Pottsboro Library making mask "ear guards" with 3D printer

The Pottsboro Library is making ear guards for health care workers, or anyone who needs one, to wear with their masks.

They started making them Monday on their 3D printer and said they've been going non-stop.

It all started with a

Heather Roney posted a photo of her son Quinn, a boy scout in Canada.

She wrote that local hospitals had expressed the need for "ear guards" for workers to wear with their masks.

She said they've heard from thousands of people around the world inspired to do the same, and Grayson County is one of them.

"We're willing to help anyone we can," said Pottsboro Library manager Lindy Meiser.

Meiser started making ear guards Monday and they've already made more than 100.

She got the idea from her friend Stevi Emerson, a wound care nurse at a Sherman nursing home.

"I thought that was clever, I said you know, I'll give it a go for you," Meiser said.

"It just makes it a lot more pleasant to wear the mask," Emerson said.

Emerson saw the post on social media of the 12-year-old boy scout in Canada, who created a file for 3D printers.

"The young man's design is brilliant," Meiser said.

The plastic guards hold the ear loops off of your ears to make it more comfortable to wear for long periods of time.

Emerson said on average, she works eight-hour shifts, but sometimes up to 16.

"It makes breathing hard, it fogs up your glasses, but it's really what needs to be done right now to protect our patients," Emerson said.

They're required to wear the mask at all times, except for going to the bathroom and eating.

But she said this invention helps make it bearable.

"It actually keeps it in place a lot better," Emerson said.

The library didn't stop with the ear guards.

Meiser said they've made different types of face masks, face shields and even special door handles.

"That you can open with your forearm or with your elbow," Meiser said.

They're also sewing masks to donate to local hospitals.

"When things like this come up, and we can use the resources that we have, we can put them to better use, we're always ready to jump in," Meiser said.

For more information on the resources at the Pottsboro Library, Meiser says you can call at (903) 786-8274, email at pottsborolibrary@gmail.com or message them on

They're specifically donating to health care, but said anyone who wants one can get it for free.

The library also has sewing machines available to check out, if you're interested in making masks to donate.