Draft of Dark Room Policy

21 October 2004

  1. Hours of Operation and Time Slots
  2. The dark room hours will be from 9:00 am to 11:00 pm Monday through Friday. Hours of operation for Saturday will be 10:00 am to 11:00 pm. Sunday the dark room will be available from 1:00 pm to midnight.
  3. To access to the dark room, one must have a reserved time slot. A sign-up for weekly time slots is available from Dr. Davis () or a darkroom manager appointed by Dr. Davis. Only two people are allowed for each time slot and preference will be given to members of the photography club. (Within the club, preference will be given first to leaders then to upperclassmen.) Time slots can be reserved in one hour increments. If not enough slots are available, those with multiple slots reserved each week will be asked to limit their slots to just one.
  1. Supplies and Use
  2. The photography club will take up semester dues to purchase basic use supplies for everyone to share (i.e. trays and bottles for chemicals, funnels, thermometer, containers for processing, scissors, orange cloths, light bulbs etc.) All other supplies (notably paper and chemicals) are to be purchased individually.
  3. When done in the dark room, allow time within your slot to clean up your supplies. Empty the trays of your chemicals and thoroughly clean them so as not to contaminate the chemicals of the next person using the bins. Throw away all test strips and put all of your supplies away in your drawer/cabinet. Make sure the lights for the enlargers are turned off so as not to burn out the bulb. If you have been processing, make sure that all trash has been thrown away and general supplies have been put back in their proper places.
  4. The first person in the dark room is responsible for turning on the red light and allowing it to warm up. The last person in the dark room on a given day is responsible for turning the red light off. do not turn the light on and off throughout the day unless you are processing! This will increase the longevity of the light.
  5. There will be designated areas to hang negatives, contact sheets, and prints in order for them to dry. Do not remove another person’s items in order to hang yours. Also, do not allow your items to hang drying for more than an hour and a half. Prints, negatives, and contact sheets hanging for more than an hour and a half will be thrown away. If for some reason, your items need more than an hour and a half or you cannot come and get them in an hour and a half (due to class, etc), please leave a note to inform everyone else not to bother them.
  6. Do not use another person’s supplies without their permission. Sharing is allowed if more than one person wants to split the cost of items such as paper, filters, or chemicals, but please work out the usage agreement before purchase. All disputes are to be settled by those involved. The photography club is not responsible for replacing missing supplies.
  7. At the end of each day, one member of the photography club must check the dark room to make sure it has been properly cleaned. The trash must be emptied, the sink must be rinsed out, and all dry prints are to be removed. (There will be a bin on the door where prints can be picked up after the dark room has closed. Prints not yet dry when the dark room closes will be left to dry over night and should be placed in the bin when the first person uses the dark room the next morning.) Leaders will put out a monthly schedule of who closes the dark room each day. If you cannot close on your assigned day, switch with someone and let a leader or advisor know so as to change the schedule. If you do not clean on your day because you switched, but you did not tell a leader or advisor, you will still be held responsible if the work is not done.
  1. Behavior Code
  2. There is no rough housing or boisterous talking allowed in the dark room in order to prevent spills or mishaps. Proper conduct is expected.
  3. Only those on the time sheets are allowed in the dark room. There is to be no one else in the dark room with you during your time slot (that means boy/girl friends, best friends, etc are not allowed!)
  4. Any problems with shared time slots or who you are sharing a time slot with are to be handled by the Photography Club leaders and advisors.
  5. All behavior problems should be reported to the Photography Club leaders and/or advisors.
  1. Miscellaneous
  2. Music is allowed in the dark room if it is kept at a low volume and if all in the dark room are agreeable to it being there. Making prints is a creative process and for some music distracts from that. For others, however, music inspires. Music must be discussed and agreed upon before being played.
  3. Never enter the dark room without knocking. Light let in through the door could destroy negatives or prints not yet developed.
  4. If someone continually causes problems with the dark room by either not cleaning or destruction of property, he/she will be asked to pay for any damages and will not be allowed back in the dark room for a period of time to be determined by the photography club. Extreme cases could lead to permanent expulsion from the dark room.
  5. For those who have never worked in a dark room before, tutors are available to assist you during your time slot. Request one from a photography club leader or advisor. They will teach you to process, develop, print, and other techniques. The goal is to learn to be able to do it on your own.