Community Group Visits

We are happy to host groups from outside of Salisbury University at the MakerLab. If you are interested in bringing a group, please read through this page to learn about what we can offer.

Thank you for your interest in visiting the Salisbury University Libraries MakerLab! In addition to the services we provide to campus, we are proud to offer a number of programs and activities for members of the surrounding community.

This document outlines the various programs that are available. Please note that these are intended for groups of 5 to 25. Smaller groups do not need to make arrangements in advance before visiting, and some programs may not be appropriate for groups larger than 25.

If you have any questions, you can contact us at makerlab@salisbury.edu.

Requesting a Group Visit

If you are interested in one of the programs below, please send an email to makerlab@salisbury.edu. In your email, please be sure to provide the following information so we can be sure to provide you with the best service possible:

The name of the program you are requesting from the list below
The name of your school/organization
The number of people in your group (including the number of children and chaperones, if applicable)
The age range of your group
The date(s) and time(s) that you would like to visit.
If the session includes any cost, please briefly describe how you’d like to make the payment (individual check/credit card, school invoice, etc.)

Programs Available

Read about each of the programs we offer for community groups below. If none of the programs listed meet your needs, feel free to reach out to us to discuss alternatives.

MakerLab Tour and Q&A

Group Size: 5-25 People
Age Range: 3rd Grade - Adults
Timeframe: 10-30 minutes
Cost: Free
Lead Time: 3 Business Days

Description:

This is the simplest activity we offer to community groups. A MakerLab staff member will give your group a tour of the space, including short descriptions of each of the types of technology we have and examples of the kinds of things that have been made in the MakerLab. Technologies covered include: 3D printing, 3D scanning, virtual reality, and 360-degree cameras.

After the brief tour, we will do a Q&A session with your group and allow them to ask as many questions as time allows for. This allows us to cater the session to the interests of your group as much as possible. If they would like further demonstrations of any particular equipment, we would be happy to go into more depth on anything that interests them.

Due to the open-ended nature of this session, little lead time is necessary for us to prepare. So this is the best type of session to do if requesting on short notice.
Introduction to 3D Modeling

Group Size: 5-25 People
Age Range: 5th Grade - Adults
Timeframe: 2 Hours
Cost: Free if not printing designs, $3-8 per attendee if printing (depends on model size)
Lead Time: 1 Week

Description:

During this session, attendees will learn how to use the free online 3D modeling software Tinkercad. This software is a great way to expose people with limited to no experience with 3D modeling because it allows them to create simple objects very easily, but it also has the power to create complex designs once they get some experience. A MakerLab staff member will lead the group in modeling an object together to learn how the tools work, and then they will have time to create something of their own design.

If you would like, the MakerLab can take the designs created during this session and try to print them. Because this takes some time, the models will be provided to you 1-2 weeks after the session. We will give you an estimated cost of printing the models up front, but will reduce that cost if the actual printing fees end up being less than the quoted amount.
Hands-On with a 3D Printer

Group Size: 2-8 People
Age Range: 6th Grade - Adults
Timeframe: 1.5 Hours
Cost: $5 per attendee
Lead Time: 1 Week

Description:

During this session, attendees will learn how to use a 3D printer by actually doing all the steps themselves. They will learn how to load 3D model files into the printer software, how to configure the software so the object prints successfully, and how to work directly with the printer itself. At the end of the session, attendees will get to keep the object that they 3D printed. (Because printing will take a couple of hours, these will need to be picked up sometime after the session is over).

Due to the limited number of printers, we recommend this session for no more than 8 people. With 4 or less, each attendee will get their own printer to work with. If there are between 4 and 8 people, some or all will need to share their printer with another attendee.