I ran a university darkroom for 24 years and was associated with the same darkroom for the 10 years before that. About 125 students per semester. Students had lockers (often shared w/ up to 3 others). Problems were few, but happened, and each time someone was saddened, and someone, as we would say, got a lot of negative Kharma points. I had sharpies handy and told every student to write their name on box of paper, film, whatever. That helps -- people can be just a little less likely to steal (borrow) from some with a name.
But even so, we had an (unfortunately) unusual situation. We had 80 hours per week of open darkroom time (just for registered photo students). Just walk in and start printing. No check-in, no ID, everything out and ready to develop film and make prints. Mounting and matting stuff across the hall in the classroom. Open to midnight every night of the week (but often much later, 'unofficially').
I lost a couple enlarging lenses...and someone replaced a nice 6-element 50mm lens with a not too bad 4-element lens. Not bad for almost a quarter century. I even received (at the university) a big box from someone who had stolen (borrowed) an enlarger 30 or so years earlier (in the 60s) and was returning it -- plus some odds and ends camera equipment as 'interest' to the loan.
We had just the one big darkroom -- advanced students worked along side beginners -- both to each other's displeasure sometimes, but I felt, always to each other's benefit. The beginning students learned good habits and how to treat the enlargers and other equipment (adv students were using the same equipment!) and the adv students learn from helping/teaching their partners in the dark.
Dang -- long-winded, sorry. But it was good to work in a place where students appreciated the equipment and facilities (always exceptions...but why dwell on them!). But I would like to think it was partly because I gave them part ownership, trust and a long leash -- and a safe place to explore and have the freedom to make art. But it could also just be that the students have to come from a long way away to go to school here...a sorting process of its own.
