Anything is possible at Delaware libraries

Libraries throughout the state are taking the idea "anything is possible" to new heights.

The Delaware Division of Libraries recently provided eight libraries with cutting-edge 3-D printers. The idea is to keep up with new and evolving technology, while giving the public an opportunity to learn about it.

"It's an emerging technology, and DDL has taken a huge tech focus,” said Ed Goyda, director of the Lewes Public Library. In addition to 3-D printers, the state library system is also expanding its e-book collection, introducing video conferencing between libraries and ramping up its computer training programs.

Libraries in Lewes, Milton, Georgetown and Laurel have each been given a 3-D printer. Four others were also given to libraries in Kent and New Castle counties.

Goyda said his library's printer is constantly running, working on something new. Its recent creations are on display: a bust of Batman, Pac-Man and his ever-chasing ghosts and even a multi-piece prosthetic hand. Goyda said he was inspired to print the prosthetic after reading a recent news article that highlighted a 11-year-old California girl who assembled a prosthetic hand from pieces created with a 3-D printer.

“When we had first started working with it, we were making smaller objects, single-piece objects,” Goyda said. “Then we had seen some of the earlier stories about the little girl out in California. The model is online, so we said let's download the model and start working on one.”

The entire project took about 40 hours to print. The prosthesis featured about a dozen different parts, with the two largest pieces taking about 12 hours each to print. Once completed, the hand was assembled and put on display for the public to see.

“We wanted to try out something complicated,” Goyda said. “We wanted to make something that was really a useful thing.”

Designs for many objects can be found on online repositories, but libraries also have technology to create something from scratch. Libraries have been equipped with computer programs to either sketch an original design or photograph a 3-D rendering of an object or person. Goyda recently used Microsoft Kinect to make a 3-D rendering of himself, then made used the 3-D printer to bring it to life.

3-D printers work by melting plastic and forming the desired object one layer at a time. After a layer is complete, the platform is lowered 6/100ths of a millimeter and printing for the next layer begins. The process continues, working from the bottom to the top, until the object is complete.

The printers are available for public use; however, Goyda said, no one has yet taken advantage of the technology.

“We haven't had anyone from the public use it yet, but we have a lot of people who enjoy watching it and seeing how it goes,” he said.

Public use is free while the printer is in the beta test phase. Beyond that, Goyda said, demand will dictate whether the library will charge people to use it.