Locker FAQ

This FAQ is meant to address some common questions people might have. This page is not part of the official locker policy like the Locker Protocol page.

Q: Why do we need lockers? Don’t we have member shelves?

A: Lockers would be available to members and non-members. The lockers would offer some level of security over member shelves since you could put a lock on them. Also, since there is a monthly fee for them, lockers won’t fall into disuse as easily as the member shelves have (the junk has been piling up on the floor of the member shelves area.) Also, the lockers will have a Locker Point of Contact who is a person responsible for maintaining the lockers and keeping them serviceable.

Q: Lockers are expensive. Can we afford this?

A: From most of the prices I’ve seen online, the monthly fee for the lockers will cover the cost and afterwards *generate* revenue for Noisebridge.

Q: We should hack together/build our own lockers!

A: This is a lot of effort, so much that nobody has done it. The cost of wood, hinges, and locking mechanisms would result in being more expensive than buying them off craigslist.

Q: Can Noisebridge charge money for things?

A: Several events in the past have charged fees to cover costs. Circuit Hacking Monday (the longest running Noisebridge event) provides kits to use for learning to solder with a small fee. The primary aim of the fee is to cover the expense and ensure that people don’t forget about their locker, which opens it up to other people who would want it.

Q: Won’t locked up items in lockers make it a target for thieves?

A: All of the laptop, phone, camera, bicycle, and wallet thefts at Noisebridge have been crimes of opportunity. It is safer to leave things in a locker than leave them out or hidden somewhere in the space. Unlike picking up someone else’s laptop or bicycle, it is visually clear that someone trying to break into the lockers is intending steal. Noisebridge states that it won’t be responsible for items in the lockers. There is a risk of theft, but storing a laptop in a locker for an hour while you leave to get a burrito is convenient and low-risk. Storing a laptop there overnight might not be a good idea. Each individual will take the risk they’re comfortable with. Summary: Lockers are better than nothing.

Q: Doesn’t Noisebridge have a lock picking group? Won’t they open up lockers?

A: The lock picking group has their own set of locks to practice with. Anyone attempting to break open a locker that they aren’t authorized to is assumed to be a theft attempt, no matter what “I was just practicing” excuse they give.

Q: Why don’t we assign lockers with a random lottery?

A: While a lottery is a good way to decide tie-breakers if there is more demand than supply, having a simple lottery system makes it unstable if a person will have a locker from month-to-month. Lockers should be assigned to people who would need them rather than people who are ambivalent about them.

Q: Won’t people just use them without paying?

A: We will have a policy where the Locker Point of Contact can cut locks due to lack of payment after a set time and a good faith effort to contact the owner and resolve the issue. While people will be allowed to temporarily (i.e. not overnight) use available unassigned lockers, the locks will be cut off in the morning if the owner isn’t physically in the space.