Introduction to the LabArchives Electronic Research Notebook

In the last few years, many researchers on campus have requested information about electronic lab/research notebooks, commonly called ELNs. An ELN is bascially an electronic replacement for a traditional lab notebook, and allows a researcher to digitally keep track of protocols, observations, processes, notes and other information. Some labs are creating their own ELNs using tools such as Google Drive, DropBox, or similar, but there are a host of commercially available tools. One provider of ELNs, LabArchives, will be visiting the UW campus next week to talk about their ELN, as well as to provide an opportunity for UW labs currently using LabArchives to share their experiences.

If you're interested in checking out the tool before the session, use this link and your UW email address to sign up for a free trial account.

When: Wednesday, March 28th, 2:30-3:30 pm

Where: Suzzallo 5 East

Session Details:

Hear from members of labs here at UW that have made a successful migration to digital data management. In addition, we will share tips on how to most effectively migrate from a paper-based environment and how to easily setup LabArchives for your lab, as well as providing an overview of the user interface, general features and creating custom workflows and templates. Tailored for PI's, Lab Managers, Lab Technicians, Research Staff, Students & Technical Support Staff.

Additionally, this ELN matrix from Harvard University may help if you're interested in comparing various ELNs and how they might fit your research needs.

Spring Quarter Research Data Management Workshop

Do you create or use data in your research? Looking for tips and tools to better help you manage your research data, and preserve it for long-term use?

From April 2-5, the UW Libraries is offering Data Management Planning, an asynchronous online workshop for UW community members engaged in research with data. Topics will include getting started with data management planning, funder requirements for data sharing, metadata, tips to help keep you organized, sharing, archiving and preservation, and an introduction to tools and on-campus support to aid researchers.

Note: we will be offering two concurrent versions of this class, one for health sciences researchers, the other for multiple disciplines outside of health sciences. When you register for the class, please indicate which version of the class you’d like to attend.

Full course information and link to registration is below. Contact us with any questions.

Data Management Planning Workshop

A free, tutor-supported online learning workshop

April 2-5, 2018

Duration: Monday, April 2 - Thursday, April 5 (4 days)
Time Commitment: Approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour per day, for 4 straight days
Target audience: UW community members engaged in research with data.
Prerequisites: Access to the internet for each of the 4 days identified. A valid UW NetID is also required.

Description: 

• This module-based workshop consists of activities and peer discussion forums that will provide tips on how to effectively plan for data management over the lifecycle of your research project.
• By asking students to share experiences with one another, this workshop gives you the opportunity to reflect on your research workflow and to see how various techniques and tools can be employed to most effectively manage, share and preserve your data.

Participation Process:

• This workshop will take place in Canvas over 4 days, with no fixed participation times (asynchronous).
• Each day corresponds to one online module, which includes a topic overview, resources, activity, and peer discussion forum.
• >Discussion forums are the workshop's primary means of 'assessment,' so expect to post to forums daily.
• You will be guided through the course by a team of friendly librarian tutors, who will answer questions and provide feedback.

How to Join:

• If interested, please register via this Catalyst link no later than March 30, 2018.
• Space in the workshop is limited, and participants will be accepted on a first-come-first-served basis. Students who register after capacity is reached may be placed on a wait list.

Comments from previous class participants:

• This is a great workshop -- exposing me to a lot of considerations about data management that I did not know about. The tutor responses have been really helpful. I was unaware of the data librarians on campus and will definitely reach out to them for more resources. Thank you!
• Very interactive with tutors appearing to be enthusiastic and eager to pitch in their ideas for any questions the workshop participants had. Thank you!
• Very helpful at all levels of experience
• Very helpful and important for anyone working with data.
• I was really impressed with this workshop. It had so many wonderful resources and I learned a lot. The tutors were fantastic. ... The materials were great and easy to understand as well. It was good to know I'm heading in the right direction with data management and know how to really improve my data management. I come from an interpretive/qualitative background and often this type of research activity is learned on the job or through learning what not to do the next time around, so having this type of workshop can really help people like me prepare a lot better for the next big project. Thank you for all your hard work!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Data Services team.

Going Public: Connecting Research & Community

Are you interested in involving community in your research process but uncertain where to start?  Do you already involve members of the public in your research process and would you like to connect with like-minded people around your experience?

Join us on Saturday, April 7^th from 9am-1pm for “Going Public: Connecting Research & Community” where we’ll explore engaging community in the research process through public scholarship, citizen science, community-engaged research, and participatory research. This interdisciplinary event offers an opportunity to expand your skills through several workshop offerings, to hear from researchers and community participants on their experiences through our “Research & Community Connections” panel presentation, and to see the different shapes this research can take through our graduate student poster display. For full details about our event including the schedule, please see the “Going Public: Connecting Research & Community” website.

This event is free and open to all: faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students, and community members from outside the university.  To ensure your space in our event, please register in advance. Registration will remain open until filled.