LabArchives Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Overview

LabArchives is a cloud-based electronic lab notebook (ELN). About LabArchives:

Share information within the laboratory and beyond.
Store data securely on the LabArchives servers. Multiple redundancy ensures 24x7 availability.
Create standard ELN formats and templates for your lab or research group.
Maintain all revisions of ELN entries.

Questions

Getting Started with LabArchives

How do I log into LabArchives?

Access LabArchives and activate an enterprise account under the MIT license.
Authentication to LabArchives is via Touchstone. Log in using an MIT personal certificate or Kerberos username and password.
LabArchives is available to Faculty, Staff, Students and MIT Affiliates.
For LabArchives Mobile App users, see: instructions for login to LabArchives mobile app

Are there materials I can access for an overview of LabArchives?

Are there training webinars?

See LabArchives Training Webinars

Creating electronic notebooks and granting access

Create your electronic notebook(s)

Labs or research groups may wish to create a single notebook for the lab, subdivided into folders for lab members or to create project-based notebooks.
LabArchives recommends that the Principal Investigator (PI) or head of the research group create the lab notebooks and grant administrator access to the lab manager(s).

Granting access

By designating administrators for the notebooks, the PI or lab head can delegate responsibility for adding or removing access to the notebook.
Access can be added to the entire notebook or to specified portions of the notebook.
Learn more about User roles and privileges

Sharing your LabArchives ELN

How can I use LabArchives to collaborate with other researchers?

Using LabArchives ELN

Is there a limit to the amount of data that labs can store in LabArchives?

LabArchives has a maximum individual file size of 4 GB.
For data files larger than 4 GB, the recommendation would be to store the file in Dropbox or on a departmental server, and to link to the file from within the ELN.
In terms of the total storage, MIT's enterprise license enables researchers to create an unlimited number of notebooks, each storing approximately 1 TB of data and 30,000 entries. Questions? Contact labarchives-support@mit.edu.

Retrieving uploaded data files

You can retrieve uploaded data files in the original file format.
LabArchives will maintain revision history for all uploaded files and notebook entries.

Can I export the notes and images from my ELN?

The export to PDF function enables users to export the entire lab notebook or any portion thereof into a single readable document.

The create offline notebook function creates a zip archive, with HTML files for the pages of the ELN and a directory containing all attachments contained in the notebook.

What about HIPAA-protected data?

LabArchives is compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
For guidance on HIPAA, see https://couhes.mit.edu/hipaa-guidance-document.

LabArchives Inventory

MIT's LabArchives license covers use of Inventory, which enables users to organize and track lab supplies, chemicals and other resources. Inventory can be tracked by type and storage location, and interfaces are available for searching and browsing. QR code and barcode integration is available. Import and export is available via CSV format. Learn more about Inventory.

LabArchives Scheduler

MIT's LabArchives license covers use of Scheduler, which enables MIT labs and offices to make equipment, rooms and other resources available for reservation by specified members of the MIT community. Usage of resources can be controlled and limited via flexible rules and a quota system and optional approval processes can be configured. Functionality is available for establishing recurring reservations and for on-location real-time availability display. The product integrates with Outlook and Google calendars. Users will authenticate via Touchstone as they do with all LabArchives products and features. Learn more about Scheduler.

Folder Monitor

Other Resources

Getting Help

IS&T and the MIT Libraries are partnering to provide this service and assist early adopters in customizing lab notebooks to meet the needs of their lab or research group. We are interested in your feedback on LabArchives and how well it meets the needs of your research.

For assistance, contact labarchives-support@mit.edu.