3D Systems and YALSA help over 100 libraries and museums to bring 3D printing to their communities

CHICAGO – The Young Adult Library Services Association, in partnership with 3D Systems, has announced the recipients of the MakerLab Club 3D printer awards. The MakerLab Club (MLC) is a community of U.S. libraries and museums, committed to democratize making and advance 3D digital literacy. One hundred MakerLab Club member libraries and museums will receive 3D printers courtesy of 3D Systems.

 “This was such a great opportunity for our members and the library community,” said YALSA President Christopher Shoemaker. “We’re sure the chosen recipients will benefit greatly from 3D Systems' generous contributions and will be able to better engage teens through the latest technology to help them build the 21st century digital literacy skills they need to be successful in careers.”

 “3DS is proud to sponsor the MakerLab Club, giving critical equipment, training, and support to libraries and museums across our country," said Neal Orringer, VP of Partnerships and Alliances, 3D Systems. "Today, libraries and museums are democratizing making in their local communities and reinforcing their position as key centers of the arts, education, and culture. We urge anyone interested in getting involved to contact us and get started setting up your lab today!"

The recipients are as follows:

• Amherst Town Library; New Hampshire
• Anne Arundel County Public Library; Maryland
• Arizona Science Center; Arizona
• Arlington Public Library; Virginia
• Ascension Parish Library; Louisiana
• Austin Children's Museum; Texas
• Avon Free Public Library; Connecticut
• Avon Free Public Library; Connecticut
• Avondale Public Library; Arizona
• Baden Memorial Library; Pennsylvania
• Belgrade Community Library; Montana
• Bertha Voyer Memorial Library; Texas
• Billings Public Library; Montana
• Black Canyon City Community Library; Arizona
• Brookfield Public Library; Illinois
• Broome-Tioga BOCES; New York
• Broward County Library; Florida
• Carnegie Science Center; Pennsylvania
• Carnegie-Stout Public Library; Iowa
• Charleston County Public Library; South Carolina
• Chattahoochee Valley Libraries; Georgia
• Cincinnati Museum Center; Ohio
• Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences of West Virginia; West Virginia
• Coca-Cola Space Science Center at Columbus State University; Georgia
• Contra Costa County Library; California
• Cranston Public Library; Rhode Island
• Cuyahoga County Public Library; Ohio
• Discovery Place Education Studio; North Carolina
• Duluth Children's Museum; Minnesota
• Durham County Library; North Carolina
• Duxbury Free  Library; Massachusetts
• Edison Institute d/b/a The Henry Ford; Michigan
• Enoch Pratt Free Library; Maryland
• Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library; Indiana
• Exploration Place: The Sedgwick County Science and Discovery Center; Kansas
• Falmouth Memorial Library; Maine
• Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium; Arizona
• Frederick County Public Libraries; Maryland
• Friends of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences; North Carolina
• Gateway to Science Center, Inc.; North Dakota
• Geneva Public Library; Nebraska
• Grand Forks Public Library; North Dakota
• Impression 5 Science Center;  Michigan
• Irving Public Library- South Irving Library; Texas
• Jefferson County Public Library; Colorado
• Jefferson Middle School; Idaho
• Kansas City Public Library; Missouri
• Kapiolani Community College; Hawaii
• Liberty Science Center, Inc.; New Jersey
• Living Arts & Science Center; Kentucky
• Mabee Library - MidAmerica Nazarene University; Kansas
• Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Library; West Virginia
• Maryland Science Center; Maryland
• McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center; New Hampshire
• Memphis Public Library Information Center; Tennessee
• Meridian Library District; Idaho
• Middletown Free Library; Pennsylvania
• Multnomah County Library; Oregon
• Muskogee Public Library; Oklahoma
• Pease Public Library; New Hampshire
• Pellissippi State Community College; Tennessee
• Pinson Public Library; Alabama
• Pope County Library System; Arkansas
• Pueblo of Laguna Public Library; New Mexico
• Rancho Cucamonga Library Services; California
• Rapid City Public Libraries; South Dakota
• Reuben H. Fleet Science Center; California
• Rochester Public Library District; Illinois
• Santa Cruz Public Libraries; California
• Sayville Library; New York
• Schenectady Museum Association; New York
• Science Center of Iowa (SCI); Iowa
• Science Museum of Virginia; Virginia
• Sci-Port Discovery Center (Sci-Port: Louisiana’s Science Museum); Louisiana
• Sci-Quest Hands-on Science Center; Alabama
• Seattle Public Library; Washington
• Seward Memorial Library; Nebraska
• Space Foundation; Colorado
• Springfield City Library;  Massachusetts
• St. Louis Science Center Foundation; Missouri
• Starkville-Oktibbeha County Public Library; Mississippi
• Stoner Prairie Elementary; Wisconsin
• Suffolk Public Library; Virginia
• Sweetwater County Library System; Wyoming
• Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum; Nevada
• Thanksgiving Point Institute; Utah
• The Adler Planetarium; Illinois
• The Bakken Museum and Library; Minnesota
• The Children's Museum of Indianapolis; Indiana
• The Discovery Museum, Inc.; Connecticut
• The Ocean County Library; New Jersey
• Tuscaloosa Public Library; Alabama
• University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Library; Arkansas
• Volusia County Public Library; Florida
• Washington County Public Library; Kentucky
• Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science; South Dakota
• Waterville Public Library; Maine
• Weber County Library; Utah
• Westford Public Library and Westford Elementary School Library; Vermont
• Westport Library; Connecticut

These 100 libraries and museums from across the United States are among the first members to receive Cube 3D printers to run programming and workshops with their communities.

Over 1300 libraries and museums across the country have joined the MLC as members, and will have access to curriculum, webinars, training, equipment discounts, and opportunities to win free hardware and software.  Members may use 3DU, which provides modules for holding easy-to-follow and fun 3D printing clinics. MakerLab Club members also have the option to sign up for innovative filament subscriptions. To learn more about the MakerLab Club, please visit 3D Systems’ official MakerLab Club page.

For more resources about making in libraries, visit YALSA’s wiki or download YALSA’s free “Making in the Library Toolkit.” 

About 3D Systems

3D Systems is a leading provider of 3D printing centric design-to-manufacturing solutions including 3D printers, print materials and cloud sourced on-demand custom parts for professionals and consumers alike in materials including plastics, metals, ceramics and edibles. The company also provides integrated 3D scan-based design, freeform modeling and inspection tools and an integrated 3D planning and printing digital thread for personalized surgery and patient specific medical devices. Its products and services replace and complement traditional methods and reduce the time and cost of designing new products by printing real parts directly from digital input. These solutions are used to rapidly design, create, communicate, prototype or produce functional parts and assemblies, empowering customers to manufacture the future.

About YALSA

For more than 50 years, YALSA has worked to build the capacity of libraries and library staff to engage, serve and empower teens.  For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to www.ala.org/yalsa, or contact the YALSA office by phone, 800-545-2433, ext. 4390; or e-mail: yalsa@ala.org.