[Imc] equipment

[Sascha Meinrath]

great work paul & jay,

i would suggest putting each of the 4 minidisks on top of their own 
clipboard.  each clipboard would have the sheet to be filled out on it, and 
would be specifically for ONE minidisk.  it is a bit more space intensive, 
but this way we could easily see which minidisks are out (i.e. the 
clipboard is there but the minidisk isn't) and we would have contact info 
easily available).  i think it would also make the process of signing out 
the minidisks much, much easier.

also, as much as i hate to have to be suggesting this, people who 
continually do not get equipment back on time should eventually be 
prohibited from checking out new equipment.  the minidisks (and other 
equipment) are a commons, and when people abuse this commons, everyone 
suffers.  i know that people's current disregard for equipment checkout has 
made both paul and brian's jobs much more difficult -- and has taken a lot 
of their time.  in addition, several stories have NOT been done because 
equipment that was supposed to be reserved was removed from the 
IMC.  finally, i too am getting tired of last minute tracking down of 
equipment that should have been returned long ago or was never checked out 
in the first place.

i would like to see a simple-to-fill-out sheet for each minidisk, and i'd 
like to see people taking the 2 minutes to fill these out.  finally, if you 
say you're going to have a minidisk or other piece of equipment back by a 
certain time, please respect the fact that often people are counting on you 
to have your equipment back on time.

--sascha

At 03:49 AM 06/28/01 Thursday, you wrote:
>hi all
>
>a few developments i have to report, of which y'all might want to know:
>
>Jay Morris and i worked together to list all the potentially loanable
>items in the production room cabinet.  jay e-mailed that list to Maiko,
>who said she would be willing to turn the list into a production equipment
>reservation and check-out database.
>
>nobody has been using the current SERGEI-based equipment check-out system
>which i designed to serve as an interim system until Maiko has a chance to
>work her magic in computer-land.
>
>what we could use is a simple paper-based system (a quarter-sheet sized
>pad of equipment check-out sheets for example) for check out, coupled with
>a routine whereby staffers regularly enter info from equipment check-out
>sheets into Maiko's database.
>
>this design would account for the fact that many people won't have time to
>power up a computer just to do an equipment check-out, and would still
>allow organizers and producers to ask a computer a question like (for
>example) "where is minidisc recorder #2?" and get lucy's contact info as
>part of the answer, along with the estimated return date, and other
>reservations on the item. aside from the data-entry time delay--which has
>been proven inevitable by the real-world field-tested absolute-zero use of
>the current paperless system--the computer would (in theory) answer
>correctly.
>
>what needs to be done for this system to be complete?
>
>1.  design and duplicate the "quarter-sheet" equip check out form.
>2.  train borrowers to use it ALWAYS
>3.  complete and implement Maiko's database design
>4.  train staff to enter data from quarter-sheets to database
>5.  co-ordinate in-advance, from-anywhere online equipment
>reservation with on-site-only, paper-based, spur-of-the-moment checkout.
>
>this could be a nightmare, but what the heck?  it can't be too much worse
>than what we have now.
>
>that's my status report.  i'll check in with Jay and Maiko as soon as i
>can about progressing toward a finished system.
>
>P.S. what working group does this fall under?  i see it as somewhere in
>between news, tech, and space.
>
>solidarity,
>paulko:)theimer
>+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>THE HAND-MADE RECORD LABEL
>www.handmaderecords.com
>
>c/o the School for Designing a Society
>409 North Race Street
>Urbana, IL 61801
>217 384 0299 phone (no fax)
>
>
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