This fall, the Dover Public Library will be starting a new service for local schools and groups, a Mobile STEAM Lab. The traveling lab features some awesome gadgets and toys to help teach science, technology, engineering, art, and math. We have Snap Circuits, KEVA Planks, an Ozobot robot, and two 3D Printing Pens.

The 3D Printing Pens the Library has in the Mobile STEAM Lab are PACKGOUT 3D Doodler Drawing Printing Pens and currently run $30 on Amazon. About two years ago, I spent $100 on my first 3D Printing Pen. About five minutes later, I think I broke it… It got clogged every five minutes and was the most frustrating thing I’ve ever bought. With these new pens, I saw a second chance, and if these ones clogged, well, at least they would have been a lot cheaper. But something amazing happened. They actually worked like they were supposed to! No jams. No frustration.

It didn’t take me long before I decided I had to get myself one of those pens. So, I did, and once I started drawing, I kind of didn’t stop. I’m a little embarrassed by the amount of time I’ve spent playing with my new toy and by how much material I’ve burned through in such a short amount of time. Then again, I’ve made some really cool things and learned a lot about how to use the pen.

Generally, 3D Printing Pens work kind of like hot glue guns in that you have material that you feed through the device that gets melted and extrudes out the other end. Having a long history with glue guns, this explanation makes sense to me. Instead of glue, 3D Printing Pens use plastic filament like this.

Project #1: 3D Butterfly

When 3D Doodling, you usually have a stencil that you trace. One of the most common stencils is a butterfly. It’s drawn in three pieces: 2 wings, and 1 body. You always start with an outline; with this project, in black, and then fill in.

To change colors, you simply eject the first color then load the next color. You want to doodle a bit out between color changes, as remnants of the old color will remain as you get started on the new one.

When all the pieces are done, you gently pry them off of the tracing surface and “glue” them together with more melted filament. I changed back to black for this task.

The whole project probably took me half an hour to forty-five minutes. On my old pen, this same project took me a week because I had to keep putting it down.

Project #2: Stained Glass Inspired Box

To make this box, I found a free coloring page online that looked a little bit like a rose window. I shrunk it down and printed it off as my stencil.

With any box, first you draw the sides and the bottom, then you put them together.

The possibilities with a 3D Printing Pen are endless. Don’t believe me? Say it again to my… DRAGON!

-Liz Strauss, Teen Librarian

In Ohio, the summer offers many wonderful foods grown from our gardens! Some of my favorites include strawberries, corn and tomatoes.

Our locally  grown tomatoes can be flavorful, juicy and have a delightful fresh aroma. Plain slices of tomatoes, or even a slice on a grilled cheese  sandwich can be enjoyable. One of my favorite recipes  includes some Ohio tomatoes and is handy for a quick meal or a cookout.

Lindy’s Summer Salad

Cut up Romaine lettuce and place in a large bowl. Chop up those yummy Ohio tomatoes, and add to the bowl. Sprinkle in two cups of grated cheddar cheese. Stir in  one can of drained kidney beans. Just before serving, mix in one bottle of Catalina French dressing.  Finish the dish by adding small Frito corn chips,  that can be crushed if you prefer.

There are so many ways to prepare these delicious summertime foods! What’s one of your favorite recipes?

-Lindy Conley

I’ve visited over a dozen states over the course of my life, and I’ve had the opportunity to travel to more than six other countries around the world. I’ve seen some great places and done some things that many people haven’t. I’ve hiked part of the Appalachian Trail, explored caves in Kentucky and Guatemala, and ridden on the back of an elephant in Thailand. I’ve been blessed with great vacations and awesome mission trips. There are so many cool things for us to see on this planet.

But what if you could vacation, for a week or so, in some fictional land, any fictional land. Where would you choose to go?

L. Frank Baum has been one of my favorite authors for many years. He created a world of characters, creatures, and settings that most minds could never imagine. He created a realm of mystery and excitement, innocence and danger, vivid color and deep darkness. Baum fabricated a place that we’d love to visit, but probably not want to live in. So, if I could vacation in any fictional land of my choosing, I’d choose Oz.

Who wouldn’t want to go “somewhere over the rainbow” to Oz, where we can all “laugh the day away”?

I’d love to follow that Yellow Brick Road through extraordinary villages and counties, forests and fields. It would be quite exciting to visit the Emerald City and chat with the friendly folks of Munchkinland. I’d like to meet a talking lion, discuss politics with a scarecrow, and do some mission work with a kind-hearted man of tin.

