Resources Overview
Resources are the physical side of your makerspace: the areas members work in, the tools inside them, and the training members need before using either. MakerVera models these as three connected building blocks.
| Building block | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Workspace | A physical area of your makerspace | Woodshop, Laser Lab, Electronics Bench |
| Equipment | A tool or machine, usually inside a workspace | Table saw, 60W laser cutter, 3D printer |
| Authorization | A record that a member has completed the training or safety sign-off for something | Woodshop Safety, Laser Certified |
How they connect
Section titled “How they connect”- Equipment lives in a workspace. Opening equipment inside a workspace shows its parent, and the workspace shows every piece of equipment inside it.
- Workspaces and equipment can require authorizations. You choose which ones when you create or edit the resource.
- Members earn authorizations by completing a class, or an admin can grant them manually.
- When a member reserves equipment on the booking calendar, MakerVera checks that they hold every authorization the workspace requires. See Booking Equipment & Workspaces.
Where to find everything
Section titled “Where to find everything”All three live under Admin > Resources in the side navigation.
| Page | What you do there | Permission needed |
|---|---|---|
| Workspaces | Create and edit areas, set operating hours, choose required authorizations, assign leads, archive | Manage Workspaces |
| Equipment | Add and edit tools, set booking rules and status, choose required authorizations | Manage Equipment |
| Authorizations | Create authorization types, set how long they last, archive | Manage Authorizations |
A page only appears in the navigation if your role includes its permission. By default, Managers and Admins have all three. See User Roles to review or change what each role can do.
Granting or revoking an authorization for a specific member happens on the member’s profile (Admin > People > Users) and also needs Manage Authorizations. See Managing Authorizations.
Working in the resource pages
Section titled “Working in the resource pages”The Workspaces, Equipment, and Authorizations pages all work the same way:
- A list on the left with search, a Status filter, and a Group option (group by status, or equipment by workspace).
- A detail pane on the right with tabs for the selected item. Selecting an item adds it to the page address, so you can bookmark or share a direct link.
- An Add button at the top. On a brand new makerspace the empty page offers one-click suggestions (for example Woodshop, Laser Cutter, or Safety Orientation) to get you started.
- An Archived option in the Status filter to find retired items. See Archiving Workspaces & Authorizations.
- A page settings button where you can choose how loudly the list highlights items that need attention. This is saved on your device only.
Suggested setup order
Section titled “Suggested setup order”- Create your authorizations first, so they’re available when you set up the rest.
- Create your workspaces and choose any required authorizations.
- Add equipment to each workspace.
- Connect your classes to the authorizations they grant, so members earn them automatically.