Lockers and project shelves: keeping track of who has what

Every makerspace has a shelf of abandoned projects: half-finished birdhouses, a box of unidentified wires, a guitar body nobody has touched since the summer. Storage is a real membership benefit, but it needs a little structure to stay one.

Treat storage like any other booking

In Tidewell, lockers and project shelves can be set up as long-term bookable items. Members claim a space, and the booking renews with their membership. When a membership lapses, a host gets a note to check the shelf.

Set a clear-out rule

• Projects on open shelves are labelled with a name and a date
• Anything untouched for 60 days gets a reminder
• After a further 14 days, it goes to the free pile

The reminders do most of the work. In spaces using this setup, most members collect or renew before anything needs clearing.

And yes, someone will still leave a guitar body behind. That's what the free pile is for.