I recently participated in an interview with Library Journal in which I discussed the challenges of promoting library digital collections to our patrons. To learn how some library professionals are tackling this marketing challenge, head over to Library Journal’s “Promoting Digital Collections,” by Lauren J. Young!
Engaging with Hobbyists to Promote 3D Printing at Your Library!
The following article was adapted from the book Best Technologies for Public Libraries: Policies, Programs, and Services by Christopher DeCristofaro, James Hutter, and Nick Tanzi. Libraries Unlimited, January 2020 #BestTech4PublicLibraries
A Perfect Match!
3D printing offers particular possibilities to hobbyists. You should actively seek to identify them within your community. Interested parties may include the following:
Tabletop RPG Gamers
Games like Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and others utilize representative miniatures during gameplay. Additionally, some may also incorporate terrain, such as tiles and even three-dimensional structures. These game pieces are often very expensive. 3D printing offers an alternative, and more affordable option for patrons who either design their own pieces or download pre-existing files. Indeed, Thingiverse.com offers many free options, while one hobbyist on Shapeways.com, Miguel Zavala, has made a collection of three hundred models available for download!
Model Train Collectors
Online repositories are full of HO scale (1:87 real-life scale) model train sets. These include trains, carts, cargo, people, buildings, and even the tracks themselves!
Cosplayers
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines cosplay as “the practice of dressing up as a character from a work of fiction (such as a comic book, video game, or television show)”. By nature, many cosplayers take a do-it-yourself approach to their costumes, particularly when a costume isn’t commercially available. 3D printing offers an excellent option for masks, equipment, and other accessories. Interest naturally increases during local and national/international comic conventions.
Robotics Teams
Files for entire robots exist online. Additionally, designs covering chassis, battery enclosures, mounts for circuit boards, etc. are also available. Individuals may also wish to utilize your printers to create custom designs.
…outreach to small, niche groups can still result in a deep level of engagement and substantial use of the library’s equipment!
Making the Connection
Many of these groups have an active presence on Facebook or Meetup. Extend invitations to the library and provide relevant information to them. Within your building, display works which showcase a printer’s capabilities; a set of Dungeons & Dragons inspired miniatures or a model train. Pictures and videos of the process can similarly be shared with online communities. As individuals begin to use your 3D printer, they will often share information to others within the hobbyist community, increasing your printers’ reach. As such, outreach to small, niche groups can still result in a deep level of engagement and substantial use of the library’s equipment!
For more information on Best Technologies for Public Libraries: Policies, Programs, and Services, click here.
Just Published! Best Technologies for Public Libraries: Policies, Programs, and Services
Emerging technologies can intimidate with their cost and uncertainty—this book provides flexible options for adopting the most popular ones.
Introducing new technologies to your library can be a daunting process; they can be costly, they may be unfamiliar to many staff members, and their success is far from assured. To address these concerns, Best Technologies for Public Libraries accommodates budgets large and small, providing options for both the ambitious and the cost-conscious.
Authors Christopher DeCristofaro, James Hutter, and Nick Tanzi provide a resource for staff looking to incorporate a number of emerging technologies into their library and makerspaces. Each chapter explores a new technology, including 3D printing, drones, augmented reality, and virtual reality, covering how it works, the selection process, training, sample programming, best practices, and relevant policy. By describing a variety of program and service ideas across age groups, the book gives readers the ability to first evaluate them within the context of their own organization before incorporating ideas à la carte. This approach helps readers to adopt these new technologies and create policies with uses already in mind.
Features
- Learn the basics of how emerging technologies, including 3D printing, augmented reality, virtual reality, and drones work
- Read recommendations for how these emerging technologies can be used to develop library programs and services
- Build a framework for developing policy pursuant to these emerging technologies
- Understand best practices in adopting the aforementioned emerging technologies