The Chicago Tribune recently interviewed me about 3D printers in libraries (they interviewed a bunch of other cool people too).
The newspaper seems to be making an issue of what you can/cannot/should not print in a library setting, and talked about printing guns, obscene objects, etc using a library’s 3D printer.
Here’s my take – let your customers print, and don’t worry (too much) about special 3D printing policies:
- My guess – Your already existing customer behavior policy/guidelines probably covers everything you need. So I’m not sure you need an extra-special “3D printer policy.”
- Printing bad/naughty/dangerous things – Your customers probably won’t be doing this. So stop worrying about those “what if” scenarios. When they do appear, see the above point about your customer behavior guidelines.
- On the issue of printing 3D guns:
- Your library probably already has books about making guns (under the subject heading of “gunsmithing”). What’s the difference?
- A 3D printed gun is a multi-part project, requiring multiple 3D files. Unless the customer has named each file “nefarious gun part #1, 2 and 3” … you’re not gonna know what they’re printing anyway.
What do you think? Please leave a comment!
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