[Libs-Or] INFORMATION: OITP releases report exploring policy implications of 3D printing

[Diedre Conkling]

http://www.districtdispatch.org/2015/01/oitp-releases-report-exploring-policy-implications-3d-printing/

OITP releases report exploring policy implications of 3D printing

Posted by: Charles Wapner
<http://www.districtdispatch.org/author/cwapner/> January
6, 2015 in Intellectual Freedom
<http://www.districtdispatch.org/category/intellectual-freedom/>, OITP
<http://www.districtdispatch.org/category/oitp/>

3D printers can do incredible things – from creating food, to rendering
human organs, to building spare parts for the International Space Station.
A small but growing number of libraries make 3D printers available as a
library service. Library 3D printers may not be able to make you a pizza
(yes, that’s possible) or operate in zero gravity, but they are being used
to do some pretty amazing things in their own right. Library users are
building functioning prosthetic limbs, creating product prototypes and
making educational models for use in classwork.

While 3D printing technology is advancing at a meteoric pace, policymakers
are just beginning to develop frameworks for its use. This presents the
library community with an exciting opportunity—as providers of 3D printing
services to the public, we can begin to shape the policy that coalesces
around this technology in the years to come.

To advance this work, ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP)
today released “Progress in the Making: 3D Printing Policy Considerations
through the Library Lens
<http://www.ala.org/offices/sites/ala.org.offices/files/content/3D%20Library%20Policy-ALA%20OITP%20Perspectives-2015Jan06.pdf>,”
a report that examines numerous policy implications of 3D printing,
including those related to intellectual property, intellectual freedom and
product liability. The report seeks to provide library professionals with
the knowledge they need to craft 3D printer user policies that minimize
liability risks while encouraging users to innovate, learn and have fun.

The report states:

“As this technology continues to take off, library staff should continue to
encourage patrons to harness it to provide innovative health care
solutions, launch business ventures and engage in creative learning. In
order to do so, library staff must have a clear understanding of basic 3D
printer mechanics; the current and potential future uses of 3D printers
inside and outside of library walls; and the economic and public policy
considerations regarding 3D printing.”

ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom <http://www.ala.org/offices/oif>
contributed a piece to the report entitled, “Intellectual Freedom and
Library Values,” which offers guidance to library professionals seeking to
craft a 3D printer acceptable use policy that accords with the fundamental
library value of free expression. Additionally, Tomas A. Lipinski, dean and
professor at University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee’s School of Information,
provides a sample warning notice that libraries may use with patrons to
demonstrate awareness of the legal issues involved in the use of 3D
printing technologies in libraries.

The report was released as part of the OITP Perspectives series
<http://www.ala.org/offices/oitp/publications/oitpperspectives> of short
publications that discuss and analyze specialized policy topics. It is the
second publication in ALA’s “Progress in the Making” series, an effort to
elucidate the policy implications of 3D printing in the library context.
The first document was a tip sheet
<http://www.ala.org/offices/sites/ala.org.offices/files/content/3d_printing_tipsheet_version_9_Final.pdf>
jointly released by OITP, the Public Library Association and United for
Libraries.



http://www.districtdispatch.org/2015/01/oitp-releases-report-exploring-policy-implications-3d-printing/

-- 
*Diedre Conkling*




*Lincoln County Library DistrictP.O. Box 2027Newport, OR 97365Phone & Fax:
541-265-3066Work email**: **diedre at lincolncolibrarydist.org*
<diedre at lincolncolibrarydist.org>
*Home email: **diedre08 at gmail.com* <diedre08 at gmail.com>

 “If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change
your attitude.”―Maya Angelou
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