Many Core Facilities, Shared Services and Research services groups use LabArchives to document parts of their work. Every facility can use LabArchives for different purposes including order tracking, administrative documentation, equipment records and more.
Collaboration and Permissions
With LabArchives, a group can easily collaborate with colleagues both in and out of the Core Facility, Shared Service, or Research Service Group. You can also collaborate with external groups such as other companies, universities, or separate labs. As an example, a Core facility might share results from work completed or training manuals for users accessing various shared resources.
Access controls are available at the notebook level and put the notebook owner in full control of who has access to the data. You can apply read-only access to a specific section of the notebook such as a folder, page, or entry. To learn more about permissions management in LabArchives Click Here.
Service Request Information and Documentation – Order Tracking
Often Core facilities receive requests for services and then use LabArchives to track the progress of that request. Information related to all service requests can be entered into LabArchives and then they can be managed through each stage of the request.
Often, a customized template or widget is created to standardize documentation. Once created, this form can be reused by all members of the notebook to provide consistency and a clear list of data requirements. The page or folder will often represent
Order Received
Initially researchers may make a request from the Core facility. They might request to have a sample analyzed, to use a piece of equipment, to run an experiment, provide consultation, or to provide a sample. In LabArchives, you’ll want to include the entire history of the service including the initial request.
- Communication with the requester: If the person making the request files a form, sends an email, or asks questions, document this detail on the page. The LabArchives inbox can be used to quickly send files or attachments in email directly to a LabArchives notebook. To learn more about the inbox Click Here.
- Billing Approvals, Quotes, and contact information: If the service is paid using department funds or requires approval from specific individuals, include the contact information on the page. If the facility receives approval to proceed with work, be sure to document who made the approval and when that approval was received.
- Track the type of service including details such as the PI, researchers, type of service. Include details about the services such as sample size, estimated time to complete, materials necessary and more.
- In some cases, there need to be agreements in place with the person who made the request. Include these agreements or links to these files. This may include IRB documentation, animal care records, Delegation of authority logs and more.
Order Processed
When the core facility, shared service or research service begins preparing or working on a request, it’s important to document all related information to that request. This might include:
- If the researchers are accessing the resources on site, document their arrival time, materials needed, and any necessary check in/out materials.
- Sample/Library Preparation – Images of samples, all calculations and essential information generated during the prep process.
- Device Setup – Which device, pre and post run output/log files
- All email communications - Internal Core staff and communications with the researcher or lab
- Client Workflows – Genomics, Proteomics, Imaging, and more
- External contract work
- Link to other tools including billing systems.
- Results: Data can be added to LabArchives through a variety of entry types including:
- Rich Text Entries – Enter details and notes directly into the LabArchives Notebook
- Upload attachments – Files of any file format can be uploaded to LabArchives For some file types like images, office documents, or SnapGene files they can be viewed directly in LabArchives.
- Widgets – Create custom forms
- Templates – Reuse content and pages to save time and to standardize the workflow
Order Results
*LabArchives Inventory is a product that has been designed to simplify the process of finding and managing inventory. It helps lab managers and researchers streamline the organization, usage, tracking and ordering of inventory items. It also allows for linking to LabArchives notebooks, the creation of QR codes, and quick lookup of details using a mobile device. Please visit inventory.labarchives.com for additional information and to set up a 90-day trial account. You can also set up an account directly from your LabArchives Notebook.
- Sample Information – Include Sample QC details with supporting PDFs or add a link to the inventory item managed in LabArchives Inventory*
LabArchives allows for the upload of any file type and provides tools and methods to link out to information that is stored outside of LabArchives. The Notebook can be used for documenting and storing facility requests and documents, communications between the facility and the PI, keeping track of workflows, or even internal processes and guidelines. It also includes an audit trail that keeps track of every individual entry – when it was added, edited, and by whom.
Equipment Maintenance and Management
Whenever maintenance or calibration is performed on a certain piece of equipment it is important to document this information. You can build templates (example shown below) or widgets to document these processes in LabArchives. We recommend using templates (reusable pages or entries that can be copied) in LabArchives to create a consistent entry format for documenting and tracking information.
- Calibration reports
- Validation certificates
- Maintenance logs
- Equipment user manual
Scheduler
Guides for Staff – Internal Processes and Documentation
The flexible, hierarchical structure available in LabArchives makes it easy to store and manage internal documents within folders and individual pages. Store all pertinent information for different assays, a resource guide for staff and the research community, and other team information in a single notebook accessible to all relevant team members.
- Calendar
- Checklists for each assay
- Templates for results or calibration
- Protocols
- Tips, advice, or best practices
- Training guides
- Manufacturer’s user guides
- Application notes
- FAQs
- Emails from technical support
- Webinar links
Administrative Documents
LabArchives can store documents of any file type. This can be a convenient location to store information that is used for administrative purposes. Users can easily share and collaborate with colleagues while controlling access to the Notebook.
- Meeting agendas
- Resumes and notes for employment candidates.
- Vendor information
- Budgeting
- Invoices, contracts, or purchase orders
- Safety documentation