Leonardtown, MD — The St. Mary’s County Library has added two 3D printers, 3D pens, three Cricut Makers, and two Oculus Rift S virtual reality headsets to their collection.
The new resources were made possible by a donation from the Friends of the St. Mary’s County Library,
Prusa I3 MK3S 3D printers use plastic filament in various colors and allow users to print objects. The Library provides several colors of filament including black, white, transparent, blue, red, and yellow. The printers are free to use, but the library does ask for an donation to pay for the cost of the plastic filament.
The library plans to add classes to teach users the basics of 3D design and printing in the near future.The first 3D printer is already set up at Leonardtown Library. An additional printer will also be set up at Leonardtown and a third printer will soon be purchased for the Charlotte Hall branch.
The library has also purchased 3D pens, which extrude plastic from the tip and require no software to use.
Additionally, they’ve added three Cricut Maker machines. The Cricut Maker cuts hundreds of materials quickly and accurately, including fabric, paper, mat board, and leather.
By late this year, there will be one Cricut Maker at each Library location available for the public to use. Members of the public will need to sign up for a one-on-one appointment to receive instructions on how to use the machine and to become certified.
Once certified, they will then be able to sign up to use the machine free of cost. Cricut users will need to provide their own materials.
The Library is in the process of training staff on the machine, and will have the Cricuts out for public use by the end of the year.
The Oculus Rift S is Oculus VR’s most advanced PC-powered virtual reality headset. The Library has purchased 2 Oculus Rift S; watch for opportunities to try the Oculus Rift S at various events at the Library locations throughout the year. Experiences include space exploration, games such as Beat Saber and Job Simulator, dinosaur encounters, stories, art and creative encounters, world travel, and more.
“We so appreciate the generosity of the Friends of the St. Mary’s County Library,” said Laura Boonchaisri, Marketing and Communications Coordinator. “Without their wonderful donation, we wouldn’t have been able to purchase all of this technology for our customers to use.”