Submitted by San Juan Island Library

Need that missing chess piece or a new Star Trek Insignia badge? Try the library’s 3-D printer.

After a few months of staff experiments and training, the San Juan Island Library is offering 3-D printing for public use. Staff has created items ranging from semi-useful (soap dish, cardholder, plastic bag carrier, fly swatter, cookie cutter) to ridiculously cute (cat ring, gnomes, dragons and the ever-popular and much-needed cork pig). To request an item is printed, patrons need to complete an agreement form and a 3-D Printing request form, available next to the printer and at www.sjlib.org. There is a handy FAQs sheet for people seeking more information.

Want to submit a request but don’t know what to print? Try finding already designed items at Thingiverse and save the files in an .stl format. If you want to create your own design, try TinkerCad. People can request one item file per week at a cost of $1, regardless of the success of the printing. This helps cover the staff and material costs associated with 3-D printing.

The San Juan Island Library sees digital literacy as an important part of its mission and is proud to add 3-D printing to its existing literacy programs such as Tech Tuesdays, Rock Island Seminars and ongoing computer classes.

For more information, call 378-2798, visit the San Juan Island Library at 1010 Guard Street, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. The library website offers streaming movies, downloadable eBooks and audiobooks, and a wide range of online databases and access to all of our collections.