Stewardship of Shop, Lab, Facilities, and Equipment Policies

Caring for shared spaces, equipment, and community at Olin

There are numerous spaces available for you to work on projects at Olin, such as shop and lab spaces in the Miller Academic Center (MAC) and the Library in Milas Hall. These spaces are equipped with many different tools and resources. The spaces themselves, and the staff, faculty, and students who support them, are incredible resources for our community and the spaces require stewardship from the whole community to keep them accessible and safe for all community members and visitors. Please be thoughtful in your actions. If you have questions about a piece of equipment or about the project you’re working on, please ask. There is a wealth of experience at Olin and we are here to help you!

Some general stewardship guidance: A clean space is a safe space for all.

1. Keep your project materials in designated spaces. We need to keep hallways clear for fire code reasons, and the rest of the space clear for being-a-good-neighbor reasons. Do not annex surrounding space. If you leave items behind, label them with your name, date, and the best way to contact you. Any unlabeled items left behind may be tossed out.
2. Keep your space open and presentable. Tours of prospective students and other visitors walk around Olin every day so please keep your project space presentable and safe for those passing by. There is a difference between messy and organized mess. Please avoid putting up barriers or aggressive notes between spaces. Public project space is available in the spirit of collaboration--“working in public”--not creating cubicles in hallways or other spaces. If your project materials require privacy, please consider finding a private space for storing your things.
3. Do not commandeer public resources. This includes not removing common space tables and chairs from the spaces as well as leaving project materials in a very public common area for an extended period of time. If there’s something that you need and can’t procure it yourself, reach out to staff or faculty responsible for the space.
4. Protect yourself and others. Don’t do any work in public spaces that require safety glasses. Any powered tools require safety glasses, and a shop space is the best place for that type of work. If you need to wear safety glasses, everyone around in a 10 ft. radius you should be too. It’s not reasonable to expect that anyone and everyone walking down the hall or other public spaces will be wearing safety glasses.
5. Help others be safe. If you see something that might be unsafe, say something. Help others see how things might go wrong, or how things could be done more safely. Try to do this in a kind and supportive manner, not an antagonistic or aggressive or controlling manner. We're all trying to learn here, so let’s help each other.
6. Clean up your mess, and put your tools and materials away when you are done.

Guidance on Tools:

1. Tools stored in individual Shops are intended to be used in those spaces and Shop staff work hard to keep them available for users. To borrow circulating tools from The Shop, use the sign-out sheets available in The Shop Office (MAC105 Monday - Friday 9 am - 6 pm, most Saturdays during the semester 1 pm - 5 pm). Tools in the Community Tool chest (MAC first floor hallway near 105) are free to borrow and use whenever needed. All borrowed tools should be returned promptly so others may access them.
2. If you would like to borrow tools from a lab space, contact the lab manager to obtain permission first. Always return borrowed items promptly. Do not ‘borrow’ tools from the shop/labs/spaces and then keep them indefinitely. We want everyone to have access to the tools they need to complete a project.
3. The Library has a small collection of hand tools for in-Library use. These tools are located on the small carts in the lower level of the Library near the printers. Library-owned items have pink labels (or tape, in some cases), to identify them as such.
4. Report broken/damaged tools and equipment to the appropriate instructor/staff/faculty as soon as possible. We understand that sometimes things break, but we can’t repair or replace a broken or worn tool if we don’t know about it. Please let one of the faculty or staff in the space know immediately so we can replace it.

If you have any questions about academic spaces at Olin, especially within the Miller Academic Center, please reach out to the Space Force at space-force@olin.edu. Space Force is a cross-functional team comprised of faculty, staff, and students. Together, they work towards optimizing the use of academic spaces and making improvements to academic spaces at Olin College.