Onboarding

Introduction to RCL and how we operate: where to get started for newbies.

Welcome to River City Labs' Wiki!

We're happy you're here! If this is the first page you're seeing, feel free to take a moment to check out the rest of the wiki. It has information on RCL as an organization, safety and usage guidelines for our tools, and other useful tidbits. After you're done, come back here!

We hope this page will help you navigate being a new member here at RCL.

Chat

We heavily use Slack for communication with membership and between other members. You have probably received an invitation to join our Slack workspace already, but if not, email [e-mail] and let us know.

Our Slack workspace (rclpeoria.slack.com) is one of our best assets as an organization. In it, you have access to contact all of RCL's members and pick their brains. Scroll through the channel list (by clicking on "Channels" on the lefthand menu) and you'll see we have a mix of general channels, event-specific channels, and channels specific to certain tool areas. Join any channels that you find interesting or potentially useful and feel free to join the conversion or lurk away!

We also have access to Google Hangouts chat from our Gsuite, but it's not used at all.

Machine Safety and Usage Training

Certain machines at RCL require safety training (such as the lasers, routers, woodworking and metalworking tools) to prevent injury. Even if you are familiar with the equipment, RCL requires that each member be "certified" on our machines. This means going through a short overview of the tool with one of our member experts.

If you are not yet familiar with a tool, you may want some training. Our members are very willing to spend some time with new folks to help familiarize them with our equipment.

Training and certification is currently done on an ad-hoc basis. If you would like to receive training on a certain machine, please ask for training in one of the appropriate Slack channels: (#woodworking, #metalworking, #3d_printing, #laser-cutter) if you aren't sure, just ask in #chat and someone will direct you!

30-Day Probationary Period

During your 30-day probationary period as a member (or if you are a Starving Member with a discounted membership), you won't have a door code to access the space at all times. You can visit the space during build nights and when another member is present. After 30 days, you will be added to a Slack channel called #rcl-access, where you will find the current door code for 24/7 access.

Build Nights

Build Nights happen every Tuesday and Thursday evening. They are great opportunities to meet other members and familiarize yourself with RCL.

Thursday nights are "Open Build Nights" or "Open House Build Nights." These nights are designated times for the space to be open to all members and anyone who would like to tour the space. Thursday nights tend to be very social and are a great time to come and meet other members. Feel free to bring anything you are working on; projects tend to be the best conversation starters! :)

Tuesday nights are called "Members-Only Build Nights" and are designated for all RCL members (including starving members and those in probationary periods) to come to the space and work on projects. These tend to be quieter, less social nights for members to work at the space.

Once your 30-day probationary period is up, you will have 24/7 access to River City Labs and can come and go as you please. You will probably find that non-build nights are a lot less populated if you are looking to use a machine for a longer period of time, or want a more peaceful environment.

Task Management

We use Trello for organizing officer tasks by focus area.

Documents and File storage

We use Gsuite for non-profits to handle our email, desktop publishing, and file storage needs.

Door Access

Once your new member 30 day probation period is up, we will invite you to the private door code channel that has the current door code on it.

Code of Conduct

We want to have a safe and welcoming environment for everyone at RCL. Find our code of conduct at https://wiki.rivercitylabs.space/operations/code-of-conduct for more information.

Asking for Help

If you aren't sure about something, please ask in the appropriate channel. If you aren't sure, just ask in #chat and someone can help direct you.