Two years ago, with the help of Santa Barbara Hackerspace, the Santa Barbara Public Library began its Monday-afternoon Makerspace Program, where anyone can come and use the Tech Lab to create whatever projects they have dreamed up. Thanks to a donation from the Orfalea Foundation, the Santa Barbara Central Library now has two 3D printers in its Tech Lab, which are open for public use on Mondays from 4-7 p.m., provided you bring your own materials and design. “The whole point of this is to get the public acquainted with new technologies,” said Hong Lieu (right), the network system tech who oversees the Makerspace Program. This handy addition to the community has even helped the S.B. Museum of Natural History create 3D-printed replicas of fossils of an early human ancestor (discovered in a South African cave) for a future exhibit.
