So I've been volunteered to help set up a computer lab for a local non profit that has a small budget and I've told them linux may be the way to go...

They want small 10 computer lab. However they would like the following features.

-A login for each user
-Seperate permissions for users, staff and administrators of the lab
-logins managed by a server
-networked hard drive space for each user
-networked printer, scanner
-ways to log what people are looking at on the internet by user login incase people are grabbing their dick and double clicking
-ways to implement a time limit for just users - not staff or administrators
-ways for staff to add a user without help from an administrator
-they also want a way to keep track of when people come and leave the building, like a time clock for the users.

I imagine this is implementable, but I don't know how. I'm a pretty novice linux user still and I feel a bit lost here. What open source programs can I use to implement this....

You best bet - run away now.

That's a huge list to setup for free - especially if you don't know what you're doing.

Do they have all the hardware (10 workstations, a proxy server, a file/authentication server, a firewall, a router/modem, a broadband connection, a network scanner, a network printer, etc?).

What about software?

You didn't mention backups? If you give users space, you best be doing something to back it up. What about system images? What about server setup/config/documentation? What about Network config/documentation? User records? System Inventory? Printer management software? Printer cost control software (i.e. charge user per page printed)? Workstation reservations software?

Even with just 10 workstations - sounds like a revolving door of users - I think they're dreaming if they think it's a one shot setup and forget deal - they're going to need a semi-regular sysadmin to keep it from fubaring every other weekend.

Good luck - you're going to need it.

Well I've been told that they have all the hardware... there looking for what software is necessary and do have a limited budget to work with.

Printing budget control really wont be an issue here.

A compromise on that wish list might be to run one of the "all in one" boxes.

Take a look at ClearOS

http://www.clearfoundation.com/Software/overview.html

Probably more people remember it as ClarkConnect.

It should do the bulk of what you need it to do for a general computer lab - sans the esoteric wants.