General Rules

Access to shared laboratories

The Weld Hill Research Labs of the Arnold Arboretum (WH Labs) are a shared resource. In addition to Arboretum scientists, we open up our resources to an extensive network of visiting scholars from institutions around the world and from the Harvard community on formal projects. For queries or to request access to the research and teaching facilities, please contact Faye Rosin, director of research facilitation.

General Rules and Etiquette

  • Individuals interested in reserving and using specific instruments must be trained on the equipment.
    • To request training, please contact the director of research facilitation.
  • Individuals must complete and be current on their EH&S Laboratory Safety training and any additional trainings pertinent to their research before working in the Weld Hill Research Building.
    • For example, use of the confocal microscope requires safety training for laser devices in addition to general lab safety training.
  • Follow all rules, safety and otherwise, of the Weld Hill Research Facilities.
  • Do not use your Harvard Key credentials to log-in for someone else.
  • Users should reserve the equipment via the online reservation system Booked.
    • Only sign-up for time you intend to use.
    • If you cannot use a reservation, you must release your time on the reservation calendar. Please do so before the allotted time and as soon as is practicable.
    • If you miss your reservation and do not cancel, your reservation will remain current only for the first 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the equipment will be open for other users.
    • If you have a current reservation and someone else is using the equipment, you are empowered to ask that person to release the equipment to you.
  • Please handle all equipment carefully and clean up after use to help maintain operational integrity.
  • Always clean up after yourself.
  • Report any problems or issues. If a device is not working properly or if something breaks, please bring this to the attention of the AA staff.
  • Please ask if you have any questions. The AA staff is here to help you.

Instructions for Online Scheduling

To register:

  1. Go to Booked and select “Create an account.”
  2. Please submit an email address and a password. The email address does not need to be a Harvard email account.
  3. Under “Organization” please list your lab group (e.g., Smith Lab).
  4. The time zone should be America/New York.
  5. You will receive a confirmation email upon successful registration from “Bookedscheduler.com.” (You may need to check your quarantine folder if this confirmation is blocked by your email program’s control settings.)
  6. Once registered, you will be approved to reserve time on the instruments that you have been trained to use.

To make a reservation:

  1. Login to Booked.
  2. The default schedule (-Labs) is displayed.
  3. Click on the specific instrument you wish to reserve. In the pop-up window, fill in the begin and end times. Some equipment may require approval prior to being able to reserve time for equipment. For the SEM, fill in the title and description appropriately for the X-ray device log. Select “Create” to make the reservation.
  4. Only sign-up for time you intend to use.
    • If you cannot use a reservation, you must release your time on the reservation calendar. Please do so before the allotted time and as soon as is practicable.
    • If you miss your reservation and do not cancel, your reservation will remain current only for the first 10 minutes. While it will not be removed from the online scheduler, after 10 minutes, the reservation is considered canceled and will be open for other users.
    • If you have a current reservation and someone else is using the equipment, you are empowered to ask that person to release the equipment to you (provided you were present within the first 10 mins of your reservation).
  5. Once you have submitted your reservation, you will receive a confirmation email if you have set up the notifications.

To modify or delete a reservation:

  1. Login to Booked.
  2. On the “Dashboard” page, select the reservation that you would like to modify.
  3. For modifications, make the desired changes in the pop-up window and click the “Update” button.
  4. To delete a reservation, select “Delete” under the “More” button.
  5. Once you have submitted your changes, you will receive a confirmation email if you have set up notifications.