Dear all, It is quite interesting to note the developments. "So, where once we thought of libraries as places where we had things for people, now we really do things for people -- or do things with people," -- Sari Feldman of ALA With regards HR Mohan Former AVP(Systems), The Hindu IPP, CSI & Chair, IEEE CS & PCS The story ======= Libraries Make Space For 3-D Printers; Rules Are Sure To Follow At hundreds of libraries across the U.S., 3-D printers can sometimes be heard whirring in the background, part of an effort to encourage interest in the new technology and foster DIY "maker spaces." In some libraries, officials have begun to set restrictions on the 3-D printers amid concerns about how they'll be used. At the University City Public Library in St. Louis, Patrick Wall recently printed a green plastic sword from the game Minecraft. He runs this library and was demonstrating its new 3-D printer for a group of kids and adults. The play sword took close to 1 1/2 hours to print, Wall says. The printer is roughly the size of a microwave with an open space in the middle. A coil of filament feeds an extruder that moves back and forth inside, dabbing molten plastic into layers that harden. The 3-D printer, a 3-D scanner and filament cost about $4,500, Wall says. University City was the first of two public libraries in the St. Louis area to set up 3-D printers for public use. But, according to the American Library Association, more than 250 libraries across the country that have one. "It's actually part of a larger trend," says the ALA's Sari Feldman. 3-D printers are just the newest example of the interactive spaces that libraries are becoming for their communities, she says. "So, where once we thought of libraries as places where we had things for people, now we really do things for people -- or do things with people," Feldman says. She says libraries large and small across the U.S. are setting up so-called "maker spaces," offering increasingly sophisticated hardware and software, including studio production equipment, design software and in some cases, even laser cutters. Read the full story at http://goo.gl/T0cC9u -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.