A: Our address is 1511 Central Avenue NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106. Our parking lot corners on Central & Ash, just west of University & Central. It is within easy walking distance of the University of New Mexico.

A: A hacknight is Quelab’s version of an active open house. We encourage our members to show up to work on projects, be social, and at the same time invite interested persons of the community to come on down and check it out. This also allows non-members to try out the space and to start making, as well as meet current members. Hacknights are also a great time to take a tour, get policy orientation, as well as some group training.

A: They are currently scheduled for the first Sunday of each month & every Tuesday from 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Hacknigts are a gathering of members “making” (working on personal or group projects), but it is not a class. Once a member, you aren’t required to come to hacknight, and you will find members trickling in throughout the evening. Quelab is all volunteer, so people show up as they can.

A: We can sign you up for the next New Member Orientation at hacknight, or you can simplify things by signing up via our website http://quelab.net/membership/. To gain the 24-hour access to the space, this safety orientation is a requirement

A: It is the only time we are scheduled to be open to the public, but you can email info@quelab.net with times you are available, and we will do our best to find someone available.

A: Of course! The simple truth is to become a maker you need to exercise that part of your brain. A lot of Quelab’s knicknacks and gizmos, demos, books, and areas are there to inspire! The members are a great resource for helping you to find the Maker within you and then a way to make your dream project a reality. We also have nearly a whole room full of “obtanium” (parts, supplies, gadgets and more that can be taken apart, or re-purposed). There are also countless things around the lab that need fixing/moving/setting up/organizing. Organizing an area is a great way to quickly become intimately familiar with the stuff there.

A: Quelab is an active shop environment. There are many dangerous tools and yet-to-be-perfected contraptions and inventions. We welcome families! As long as there is active parental supervision, kids are welcome! It's a great place to work on Parent/Kid projects. We have seen some really awesome creations blossom from this type of co-learning. However, Quelab is not a place to just drop your kids off. We don’t have anyone available to watch them and cannot guarantee their safety.

A. At its most basic, when we say “Make”, we simply mean making & doing stuff. Diving in deeper, it refers to the Maker Movement, and Maker Culture, and a technology-based extension of the DIY Culture. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maker_culture for more info, and https://www.google.com/search?q=define+"make"+maker+movement as good start off points for some internet research!

A. By “Hacking” we mean improving something or altering how something works to make it better. Quelab does not condone illegal computer operations such as cracking or hacking systems. The misconception of the word “Hack” is why Quelab is a “MakerSpace” instead of a “HackerSpace”.¹⁾

A. For small stuff, just bring it down to the space & leave it in the main classroom, or in the Annex, on one of the tables near the UP For Grabs shelf. Our Donations Officers will evaluate your donation if it can be used within Quelab or sold for a profit, or offered to the general membership. Non-members making a donation will need to come down on a Hacknight (the first Sunday evening of each month) or make pickup or drop-off arrangements ahead of time.

For larger items, you can email the donations@quelab.net & they will discuss with you if the donation is something we would like to have, and to arrange pickup or drop-off times. Since we are a non-profit, you can also request a tax receipt for your donation!

A. Unfortunately, we are a non-profit, and have no paying positions to hire for! We are a diverse group of makers, and it is always good to add more skills into the mix, so please consider becoming a sustaining member. Member dues pay the rent & keep the lights on!

A. In a quote from the Quelab Historian:

Gabe was still working on the idea of having a coworking/tinkering space, and a bunch of us (NM folks or expatriates of the 505) in a small private IRC server, we ran a channel called the 505lusers (self depreciation/humor). Many of these folks were there for the tail end of BBS's before internet became what it is… and we were trying to come up with a name.

The biggest deciding factor is we wanted a domain name that matched. This was in the height of the domain name squatting bubble, so people were writing bots to grab and register all names and pretty much anything 5 letters or shorter was taken by people trying to flip domain names for a buck.

Criteria was we wanted something Albuquerque-ish in its name, we wanted it to be under 7 characters, and we wanted something science-y in the name. We we tried a lot of ABQ's and pretty much they were all taken. We thought Zia-lab but knew there were some tensions between the sacred usages and usurpers we didn't want to fight. Eventually we thought QuerqueLab might be good, but I think we found that was taken. We finally found quelab.com was taken but quelab.org and quelab.net were not. Wuelab.com looked pretty inactive and we suspected we could grab it in a year or two (wrong we were, but they have made 0 updates to their website the entire time.).

As for specific dates, I think it was registered on 01-12-09 or 01-13-09.

A. While we have some unique tools the average DIY-er is not likely to have (CNC machines, Laser Cutter, 3D printers), Quelab is more than just a shop; it's also a collective of like-minded people with a wide range of skills & interests. While some may join Quelab for the tools, others enjoy being a part of the collective of unique individuals that make up the membership.

A. Once you become a recurring sustaining member, you've done your part, and if that's all you ever do, Great! You're keeping Quelab in existence. We're a volunteer non-profit; simply put, the dues pay the bills… they keep the lights on & keep a roof over our heads.
With all that said, Quelab only exists because of its' volunteers. They're how Quelab got created, and they're how it stays open & has grown from humble beginnings. People stepping up to help the space are why Quelab is such a great place! There are a lot of opportunities available for volunteers, so contact us if you're interested in doing more.

If you set up your membership the recommended way (with recurring payments), you can stop the recurring payments, and your membership will lapse into the next dues period. Of course, the more friendly way is to notify us of your desire. Send a note to info@quelab.net to let us know, and one of those officers with the necessary powers can mark your membership as lapsed/suspended. We would also appreciate feedback on why Quelab wasn't a good fit for you. Are there areas we could improve?