Laboratory Information Management Systems

What's LIMS and Why Use It?
LIMS stands for Laboratory Information Management System. It's a way of managing data involved in working in a lab. The definition of LIMS has expanded recently to include assay management, data mining, and a lot of other complicated features available in expensive commercial programs. However, one core, indispensable feature is sample management: A key feature of a good lab information system is that it will tell you where you put your tube after you've long forgotten. To fill this need for an electronic sample management system, Penn iGEM created LIMS systems using the Google Spreadsheet and Forms platform. The LIMS forms and spreadsheets provided on this page are updated versions of the same ones that Penn iGEM used to manage its samples all summer.

How to Copy and Edit Penn iGEM’s Google Doc LIMS Forms:
1. Sign into Google using your Gmail account.
2. Open one of our forms that you wish to copy using the links on our website.
3. Here you will be able to view our spreadsheet, but not able to edit it.
4. To make a copy for yourself, go to “File” -> “Make a Copy.”
5. Enter the document name you wish to use.
6. You now have a copy of our form and spreadsheet for your own use.
7. To edit the form, go to “Form” -> “Edit Form.”
8. From here, you have the option to change any of the data entry options on our form. For instructions on editing specifics, consult Google’s help documentation under “Help” -> “Forms Help.”
9. After you have adjusted the form to your liking, add entries to the spreadsheet by going to “Form” -> “Go to Live Form.”
10. Note: While you may edit the spreadsheet directly, using the form can streamline data entry by using radio buttons and checkboxes that you have pre-set. Additionally, it adds consistency and makes finding data later much easier.

Download Your Own LIMS Forms (Version 1.0) Here:
DNA LIMS
Glycerol Stock LIMS
Primers LIMS

Updates:

In our continuous efforts to improve our sample management, we've found that when there's dozens or even hundreds of samples within a Google Documents-generated spreadsheet, Control+F can be an inefficient way to search your data. We're in the process of generating a Javascript-based query system that builds upon Google Spreadsheets, allowing the user to search using useful parameters. Users can search based on a range of dates when their sample may have been entered, partial sample sequence information, and more. We've also updated our forms and merged the DNA LIMS and Primers LIMS into one. Our new forms are available and ready to be downloaded. While we have a working copy of our query system, we're working out a few kinks associated with other users making copies. Once we have a solution for the distribution of our query, we'll be sure to post links for that as well.

Download Your Own LIMS Forms (Version 2.0) with Queries Here:
DNA LIMS
Strains LIMS