An Academic Library's Role in Improving Accessibility to 3-D Printing

This paper focuses on several initiatives that have been implemented at an academic library to improve accessibility to 3D printing for its campus community. This project, and its engineering and technology educational components, have evolved from a direct collaboration between the College of Engineering and Technology and the main campus library. Resources have been published for educating, training, and automating in order to increase access to the University’s 3D printing resources. 3D printing workshops have also been offered to students, faculty and staff to improve their understanding of 3D printing technology. While the time devoted to training varies, all training is lab-based and hands-on. Workshop participants have come from a diverse array of disciplines within the natural sciences, health sciences, humanities, and the social sciences. Faculty members from different colleges, departments, and disciplines have brought their classes to the library so their students can explore 3D printing technology. In less than a year, this initiative has grown and become a full-fledged campus wide endeavor with more growth expected. This paper reports on the model and methods that have been adopted to foster the success of this initiative.