Your lab notebooks serve as your primary record of research performed. They’re also typically proof of your intellectual property rights for your organization. Laboratory notebook archiving requires a unique approach and requires specialized book scanners that are specifically designed to handle the curvature of text near the lab notebook’s spine, ensuring the integrity of data capture while maximizing the scanned image quality.
By digitizing your laboratory notebooks you gain multiple benefits such as:
1. Streamlined organizational process
By utilizing a digitized storage system you gain the ability to easily organize everything into your own personalized system. Oftentimes, companies change their methods of labeling and tracking data over time, which can lead to variability and a decrease in retention time for your staff. By digitizing your filing systems you can formalize the process moving forward and have ease of access to move lab notebooks from one place to another without the risk of losing important data.
2. Saved Space
In larger organizations, physical storage can take up entire rooms just to maintain access to archives of lab notebooks. Organizations gain back that extra space within the office by removing the need for old and clunky filing systems. Transitioning to digitized storage systems helps maintain extra space within the office and provides an organized filing system right at your fingertips.
3. Ease of access
Not only do you save valuable office space, but also increase the ability to access important documents and lab notebooks easily. No need to worry about digging through files of old lab notebooks when you can always access them right from your computer.
4. Data Security
Lock and key systems have long since become a reliable tool of the past: even now, most office buildings use some sort of digital system to maintain security. Passwords and encryptions help provide the highest sense of security to ensure the most important information remains secure within the confines of your electronic filing systems. Lab notebooks contain intellectual property, and should be protected with the highest regard for security.
5. Loss prevention
Accidents happen, and often there is nothing that can be done to ensure safe storage. The same cannot be said with an electronic storage system; if a disaster takes place, digitized lab notebooks won’t be lost in a fire and can’t suffer water damage. If lab notebooks are lost there is usually a trail and, in most cases, they can be easily recovered.
These are only some of the few benefits to digitizing your lab notebooks. By going paperless, you will be protecting your intellectual property and your organization’s patents and research. If you’re interested in learning more about how to digitize your lab notebooks, visit us at www.recordsforce.com.