Oh, Oz has its fair share of dangers. That’s for sure. It’s not every day that we encounter green-skinned witches, flying monkeys, humbug wizards, or apple-wielding trees. But how do those perils compare to the terrorist attacks, suicide bombers, and natural disasters we face here?

Oz, “where troubles melt like lemon-drops” would be a fun place to spend some vacation time, but I wouldn’t want to live there. Folks in Oz are constantly watching the weather for fear of falling houses. Witches, good and bad, come and go so quickly on broomsticks and in bubbles. And wouldn’t it get tiring breaking into song for every move you make – following a road, leaving the woods, getting a make-over?

Like I said, Oz would make a great vacation destination, but “there’s no place like home.”

Rick Slayman

Custodian

Why aren’t there more songs about Libraries?  I get this question all the time in my position in the Technology Wing.  ALL THE TIME.  Really.  So I wrote a song about Libraries.  It’s to the tune of…well, I’ll let you figure out that one.  Next time you stop by the Technology Wing, please feel free to sing it along with me.

L, a line, it’s all online

I, internet’s always free

B, a book, a brand-new book

R, reading along with meeeee

A, audio books to hear

R, please let me ring that bell

Y, your programs make me cheer

And that will bring us back to L!

L-I-B-R-A-R-Y (Do-ver)

Hello T-County neighbors!  Our library is looking for submissions for the second edition of the literary magazine, Tapestries of Tuscarawas County!   We are compiling stories for publication in a book as part of an ongoing oral history project.  This project is a vibrant book that captures what it is like to live in Tuscarawas County and we hope you can help.  If you have a strong memory of your life that you can share with us in the form of a letter or email, you could be included in this book–and may even win a cash prize!  Each story provided will be a thread, and each thread will be woven together with stories from friends, family, and neighbors to contribute to a rich tapestry that expresses the varied beauty of our individual lives. This book will display a collection of stories and art of and from Tuscarawas County in its second edition!

Submission Form

How do I contribute?

You can contribute by sharing your stories with us! There are several ways to do this: You can write us a letter. You can dictate your story to a loved one. You can record it at a family gathering. It can be handwritten, typed, or emailed. All we ask is that the final submissions are kept to 2,000 words or less.

What if I’m not a very good writer?

Stories are not judged based on writing ability, but on interest and relation to our county, and our editor will help make them ready for publication. You will get a chance to review the edited version before it is published.

What should I write about?

Anything! Your best/worst memory, something embarrassing that happened, something that changed your life, something that stands out to you as a representative example of your youth or adulthood in Tuscarawas County. The stories must adhere to only two rules: they must be true, and they must not harm anyone in the telling. See the reverse side for some prompt questions to help you get started. More questions can be found at https://storycorps.org/great-questions/

How can I win the cash prize?

The editing team at the Dover Public Library will award the top prize to the most appealing story. Writing ability is NOT a factor. There is no cost to submit a story, and you are under no obligations.

When can I get the book?

Tapestries of Tuscarawas County will be released in the fall of 2017. Contributors will receive a free copy. It will also be available at Dover Public Library and other local libraries and historical societies. Write your letter today! You can be proud to be a part of this valuable addition to our local living history.  Deadline for submission is August 1, 2017.

If you have questions about this project, please contact Kellie Pleshinger at kpleshin@ashland.edu or by calling the library at 330-343-6123

What are you doing in that “tiny room” by the back door?

I’m Linda Toohey the Outreach Librarian and I’m asked that a lot. Big things happen in that” tiny room”. For instance, did you know that over 100 people throughout our community get items delivered right to their door?

Being the Outreach Librarian, I am responsible for making sure our homebound patrons are still able to make use of our library. I keep records of what each of these individuals like to read and maintain a reading list for them. I then select items for them. Whether they like books, CDs, DVDs or magazines, it doesn’t matter. Whatever is available in the library is also available to our homebound patrons as well. Then I check these items out for them and put them in a bag with their name on them. Then these bags get crated up for delivery. With the help of some very reliable volunteers we deliver these bags to the patrons and pick up what they are finished with. Everything then comes back to the library where I unload and check everything back in.

In my spare time, I also do research for entertaining and educational programs that I compose and present at the area care facilities and the Senior Center. So although you might not see a lot of me, I am doing a lot for the people of our community that can’t make it to the library.

Stop by to say “hi” and see the big things that happen in that “tiny room”!