“Well, they didn’t teach me this in library school…” I thought to myself, standing on a stepstool, bending over a 3D printer, preparing to take it apart.
I’ll let you in on a secret. I did not initially want a 3D printer at Dover Public Library. They were too expensive, too hard to operate, and we didn’t have anywhere to put one. Also, Kent State Tuscarawas has a giant maker space that is open to the public, so why would we even need one?
Slowly, things started to fall into place. We remodeled, giving me a new Teen Room where a 3D Printer could fit quite nicely. I found one that is so easy to operate that I’ve had kids run it. Finally, we had some money from a 21st Century Afterschool Learning Grant with Dover High School to promote technology and learning outside of classroom walls.
So, we got a 3D Printer at Dover Public Library. For my first print, I made something very exciting. A bookmark. Next up was an articulated slug, still one of my favorite prints.
Since then, we have made some pretty cool things: Hogwarts Castle, Spider-Man Web Shooters, a full-scale human skull model (in lots of pieces), and more. Plus, we’ve made some very useful things: a DVD stand, a Switch game organizer, replacement game pieces, a fake cockroach, and other items of vast importance.
We’ve printed over 2,000 hours on our 3D printer!
But then, about this time last year, things started going wrong. And by the fall, I knew I needed to call in the Big Guns.
Enter me, standing on a stepstool over the printer, tiny wrench in one hand, directions from customer support in the other, ready to replace the heating element.
Next, I just took apart the printer, replaced the defective piece, and put it back together again. Easy? I wouldn’t call it that. But I did it! And we’re back to 3D printing, ready for 2,000 more hours! 
We offer your first 3D print for free so you can try it out. Then, 3D printing is $0.50 an hour. What affects the printing time are the size of the object, the details, and the density of the object. All stuff that I get to worry about, not you. All you have to do is get me a .stl file. We can find one together at the library, or you can look at my go-to website, Thingiverse, to find something you want to print. If you’re super smart and awesome, you can also design your own object with something like Tinkercad.
Additionally, this May marks the 3rd birthday of our Dremel 3D40 3D printer! To celebrate, we’re offering patrons a free sample 3D Print plus a chance to win an extra 3D Print, up to 24 hours of printing time.
Download our 3D Printing Month Order Form to learn more!
Happy printing!
-Liz Strauss
Teen/Outreach Services Manager, Dover Public Library
