the sandbox. Policies and Procedures
McWherter Library creatorspaces (the sandbox.) offers University of Memphis students, faculty, and staff, and authorized community members (community membership forthcoming - unavailable Fall 2018), digital and creative media resources for producing audio, video, images, multimedia, and physical object projects. Resources are introduced or withdrawn according to usage trends, academic needs, and community input.
Email the sandbox. team at thesandbox@memphis.edu or call 901-678-2205.
General policies:
- the sandbox. is open during normal operating hours of McWherter Library.
- Students must be currently enrolled at the University of Memphis and able to present a valid student ID. Staff and faculty must be currently employed by the University of Memphis and able to present a valid faculty/staff ID.
- University Libraries is not responsible for anything left behind in the sandbox. Personal projects or belongings left in the sandbox. will be collected at the end of each day and placed in the “Lost and Found” located at the Check Out desk on the 1st floor of McWherter Library.
- Any work saved on the computers in the sandbox. will be deleted once you are logged off and cannot be recovered. Users must provide their own external storage devices. the sandbox. does not provide storage media (DVD-Rs, flash drives, SD cards, micro SD cards, etc.). These are generally available for purchase on campus at the University Bookstore.
- Students are expected to treat the sandbox. equipment with care and respect. Privileges may be revoked if users behave inappropriately (abusing equipment, disrespecting reservation times, etc.).
- Downloading, installing, or uninstalling software of any kind is prohibited.
- the sandbox. creatorspace can be reserved with approval.
- the sandbox. creatorspace, the studio spaces, and their resources may NOT be used for commercial production work.
- University Libraries is not responsible for damage to personal computers, nor for the loss of data or information, nor for liability that occurs from the use of the library’s internet connection, library software, or hardware.
Computer users agree to:
- Be courteous to other library patrons and other the sandbox. users. This includes, but is not limited to keeping noise levels at appropriate levels, picking up after themselves when working on messy projects, notifying the sandbox. staff of any major spills, and being a good citizen in general.
- Comply with all rules, procedures, and restrictions mandated by the University of Memphis and the University Libraries.
- Accept responsibility for the security of the information they give on the web, such as personal information and credit card numbers.
- Respect copyright laws and licensing agreements.
Computer users agree to NOT:
- Use the sandbox.’s computers for illegal activities, advertising, lobbying, or commercial purposes.
- No one will be permitted to use digital fabrication equipment to create material that is prohibited by local, state or federal law; unsafe, harmful, dangerous, or poses an immediate threat to the well-being of others (such use may violate the terms of use of the manufacturer); or in violation of another's intellectual property rights. For example, using equipment to replicate someone else’s designs or articles of manufacture may infringe the copyright or patent in those materials.
- Modify any hardware or software on the sandbox. computers.
- All digital fabrication equipment and products are provided by the University of Memphis on an “as is” basis without warranties or representations of any sort, expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose.
1st floor: The Creatorspace
The creatorspace is located to the immediate right of the Check Out Desk, previously called the Reserves Room.
Consumables:
- We will provide batteries.
- We will provide limited thread and standard needles for the sewing machine.
- We will not provide flashdrives, SD cards, or other storage devices.
- We will not provide fabric for the sewing machine.
- We will not provide materials to use with the Cricut. Cricut provides a list of approved materials.
List of equipment in room:
- 3 3D printers
- 1 3D scanner
- 3 touchscreen desktops
- 12 student desktop computers
- 1 teaching computer
- 3 TVs (1 teaching TV, 1 film screening TV, 1 video game TV)
- 1 large MIDI piano keyboard
- 1 large digital art tablet
- 1 sewing machine
- 1 Cricut vinyl cutter
Commonly requested tech for check-out:
- Most DSLR Cameras may be checked out for four (4) hours. One (1) DSLR Camera may be checked out for three (3) days.
- Most keyboards may be checked out for four (4) hours. One (1) keyboard may be checked out for three (3) days.
- Most digital art tablets may be checked out for four (4) hours. One (1) digital art tablet may be checked out for three (3) days.
2nd, 3rd, and 4th floor: Production Studios
Policies: Each studio may be reserved for up to four (4) hours at a time per week. Each studio must be reserved in order to be used. Those reserving the spaces (“reserver”) are responsible for:
- their personal belongings;
- adhering to their reserved time slots, and
- respecting the space by leaving in the condition in which they found it.
Reservers must be approved to reserve these spaces and are responsible for their guests while in the production studios and will be held liable for anything their guests damage.
Consumables: The library will provide chalk, erasers, and dry erase markers. The library will provide light bulbs.
Damaged or Stolen Equipment: It is the responsibility of the reserver to communicate damaged or stolen equipment from the production suites. If not communicated, they may be held financially responsible.
Warning Concerning Copyright and DMCA Restrictions
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code, 1976) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998 is designed to protect copyright holders from online theft. Copying, distributing, downloading, and uploading information on the Internet may infringe on the rights of the copyright owner. Even an innocent, unintentional infringement violates the law.
Every audio, visual or written work has copyright protection unless that protection has expired or the creator places it in the public domain. The work does not have to have a copyright notice or a copyright symbol to be protected by copyright. If you cannot determine whether or not a work is copyrighted assume that it is copyrighted.
Under certain conditions specified in the law, educational institutions are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user uses a photocopy or a reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement.
It is the user’s responsibility to determine whether information is copyrighted, whether it meets the criteria for “fair use,” and to seek permission from the copyright holder for its use as necessary.
