Editor's Handbook
How to write for the knowledge base, plus page templates.
Writing for the Knowledge Base
This knowledge base (https://docs.waukeshamakers.com) is where Waukesha Makerspace keeps its finished reference knowledge. This page explains what belongs here, what does not, who can read what, and how to write a page.
What belongs here
Finished reference knowledge only:
- Equipment SOPs and maintenance procedures
- Safety information
- Training and certification
- Volunteer runbooks (how to run an orientation, an open house, and so on)
- Shop rules and facility information
- Board-adopted policies
- Class outlines and handouts that are ready to reuse
If a member could follow it tomorrow and it would still be right next month, it probably belongs here.
What does not belong here, and where it goes instead
| If it is... | It goes to... |
|---|---|
| A draft, a proposal under review, or committee working notes | Google Docs, or the board's governance-scribe repository. Publish here only when it is finished. |
| A policy that has not been adopted yet | Stays a draft. A policy gets its own page only after the board adopts it. The Policy Register (in the Policies book) lists every policy's status. |
| Technical documentation for WMI software | The project's git repository. |
| Marketing: about us, mission, history, pricing, how to join, events, partners, donations | The public website, waukeshamakers.com (Makers CMS). Link to it from here. |
| Event announcements and one-time notices | The website, Discord or member email. |
BookStack keeps page revisions but does not support two people editing the same page at once, which is another reason drafts belong in Google Docs.
One home per fact
Do not copy lists that live in another system. Link to the system instead:
- Equipment inventory: Atlas (https://atlas.waukeshamakers.com)
- Who is certified on what: Journeyman (https://journeyman.waukeshamakers.com)
- Joining, membership rates and events: https://waukeshamakers.com
Never write membership prices or fees in the knowledge base. They change; link to the website.
When you mention another page in this knowledge base, use its name in bold, for example "see Shop Safety: Incident and Near-Miss Reporting", and add a link.
Who can read what
Public by default. Almost everything here is readable by anyone on the internet, without signing in. That is on purpose: new and prospective members should be able to see how the space works before they join.
Only two books are restricted:
| Book | Who can read it | What goes in it |
|---|---|---|
| Member Access | Members | Security-related information members need (opening and closing, Wi-Fi and shop computers). |
| Board Handbook | Board | Personal information, finances, admin runbooks and full meeting minutes. |
Content is restricted only when it holds personal information or is security-related. On any public page:
- Board members' names and the role email addresses (chairman@, vicechairman@, secretary@, treasurer@, info@, admin@waukeshamakers.com) are fine.
- No other names tied to finances, donations or discipline.
- No personal phone numbers, personal email addresses or home addresses.
- No member lists.
Never write door, alarm, lockbox or Wi-Fi codes anywhere in the knowledge base, not even in the restricted books. Codes are given in person.
Equipment SOPs
Every equipment SOP starts from the SOP Page Template and begins with this banner:
Reading this page does not replace training. You must be checked off on this tool before using it.
Each shop area has its own book (Wood Shop, Metal Shop, Digital Fabrication, Electronics Lab, Fiber Arts, Flex Space) with three chapters: Overview, Equipment SOPs and Maintenance. Area overviews start from the Area Overview Template.
How to write a page
- Plain, friendly and direct. Write to the member as "you".
- Short sections and bullets. People read these at the machine.
- No headings above level 2. BookStack shows the page name as the title, so start at "##".
- Never guess. If you do not know a fact (a location, a setting, a contact), say so with a warning callout ("To be confirmed: ...") instead of making it up.
- No em-dashes or en-dashes, and no spaced hyphen used as punctuation. Use a period, comma, colon, semicolon or parentheses instead. Hyphens inside words (one-time, 3D-printed) are fine.
- No emoji.
- Use current names. The Flex Space (formerly the Automotive area, renamed in July 2026) includes the paint and spray booth. Textiles, sewing and leather are the Fiber Arts area. WMI is at 2111 S West Ave, Unit 58, Waukesha, WI 53189.
- Strip working notes. Do not paste event-specific dates, to-do checklists or internal notes into a reference page.
Getting edit access
Everyone signs in with Login with Keymaster; there is no separate knowledge base account. Your permissions come from your roles in Roster and update each time you sign in. Editors have the kb-editor role and can create and edit pages in every book except the Board Handbook, which board members maintain.
To be confirmed: who to ask for the kb-editor role.
SOP Page Template
Reading this page does not replace training. You must be checked off on this tool before using it.
About this tool
What the tool is, what it is used for, and which area it lives in. Link to the tool's record in Atlas (https://atlas.waukeshamakers.com) for the make, model and location instead of copying them here.
Certification required
Say whether a check-off is required (all corded tools need training before use) and what the check-off covers. Check-offs are recorded in Journeyman (https://journeyman.waukeshamakers.com). Name the area's Area Champion or link to the area overview for who can check people off.
Personal protective equipment
List the PPE required for this tool (eye protection, hearing protection, respirator, gloves or no gloves, and so on).
Pre-use inspection
Equipment here may have been modified from its factory state. List what to check every time before use: guards in place, blades or bits sharp and secure, cords and plugs undamaged, dust collection on, the work area clear.
Procedure
Numbered steps for normal use: setup, operation, and shutdown. One action per step.
Consumables
What the tool uses (blades, bits, filament, gas, abrasives), which ones the shop provides, which ones members bring, and where spares are kept.
Known quirks
Anything about this particular machine that differs from what an experienced user would expect: modifications, settings that stick, parts that wear fast.
When something goes wrong
What to do if the tool breaks or behaves oddly: stop, tag it out of service and report it. See Shop Safety: Tagging a Tool Out of Service and Reporting It and Shop Safety: Incident and Near-Miss Reporting.
Maintenance
Link to this tool's maintenance page in the area's Maintenance chapter, if it has one.
Area Overview Template
What this area is for
A few sentences on what members make here and what kinds of work the area supports.
Where it is
Where the area is in the shop. Link to Facility Operations: Physical Layout for the floor plan.
Equipment at a glance
The main tools in this area, in a short list, each linked to its SOP page in the Equipment SOPs chapter. For the full, current equipment list (make, model, location), link to the area in Atlas (https://atlas.waukeshamakers.com) instead of copying it here.
Training and check-offs
Which tools in this area need a check-off before use, and how to get one. Link to Training and Certification: How Certification Works. Check-offs are recorded in Journeyman (https://journeyman.waukeshamakers.com).
Safety in this area
The main hazards here and the PPE the area requires. Link to the relevant Shop Safety pages instead of repeating them.
Materials and consumables
What the shop provides for this area, what members bring, and anything that is prohibited here.
Area Champion
Who looks after this area and how to reach them (Discord name or a role email; no personal phone numbers or personal email addresses). See Volunteer Runbooks: Area Champions.
Cleanup
What "clean" looks like for this area before you leave: tools put away, dust collected, scraps sorted, surfaces cleared.