Marsico Hall Microscopes Facility (MHMF.ORG)

Facility Use Policies *

The prime rule: A responsible and courteous approach to the operation, cleaning & reserving of resources and especially to other users of the facility is expected.  The booking calendars list booked users' contact information to help with scheduling and coordinated powering down of equipment.

General:

• Only users who have completed the introductory training for the microscope(s) they wish to use from MHMF personnel may operate the equipment and book time **
• Image processing workstations (Nomarski, Snell, Zernike, Young) may be used by any user with an MHMICROSCOPY account (no training is required)
• Users must use only their own Windows account on the MHMICROSCOPY domain ** 
• Use of another user's account will result in being barred from the facility as well as the borrowed account being disabled. **
• After hours access to the facility is available to trained users.  Please follow instructions on the facility access web page
• Entry doors are to be kept closed when no user is present in the facility, especially at the end of the day and after hours
• Users must notify staff about viable pathogens or biohazards before they are brought into the facility
• Do not move or rearrange carts/equipment!  Cables, connectors and equipment can be, and have been, damaged
• Do not adjust room thermostats without explicit permission from facility personnel
• Users must not install software on facility computers.  Please let us know about software requirements
• Acknowledgement of the use of the Michael Hooker Microscopy Facility in publications is expected
  • Just as one lists granting agencies in publications, recognition of the use of MHMF equipment and resources funded by an anonymous private donor should be included in publications.

Booking:

• Equipment may be reserved using the online booking calendars
• Walk up use by qualified users is permitted.  Please enter yourself in the appropriate booking calendar immediately, so that others can know the resource is being used
• The on line booking calendars are the arbiter of who has the right to use a resource
• The last user that is, or even was, booked on the current day is responsible for ensuring that the system is powered down
  • Removing oneself on the current day from the booking page does not absolve the responsibility of ensuring that the booked system is shut down.  If  you are off site  please call the facility (the current user or facility personnel) to make sure equipment will be powered down, or if necessary go to facility to ensure equipment is off.
• Note that block bookings followed by cancellation, especially just to guarantee time, is an inconvenience to other users.  This practice will result in being charged for booked time.

Finishing Up:

• Lower lens turret and clean up lenses only with lens tissue (never Kim Wipes) and objective bodies before leaving.
• Log off computer workstations when finished.  Usage charges will continue to be incurred if you do not log off.
• Power down system appropriately and in consideration of next confirmed user's arrival time.
• The last user that is booked, or was booked but cancelled, for the day is responsible for ensuring that the system is powered down.
• Please notify staff of breakages or problems
  • Failures, accidents, and even mistakes do happen.  Notifying facility personnel promptly expedites repairs.
• Make sure entire area is clean before leaving
• Glass items should be placed in biohazard boxes for glass, tissues should be placed in trash bins
• Biohazards and other toxic waste must be properly disposed of

File Storage Policy:

• You alone are responsible for your image files.  Archives of user files are not made
• On workstations files older than 90 days are subject to immediate removal (without further notice)
• On the file server (\\MINSKY or \\MARVIN) files older than 24 months are subject to immediate removal  (without further notice)
• See http://mhmicroscopy.med.unc.edu/Policies/File_Storage.html for more details

		Copyright 2001-2025 Dr. M. Chua, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
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