Library Attention Seekers

thingiverse

I've been giving a series of "Introduction to 3D Printing" presentations for our local library staff, since introducing 3D Printers into the library could boost technical awareness in the area. To this end, the library has been gifted a Makerbot Replicator 2 by Ricoh. For my talks, I was eager to print something relevant to the library staff that would print within half an hour. After searching Thingiverse for ages, I came across some amazing designs, but nothing fit within the time constraint. Thankfully, inspiration struck, and I decided to create a custom design - a thumbs up sign - that library staff could place between books on a shelf to indicate their "Staff Choice of the Week" or similar. During the presentations, people pointed out to me that it could also be used to signify the "Worst Book of the Week" by flipping it upside down - adding even more versatility than initially envisioned! Although it may be unclear which book is being favored, maybe both or the entire shelf are being showcased. Designing this thumbs up emblem took no longer than 10 minutes in Inkscape, and then I extruded it in Blender within five to six minutes. Printing on the Makerbot using settings similar to the standard "Medium" setting took about 27 minutes and required only 6 grams of filament. For those who suggested placing an exclamation mark or star indicator above the books to avoid losing them between the shelves, these alternatives take around 20 to 28 minutes to print. Adding a library or shop name would be an easy modification but might increase the printing time significantly. I had a great time designing and using these indicators in the demonstrations. Instructions: It's quite simple. These items were printed at a 15% fill density, which made them relatively robust. The Blender and SVG files are included with the downloadable content so that you can customize them to your liking.