

69. A Local Artist Donates A Sculpture of Floyd
 The artist, William Lauer, grants us permission to 3D scan
the piece and make modifications to the file.
 Our colleagues at Sachem Library allow us to use their
Next Engine scanner.
 We then modify the scan using TinkerCAD to create a
keychain.
 Attendees of the birthday celebration are given one
as a keepsake.

70. Scanning the sculpture

74. Developing a
Public 3D Printing
Service

75. We Began by Developing a 3D Print Policy
with the library’s attorney.
 Establish printing costs.
 Prohibition on weapons, hate speech.
 Respect for copyright.
 Right of refusal.

76. THEN…

78. Nothing

79. We decided to employ a marketing plan for
the public print service
 Created an interactive display
 Presented to the Chamber of Commerce and
school district.
 Engaged in storytelling on social media
 Development of a printing resource guide
 Utilized pop culture.

81. Success!

82. Hobbyists

83. Student Projects

84. In Summary

85. We’re looking forward to the future!

86. Shameless Plug
"Libraries that are not yet offering
digital services would be well served
by Tanzi's book. Those wishing to
enhance patron experiences with
digital resources are guaranteed to
find inspiration.”
--Lydia Olszak, Library Journal
*Starred Review*

87. Contact
Nick Tanzi
ntanzi@communitylibrary.org
(631) 399-1511 ext. 398
the-digital-librarian.com