[hackerspaces] Members storing their personal stuff...

[matt]

NYC Resistor tends to give 1 shelf to every member.  We recently acquired
some basement storage space in our building that we're calling the dungeon
because hell it looks like a dungeon.  Members are renting portions of that
space for larger project storage and the sort.  That's working out really
well atm.

I think if you can swing something like that it definitely works.

-Matt


On Fri, Nov 22, 2013 at 12:23 AM, Chris Egeland <chris at chrisegeland.com>wrote:

>  Hi,
>
> At SYN/HAK in Akron, OH, we have an informal policy of "If it is laying
> around the space, it's fair game".  You can designate items as not
> fair-game for hacking by placing a sticker clearly on the object that reads
> "do not hack".  The "timeout" question is basically, if something's been
> sitting in the middle of the space for a month, and no one has touched it,
> and no progress has been made on it, the polite thing to do would be send
> an email to the discuss list and make sure that no one is actively working
> on it before moving it.  Perhaps posting a note on the thing for a week or
> so would be cool, too.
>
> So far, the "do not hack" stickers have been working rather well (with one
> notable exception where some rare RAM was accidentally taken for a project
> which made the RAM unusable - Sorry Andy!).  I like the way it works, and
> so far, I haven't heard any major complaints about it, either.
>
> For reference, we have about 1700 sq ft and 17ish members.  And space is
> getting a bit tight (then again, we have some rather large projects taking
> up space in the space at this moment).
>
> For the question of do we allow members to store stuff, yes.  We provide
> each member with a designated storage location for projects (a toolbox or
> bin right now) that is officially off-limits to go scavenging through by
> other members, and the members have the option to lock those bins at their
> discretion.
>
> We also have a "crap that just got donated" pile, and a "crap that's on
> its way out the door" shelf.  Usually those both have some things to be
> scavenged through.  The "crap that's on its way out the door" shelf is much
> like the vortex of doom mentioned by Yves Quemener.  If it sits for a few
> weeks and no one has touched it, it gets pitched.
>
> If you've got any questions, please feel free to reply.  If you do reply
> to my mail, please CC me directly, as I do not check this list as
> frequently as others.
>
> Thanks,
> Chris Egeland
> SYN/HAK
> Akron, OH USA
>
>
>
>
> On 11/21/2013 09:44 PM, Nathaniel Bezanson wrote:
>
> Hi folks,
>
>  At i3detroit, one issue we continually struggle with is storage. Not of
> stuff the space owns (that's an issue too but not a huge problem), but of
> members' personal property. With several members commuting by bicycle, and
> plenty of others working on long-term projects, it's seen as important. But
> it's also imperfect.
>
>  We currently have some large shelves, where any member can reserve a
> spot and keep some stuff there. It works fine until it fills up, and then
> it's very difficult to clear space again. New members don't get space
> because it's all occupied by long-term members, and sometimes when people
> quit, they forget their stuff.
>
>  I'm curious how other spaces handle this. I'm aware of a few examples
> and anecdotes here and there, but I'm hoping to understand a few specific
> points from as many spaces as possible:
>
>  0. Is there a collection of wisdom on this topic somewhere already? I
> have this feeling that Gui is going to respond with a doc-dump and I'll
> look silly, but I can't find anything already in a few minutes of
> searching... :)
>
>  1. Do you allow members to keep their own stuff at the space, at all? If
> not, why not, and what happens to stuff that gets left behind accidentally,
> or deliberately abandoned/donated?
>
>  2. How much storage space does a member get? Is it variable? Based on
> what criteria?
>
>  3. For how long can a member leave stuff in the space? Once they start,
> is it safe to assume that their stuff can remain as long as they remain a
> member?
>
>  4. If there's some sort of inactivity or timeout clause, how does that
> work, and who enforces it?
>
>  5. Assuming you require labels on storage spots or labels on stored
> items, how are unlabeled items handled when they turn up in storage? Or
> items left in unlabeled spots?
>
>  6. Have you ever had anyone try to actively subvert the limits?
>
>  7. Are "group projects" by a handful of members given special
> accommodation, beyond what an individual member would get?
>
>  8. Assuming you have some mechanism to throw out stuff that everyone
> agrees is abandoned, has anyone come back later and whined that their
> precious shit wasn't yours to throw out? How do you handle that?
>
>  9. Is your system so drastically different from what I'm describing that
> the questions don't even apply? Do tell!
>
>  10. Whatever storage system you have right now, is it working? What do
> you see as its main strengths, and main weaknesses? If you could start from
> a clean slate, what would you change?
>
>  Also for context, it might be helpful to understand how large your space
> is and how many members you have (I could just look this up in the wiki but
> it'll be easier to have it in your response!).
>
>  I'll stick our data in a reply so as not to clutter this first message.
>
>  Thanks a bunch,
> -Nate B-
>
>
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