Smithsonian Will Use 3D Printing to Open Their Collection

Daniel Terdiman at CNET has written an article about the Smithsonian Museum’s new partnership with 3D Systems to bring their collection to a wider audience.

All told, the Smithsonian owns 137 million items, and only 2 percent of their collection is on view to the public at any one time. To make better use of the collection, the Smithsonian will begin printing replicas of sculptures and other objects so that they can be more freely distributed. In addition, the museum will begin creating a digital archive of their collection.

This could mean great things for local libraries, schools and education in general.  If you have access to 3D printing, a whole world of rich cultural resources are now at your fingertips. Or, if you're like me, you’ll see this new development as an opportunity to use the Smithsonian’s vast archives to complete your home library by printing your own bust of Jefferson and Lincoln.

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