Layer-By-Layer: Building a 3D Printing Service from the Ground Up

Abstract

Low-cost consumer 3D printing has strong potential to advance academic research and improve education across all disciplines. Libraries, particularly staff in access services, are uniquely positioned to provide this service. The University of Arizona would like to share our experiences incorporating 3D printing into an existing service site. For those unfamiliar with 3D printing, we'll provide a general overview of the technology and share stories about how our students are already using it to support their coursework. For libraries wanting to know more about how to start their own service, we'll provide an overview of staffing needs and costs, while sharing sample training materials, process workflows, and metrics that will help demonstrate the value of this service. Since there are a variety of options, we'll cover questions that you should ask yourself when planning your service.