Do-It-Yourself Database for Core Facility Management

Core facility directors and staff who are often highly trained scientists face the unique challenge of managing the day-to-day operation of the facility A recent survey reported that core facility managers spend an average of 55 hours per month on administrative tasks Although several core facility management software packages are available commercially, these programs are often costly and may require the purchase of an annual maintenance contract at a substantial price. Nearly 50% of the core facilities that responded to the survey did not use an electronic management system specifically designed for core facility management. Here, I present a do-it-yourself database management system that can be custom-designed and implemented by core facility personnel without prior software programming training.