Introducing LabArchives to the University of Utah

The University of Utah is an R-1 university with overall sponsored projects totaling over $459 million in 2017. The top agencies funding research are NSF, NIH, DOD and DOE. Over the years technological improvements have increased the amount of digital storage required for research. Faculty were seeking increased storage space for their research needs while both the NSF and NIH were stressing improved data management. Researchers asked librarians for assistance. Electronic notebooks (ELNs) would help to solve both needs. The Marriott Library provides competitive grants to its staff and librarians to develop services for students and faculty. After assessing the need for and evaluating the available electronic notebooks (ELNs), a grant application was submitted and funded to pilot the ELN, LabArchives at the University of Utah. The objective of the pilot was to determine the issues involved in introducing and using LabArchives. Seven research groups from Oncology, Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Transportation Research, Mechanical Engineering, Concrete Research and the Library participated in the year-long study. This presentation will discuss the issues encountered and the requirements for a successful rollout.