Lab and Equipment Booking

The following instructions are specific to the fourMs lab. For full information on BookitLab use at UiO see the official pages

As of 2024 this is new, so please report any confusions, errors, requests, opinions, etc to Kayla for continual improvement of this system. 

General Information

All users of the equipment and lab will need to be associated with a project that is registered to use the infrastructure. As a registered user, you can book the equipment and lab space. You may however need to complete training to use the equipment.

Book only the time that you need. If your schedule changes, you must change the bookings accordingly. If you need to retain equipment for longer than a week or leave a setup in the lab when not actively using the lab space, remember to talk to Kayla beforehand. 

You are responsible for keeping the lab space tidy and the equipment organized. There is no food and drink allowed inside lab. After your experiment is finished, make sure to clean up fully. This also applies to digital space so ensure that data has been deleted from temporary storage locations in a timely manner. 

As a reminder, privacy approval and data management is the responsibility of the researcher. So ensure there is a plan in place with both before starting your studies. 

Getting Started with BookitLab

BookitLab is a Core Facility Management System (CFMS) for the whole UiO. It can be used by both internal and external users for both scheduling and invoicing. 

• Login to BookitLab using your UiO account
• Core Selection - IMV-fourMs Lab

• Now you are on the Dashboard of BookitLab and you are able to browse instruments in our core
  • Note: you can only book instruments in our core if you have been added to a project. You do not show up as a user until you login to BookitLab, so you will need to login before Kayla can add you to a project. 

Helpful Definitions

Projects and Billing

Projects

BookitLab is directly integrated with UiO's economy system. Each of you is assigned to a specific sub-project (delprosjekt) that is used for billing purposes. A few of you are assigned to multiple ones so just make sure you choose which one you are using when you book items. If you have questions, feel free to ask Kayla for help.

Most of you will be using "RITMO IMV - Ekstern finansiering" for a project for everything. 

Billable Instruments

We have a lot of instruments in the system but only four have cost associated with them. 

1. fourMs Lab - The physical lab space. This is the original item that was reserved in the previously used TP system. 
2. Portable Lab - This is used for external users only. 
3. Lab Engineer - Kayla's time should be billed when she is assisting in projects but not when doing regular lab work like training, methods development, equipment testing, tours, etc. Please note that BookitLab is not integrated with Kayla's calendar so this "instrument" is set to approval required to prevent scheduling conflicts. 
4. Research Assistant - Do not add this, it is for external use only as RITMO pays their contracts. It is set to "Staff only" so most of you will not be able to book this. 

Free Lab Use

A "no-cost" project (Dummy Project - fourMs lab) has been set up to handle the times when lab use (instrument - fourMs Lab) is to be considered free. The admin, engineers, research assistants, and Alexander have access to this project so speak with one of them for these situations. 

The following list is examples of when the lab should be booked to this no-cost project

• Lab Tour
• Lab Meetings
• Use by IMV (MCT concert, courses, etc)
• RITMO Photoshoot
• General trainings by Kayla
• Tech demo

The overall principle is any activity that is part of a timeline of a research project should be billable. So method development, training, experiments, cleanup after experiment, etc. If you have questions on this, let Kayla know. 

Booking

The fourMs lab has hundreds of individual pieces of tech and they have not all been entered as instruments in the core. Only the most used items and ones benefiting from having a calendar schedule were added. The list of portable technology will continue to be updated but if you think there should be something else added as an instrument in the core or are wondering if we have something that is not here, talk to Kayla. 

Basic Booking from Core

On "Dashboard" of the core for the fourMs lab there will be a timeline with list of instruments. This is sorted alphabetically.

You can also click the left menu Instruments to see a matrix of instruments and related information. Instruments are categorized with an Asset Category so this might be helpful for searching for the right instrument. 

Additionally, the reservations menu has a larger form schedule than the timeline on the dashboard so that can also be used for booking. 

When you find the instrument you want to use:

1. Find available time of the instrument either by clicking navigating to the date and time you want to book on the timeline section in core homepage, or selecting the instrument and clicking "+ Reservation" button on the list of instruments. Additionally, you can navigate to the timeline of the specific instrument by selecting the instrument and clicking calendar as a submenu option. 
   • Note: there might be something different visually on the timeline sections depending on user permissions. Unsure yet what is the case.
2. Fill out "Create reservation" form with;
   • the start/end date and time to book 
   • a project that is to be charged (see previous information about projects)
   • if applicable, click "More options" or "Optional Instruments", select other resources, and fill out other required and optional fields. 
3. Write something in the remarks field 
   • This helps Kayla keep track of what is going on. This is especially important to do when reserving the lab. 
   • If you are making reservations for sensors like AX3 with ID numbers, please write the ID number in the remarks field. If you do not know this when you are making the booking, you are responsible for editing the booking with the updated information.
4. Click "Save" button to send the reservation.
5. When the reservation form is successfully submitted, you will see it in the instrument's calendar and timeline.  As well as the "Upcoming Schedule" section on the core dashboard. 
   • By clicking the reservation, you will see the details of the reservation as well as its status. Also, you can edit or cancel the reservation

Additional Reservation Information 

•  Inventory
  • Some instruments have multiple in inventory. If you would like more than one, you need to make separate bookings. For example, Equivital has inventory of 3 while Movesense and AX3 have 5. 
• Linked Instruments
  • Sometimes you need accessories or to use other instruments at the same time. The ones that are mandatory for use will be linked in the system (Like the fourMs Lab when you book the Qualisys Motion Capture System"). The others that are optional such as the Samsung phones when you book Movesense. 
• Approval
  • Some instruments require approval of reservation (for example, engineer time). You will receive a notification when it is approved. 
• Reservation Restrictions
  • The core is set to only projects at RITMO have permissions to book. If you are not associated with one of these projects and want to book an instrument, contact Kayla 
  • If you see an error message "You do not have sufficient Reservation Permissions to place the reservation", this means that access to the instrument is limited. For further details of conditions, please contact the Kayla for questions. 
• Training
  • Some instruments require specific trainings before use (for example, Qualisys Motion Capture system). In that case, the information about necessary training will be shown as an error message. Contact Kayla if there is an issue
    • To use the Qualisys System, you will need to complete the MOOC as well as a hands on training with Kayla before you have permission to freely book the system. 

Reminder: This is a work in progress system, we thank you for your patience as we sort through the issues. Please let Kayla know if there is anything weird happening.