Welcome to Lowell Makes! This guide is meant to provide specific information to help you get off to a great and productive start. We’re so glad to have you join our community!
Onboarding Tasklist
- Create an account on Nexudus
- Join Basecamp – our primary tool for communication
- Join a shop on Basecamp
- Check out our Wiki
- Come to Lowell Makes to pick up your key fob
- Attend a members meeting
1. Create an account on Nexudus
Nexudus is our member management system. Nexudus is where you will create a member profile, select the type of membership you want, pay your membership invoices, and get information about the makerspace.
2. Join Basecamp
While we do occasionally send membership-wide emails, Basecamp is the project management software we use to collaborate and discuss ongoing projects at Lowell Makes. To access Basecamp, log in to your member portal on Nexudus and click the Basecamp button on the main landing page (pictured below).
3. Join a Shop (or many!)
Lowell Makes is a collection of several distinct work areas called “shops.” Each shop can have its own rules or safety check-out process, and has at least one and sometimes several “Captains.” These captains are your primary contact for questions about how to make use of the shop, schedule check-outs, or report malfunctioning equipment.
Once you have joined Basecamp, now you can join individual Shops and Projects inside Basecamp. There are two places to find links to the shops:
- One option: In Basecamp, click into our “Lowell Makes Town Square” then “Docs & Files.” Then click the green documents called “All the Basecamp Links.”
- Another Option: In Nexudus, click “LM Resources” in the top right – see image below. This page has links to join all of the shop Basecamps. It also has a link (under “Key Resources”) to view our Wiki.
4. Check out our Wiki
Follow the instructions above to access our Wiki through Nexudus. The Lowell Makes Wiki is an important information repository, but it’s also a work in progress. Let us know if you think information is incorrect or missing. Key pages include: Info for New Members, Rules and Policies, and Contacts. Shop captains are also listed in the Wiki.
5. Come to Lowell Makes to pick up your key fob
Lowell Makes currently has an open house every Wednesday night from 6-8pm. These are usually the best times to pick up a fob, but please confirm your pickup plan with the Executive Committee or fill out this form so that we can prepare to assist you.
6. Attend a Members Meeting
Typically the first Tuesday of each month, we have a meeting for all members to come and discuss what is happening at Lowell Makes. We start at 7PM and it’s a great time to get more familiar with many other makers. During COVID-19 we have two socially-distanced options for meeting: masked, in-person in the Western Avenue warehouse or virtually via Google meet.
We also have an Open House for prospective members every Wednesday evening from 6-9PM; this is a great time to come in and meet other members. We can always use help from existing members to answer questions and give tours. Sign up using this form to schedule a tour.
Got Feedback?
To provide feedback to Lowell Makes Executive Committee, log in to your member portal on Nexudus and click the Feedback button (pictured below).
Conflict resolution
We expect all members to behave courteously and respectfully in their interactions at Lowell Makes (it’s part of the Membership Agreement, after all). If you have an issue with another Lowell Makes member that you’d like help resolving, please use the feedback button on Nexudus.
Incident Reporting
We want all members to be safe and responsible while they work at Lowell Makes, but we also understand that sometimes accidents happen. If you or someone you are working with is injured, take the necessary immediate emergency actions, but once any emergency is dealt with, please report the incident to the shop captain and to ExCom. If a piece of equipment becomes damaged or unsafe during operation, please try to leave a note on the equipment, and notify the shop captain. You may be asked to fill out an incident report, which helps us identify and resolve ongoing issues.