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The Friends of the Library Create Space is located on the main floor of the Central Branch.
The Create Space is a self-directed space. Library staff cannot provide assistance or technical support for patrons using equipment outside of scheduled programming.
For most equipment you must provide your own supplies, except for the 3D printer filament for a fee on a sliding scale. Button making supplies are available for purchase at the service desk and the Friends of the Library sell USB drives at the Central Branch.
All visitors must sign a liability release waiver (PDF) before using the Create Space. Speak to staff at the service desk about signing the waiver.
Youth under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult, and the use of most equipment is restricted to ages 8 and older.
How to book equipment
You may reserve equipment in the Create Space.
You can book up to a four-hour appointment on the equipment of your choice.
Up to three bookings within a week are permitted, including back-to-back bookings. Bookings can be made up to two weeks in advance.
How to access the Create Space
A key card is needed! Borrow it from the main service desk using your library card.
No food or drink is permitted in the Create Space.
The Library will make every effort to maintain all the equipment in the Create Space, but occasionally items will be unavailable due to required maintenance, repairs or replacement.
Thank you to the Friends of the Library for making this space possible.
3D Printer
The Prusa I3 MK3S is available for printing small-scale 3D printing projects in the Create Space at the Central Branch.
Use of the 3D printers is limited to patrons ages 16 and up.
Training
3D Printer training is required before using the machine.
All patrons must adhere to the 3D Printing Policy.
To complete your training, follow these steps:
- Watch the How to Use the Prusa 3D Printer and the Original Prusa i3 MK3 Guide for a New User videos on YouTube.
- Read KFPL's 3D Printing Policy.
- Sign into your Create Space account and take the 3D Printing Quiz.
Button and Magnet Makers
Make buttons, magnets and more using the 1 ½ and 2 ¼ inch button makers.
Use of the button makers is limited to patrons ages 8 and up, and youth under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
Supplies
Bring your own magazine clippings or original art, as well as your own button and magnet pieces.
Supplies can be purchased online from People Power Press for the 1 ½ inch or 2 ¼ inch machine.
You can also purchase button-making supplies from staff at the service desk:
- 1.5” Button Kit Pinback - $1.25 per button = $6.25 for 5 or $12.50 for 10
- 1.5” Ceramic Magnets - $2.25 per magnet = 11.25 for 5 or $22.50 for 10
- 2.25” Button Kit Pinback - $1.50 per button = $7.50 for 5 or $15 for 10
Cricut Maker
Cricut Maker, Cricut Heat Press and Cricut Mini Press are available for cutting a variety of materials, heat transferring designs, applying appliques and more.
Use of the Cricut Maker is limited to ages 8 and up, and youth under 16 must be directly supervised by an adult.
Cricut Design Space app
Sign up for a free Cricut Design Space account before your appointment. This way, you have the option to spend time designing your projects at home. When you're ready, you can log into your account on the iMac in the Create Space to access your saved designs.
If you do not have access to a device at home, you can do everything directly at the Cricut station in the Library.
You can also add the app to your device:
Don’t have a Cricut ID? Create one on the Cricut website.
Resources
Embroidery Machine
The Janome MC 500E embroidery machine is available for your textile projects.
The embroidery machine has a variety of standard designs available for beginners.
Patrons who wish to create their own designs must book time on our Windows PC to access the Janome Digitizer software.
Use of the embroidery machine will be limited to patrons ages 16 and up.
Resources
Photo Scanner
Preserve your memories by using the Epson FastFoto photo scanner—perfect for digitizing family albums and old photographs.
Pick Punch
Make guitar picks using our standard and jazz-style punches and sanding blocks.
Supply your own gift cards or similar plastic. The punches are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Sewing Machine
Our Janome 3160 QDC (PDF) sewing machine is available for your sewing and textile projects.
Use of the sewing machine is limited to patrons ages 8 and up, and youth under 16 must be directly supervised by an adult.
Equipment and materials
A variety of basic equipment to support sewing projects is available (PDF). Patrons must provide their own project supplies (fabric, thread and other sewing notions).
Resources
Tool Bench
A work bench equipped with basic hand tools is available (PDF) for simple projects and basic repairs is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Safety glasses and gloves will be provided and must be worn.
Power tools (e.g., drill, heat gun) and cutting tools (eg: saws and utility knives) are only available during supervised maker programs. A release of liability waiver will be required to use these items.
Use of the tools is limited to ages 8 and up, and youth under the age of 16 must be directly supervised by an adult.
Video Capture
The Portta Video Capture Device is a video-to-digital converter that can convert and store analog video and audio signals into digital formats.
Preview your video on the 3.0" LCD screen with a built-in speaker.
Bring a USB or SD Card to store your digital files. You do not need to book the Windows computer to use it.
- Bring your design file or craft it in the Create Space.
- You may design a 3D model at home, find a ready-made design online, or use an online design tool like TinkerCAD.
- Your file needs to be in one of the following formats:
- OBJ
- STL
- 3MF
- Use the PrusaSlicer software to create a slicer file for the 3D printer. The file will be saved in GCode format.
- We recommend using the PrusaSlicer software on either the PC or Mac computers in the Create Space. Our slicer is configured to work optimally with our 3D printer.
- Copy the slicer file (GCode) onto an SD card to transfer it to the 3D printer.
- An SD card of 32GB or less is required to load the slicer file onto the 3D printer.
Do not bring your own filament! Only KFPL-provided filament may be used in the 3D printers to prevent damage to the machine. Materials are provided for a fee on a sliding scale of $0 to $20.
Following your appointment, staff at the service desk will accept the payment you feel is reasonable for your print job based on the amount of filament you used, what you can afford to pay, and what you may wish to pay forward to support others who use the machine.
The Prusa 3D Printer
If you’re interested in learning more you can review the following courses on LinkedIn Learning.
3D Printer frequently asked questions
The printer "prints" (extrudes) PLA plastic, a corn-based product. Several colours of this plastic are usually available.
The object or part thereof must fit within the confines of the build area in the printer, with a maximum build volume of 25X21X21 cm (9.84"X8.3"X8.3").
The object must be printed within your appointment time.
If you are interested in a ready-made design, we recommend checking out the collection of free designs on a website such as Printables.
More about using the Video Capture
The recording resolution is up to 1080P 30Hz. It supports AV/RCA (CVBS+R/L), S-Video, and AUX inputs.
Store video in MP4 format or audio in MP3 format. It supports NTSC-M/J 3.58, NTSC 4.43, PAL B/G/H/I/D (PAL/N) standard TV formats input. An audio sampling rate of up to 48KHz with uncompressed 2-channel LPCM digital audio output.
Supports recording and digitizing video for VHS, VCR, DVR, DVD, Hi8, camcorders, Mini DV, and Cassette Tape Player.
No capacity limitation for the USB drive or TF card. Enables direct playback of recorded videos and audios, as well as preview snapshots on the capture box.