Latest News + Hitchhiker Blog

3D Printing via NMSL Loan to Rio Rancho

The Rioteensandrook Rancho Libraries became involved in 3D printing via curiosity; a Youth Services Librarian and several members of the TAG group attended an introductory workshop at the New Mexico Natural History Museum.  The NM State Library happened to be at the same workshop.  The mutual interest in bringing 3D printing to New Mexico via libraries led to Rio Rancho being the first library to borrow the State Library’s equipment as a test bed for introducing the technology to libraries.

The librarian & teens have worked with the equipment for 2 hours/week and are documenting the hints and resources to provide via the State Library to other libraries who borrow the equipment.  It has been a lot of fun, sometimes frustrating, but mostly an exciting adventure!  You’ll find several resources linked here….

This Prezi shows parallel paths of the larger scene of 3D printing at libraries, and the path of the New Mexico State Library & recent partnership with the Rio Rancho Libraries.  Both paths end with the “pie in the sky” view of New Mexico being involved in the global maker movement.

(A few notes: The first video is 10 minutes – but worth your time for a good overview of the possibilities of 3D printing and how it relates to libraries.  The video of the Cube printer is very much in fast forward.  It takes 1.5 hours to print one very nice chess piece.)

To view the Prezi:

http://prezi.com/zfas7e7mfk90/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

(if the link is not working please “explore” Prezi.com search for Janet Phillips and choose the prezi entitled “HHiker 3D Printing @ RR Lib”)

Here are some pdf files for you to peruse as well.  “Resources” is a listing of resources for 3D printing, scanning, and design.  “Resources for Educators” has some blogs and things of interest for librarians and other educators.  And the third file was written by a teen volunteer and contains hints about working with various 3D Design software to save files in a format friendly to the Cube 3D Printer.

Resources

Resources for Educators

CubeSketchupTinkerCad hints