[OPLINLIST] Cricut

[Brian Eckel-Hare]

I was asked to post to the list.

We are a very small library and we are limited on space.  Our Children's
librarian is worried about upkeep and having to help people with it.  We
usually only have one person on the circulation desk.

Here is a compilation of responses:

Our Friends bought one for our children's staff. Has saved so many hours of
staff and volunteer time, and really is a cost savings compared to
purchasing new Ellison dies.

Good Morning Brian,

I saw your post on OPLINLIST about Cricut machine usage.

I have one for personal use. I Love it. You will want to make sure you get
the one that formats 12X12 paper not the smaller paper size. There is too
much cutting that entails.

You will want to train someone on replacing the cutting tool itself. It can
be set at different depths depending on the material being cut. (cardstock,
regular paper, vinyl etc) There are also special cutting needles that go
along with this.

The cartridges get a bit pricey($30-$60 each). It would probably be a good
idea to get a cartridge jukebox (an attachable machine that holds 6
cartridges at a time) Someone will need to be in charge of the keyboard
templates with each cartridge. You will also need to get the tool kit that
has scrapers, tweezers and whatnots to get the paper off of the mat. And
Investing in multiple mats would also be wise. They can get damaged easily
if the needle depth isn’t set correctly you can cut through it.



That said. It is a fabulous tool.  I create all kinds of papercrafts with
mine. Let me know what you decide. I will be interested to see how that
works in a library setting.  Just thought I would weigh in.


I've used both cutting systems and they both have good points and bad
points.  Cricut cartridges are expensive and each one only does a few kinds
of cutouts, but each cutout can be done in a variety of sizes.  Cricut takes
a lot more time than Ellison/Accu-cuts do because you can only cut
one sheets of paper at a time, while with the die cut makers, you can stack
sheets of paper and cut a bunch at once.  But, Ellison/Accu-cuts don't do
chip board and if you are doing letters for a bulletin board or display, you
have to switch out the dies between letters and that takes time and
organization, while with the Cricut, you program it to cut the letters you
need and then just hang around to change the paper when needed.  I think
there's a place in libraries for both, depending on what they are used for.
For bulletin boards, the Cricut is best.  For name tags, crafts and making
lots of the same shape over and over, the Ellison is best.

The Cricut gives you a lot more flexibility as far as sizes and designs.  It
does require more maintenance, such as knife and mat replacements. As for
the mats, I have found that you can use temporary spray adhesive and make
them last longer.  Construction paper does not work well in these machines.
Ours is available to the public.  We do ask patrons to schedule a time for
the first use, as an employee needs to go over the machine with them before
they use it.  It probably gets used a couple of times per week.  I do think
the Ellison is much easier to use.  I would suggest you check out e-bay for
machines.  There is a new one that not only cuts but also prints in color.
My concern about that is the amount of ink that you could go through.
Cartridges are much cheaper on e-bay.  We keep all the cartridges at the
circulation desk.  We have had ours for about 2 years and our Friends did
purchase it.

Our Youth Services Staff has a Cricut Machine and love it!  Another staff
member has one at home and uses it extensively; she helped train the staff
and helps them use it to its full potential.  As far as maintenance, we have
only had to replace the cutting sheets and cutting element.  We do not allow
the public to use the Cricut.

We purchased a Cricut last year and we LOVE it! It SO much more than the
Ellison ever could. I think you'll like it alot.



-- 
Brian Eckel-Hare
Director
Liberty Center Public Library
(419) 533-5721
director at libertycenterlibrary.org
www.libertycenterlibrary.org
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