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Trustees approve 3D printer policy limiting library prints to personal, noncommercial use
Summary
Daly City Library Board of Trustees voted unanimously to adopt a revised 3D printer policy that restricts printing to personal, noncommercial projects and clarifies staff discretion and handling of unclaimed prints.
Daly City Library trustees voted to approve a revised 3D printer policy that specifies the service is for personal, noncommercial use and clarifies staff responsibilities for operating and supervising the machines.
The policy change, introduced in the director’s report and discussed at the Feb. 18 meeting, adds explicit language that the library’s 3D printers are available to individual library patrons for personal, noncommercial use. Library Director Jayla said the limit responds to requests from businesses and reflects staff capacity and the program’s educational purpose. “We’ve added 3D printing as available to individual library patrons for personal noncommercial use,” Jayla said.
Board members asked for wording clarifications and small edits during the discussion. Trustees asked whether certain terms—such as “unsafe” or “immediate threat”—should be broadened, whether unclaimed printed items should be explicitly allowed to be discarded, and what “hands-on access” by staff would mean in practice. Jayla explained that staff will load and unload printers, change filament and remove items from print plates because those tasks involve heat and technical handling; patrons may submit files and visually observe prints but will not perform maintenance tasks.
Trustees also recommended adding language making discretion explicit for staff when judging whether a print request is inappropriate or obscene, and suggested replacing the word “view” with “review” in one place. Director Jayla agreed to incorporate minor edits and to send a final, post-meeting edited version to the board.
Votes at the Feb. 18 meeting were voice votes. A trustee moved to approve the policy as amended; another trustee seconded. The board voted in favor with no recorded opposition; the chair declared the motion passed.
The director said the final approved text will be posted on the library’s policy page online and that a sign with the policy will be displayed by the printer at each location.
The policy change is intended to keep staff time focused on supervised, educational access to makerspace tools and to avoid providing commercial manufacturing support.
