Teen Tech Week—a chance for students to use a 3D printer, take apart a computer and learn how to code—will be held March 8-14, in both the SC and NC libraries.

“I don’t recall there ever being as big of a push to involve students in the library in that way,” Director of Technology Services Ed Tennant said.

The idea of creating a teen tech week was first initiated by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) in 2008, but it was NC Librarian Cheri Gogo who first brought the idea to LT. This year’s theme for the week is “libraries are for the making.”

The schedule for the week includes a combination of high technology and low technology events. These include: taking apart an old computer, learning to code, hands on projects with products like “Squishy Circuits” and a Lego Building Contest.

“Legos are pretty open-ended; whatever you come up with you can create,” Gogo said. “Sometimes we don’t think of things that have been around a while as technology, but Legos were quite an innovation when they started.”

The 3D printer the NC library will use for teen tech week was recently purchased using a grant Gogo applied for after noticing increased student and teacher interest when she hosted a 3D printer in the fall.

“I’ve never used [a 3D printer] before, but I want to,” Michael Metz ‘15 said. “I think now [the library] is more up to date, advanced and trendy.”

Geometry teacher Jeremy Vrtis immediately took advantage of the 3D printer as a teaching resource for his 3D geometry unit.

“That’s the worst topic I teach every year because we didn’t have the ability to create,” Vrtis said. “Now that we have that ability, it becomes real when before it was theoretical.”

During Teen Tech Week, all students will have a chance to design something for the 3D printer using the software TinkerCad. Gogo hopes to have as much student work printed as is possible, within time constraints.

“Everything in school and in education has changed so much,” Gogo said. “Libraries also have to change—you have to always be thinking about what’s next.”

In order to further increase student participation for Teen Tech Week, the library will be giving out candy to all participants and raffling off a portable charger each day, Gogo said. Students can stop by the library during their lunch periods or until 4:30 p.m .