Setting up an iLab Group Account

Setting up an iLab Group Account

Because iLab is tied directly to the IU financial system (aka the Kuali Financial System or KFS), all IU faculty members should be in the iLab system already. This means that PI's should have an iLab account, whether it has ever been used or not. These default iLab accounts should also show each faculty member as the PI of their own iLab group.

Since the PI account is also an iLab user account, the PI can make equipment reservations as a normal iLab user would. The group aspect of this iLab account allows the PI to control various membership and financial aspects for the group. For example, the PI can manage the group account by accepting new members into the group, removing members from the group, or authorizing members to use particular financial accounts. As part of the IU financial system, a PI's external grant accounts (e.g., grants from the National Institutes of Health [NIH] or National Science Foundation [NSF]) should automatically be connected to the group account. In addition, a PI can add internal accounts (e.g., awards from Indiana CTSI) to the group. Once such internal accounts have been added, the PI will need to authorize individual user access to the account(s).

First-time iLab users

If you have not ever used iLab for anything, you will need to reset your default password: login directly into the EMC iLab home page and click on the Sign-in button in the upper right corner:

An image of the EMC's iLab home page, specifically displaying the location of the Sign In button in the top-right hand corner of the screen.
A screenshot of the login pop-up window, displaying the location of the Reset Password button.

If you are using iLab for the first time, you should be able to select the option to reset your password.

Use your full IU e-mail address (i.e., include the @iu.edu, @indiana.edu, etc.) as your iLab user name and follow the instructions. iLab will contact you via e-mail once the new password in in the system.

Accessing your iLab group account

Once you have an iLab password, log into iLab by following the instructions in the message from iLab. Go to your group home page by clicking the "my groups" link in the "manage groups" area at the left of every iLab page:

A screenshot of the iLab welcome screen, displaying the location of the My Groups link.
Alternatively, you can click on the appropriate group as the mouse hovers over the 'my groups' link and shows these same groups in a floating bubble to the right of the mouse.

This will take you to a page that lists every group in iLab that you belong to. Most people will only belong to a single iLab group, but is possible to belong to dozens. Private Investigator's (PI's) should automatically have at least one group account in their name. Click on the group you want to modify.

This will take you to the "Members" tab of your group home page:

A screenshot of the Members tab in iLab that displays the location of the Membership Requests & Accounts tab, in addition to the Link Existing User button - both useful in managing people and finances within the iLab group.

At this point, it is possible to manage people and finances within your iLab group.

Granting a new member access to the group

A screenshot of the pop-up that opens when clicking on the Link Existing User button that allows you to search for a new group member to add.

At the bottom of the group account Members tab is a button labeled 'Link Existing User'. Clicking it opens a text box that allows you to search for a new group member by entering the user's name.

If you are unable to find the new group member here, you may need to try another name (e.g., "da Vinci" instead of "daVinci"). It is also possible that the new group member is not yet in the iLab system. In this case, that person will need to register for an iLab user account and you will need to follow the next set of instructions.

Granting a membership request

When a person registers for an iLab user account, the registration procedure asks for the name of the new user's lab. This triggers a request for access to the lab/group when iLab processes the registration. This request then appears in the PI's group page, under the Membership Requests & Accounts tab. The PI will need to approve the request.

Authorizing access to a particular account

After clicking on the group account Membership Request and Accounts tab (the first tab), you should see a page similar to this:

A screenshot of the Membership Requests & Accounts showing the checkbox needed to be selected in order to authorize the 14919999 account for use by Francesco Melzi the PI for the Electron Microscopy Center (EMC).

The "Manage Accounts" portion of the page shows a list of group members. Beside each of the names are checkboxes for all the accounts that iLab knows about. Click on a checkbox to authorize (or un-authorize) an indivual to use a particular account.

Adding an internal financial account

If for some reason, the account you want to use does not appear on this page, there is another section to the Membership Requests and Accounts page labeled "Request access to additional Accounts" (just below the Manage Accounts area). When you click on that title, a text box will appear:

A screenshot f the Membership Requests and Accounts panel displaying the subpage "Request access to additional Accounts" where the account number will be entered before clicking Request button.

Enter the account you wish to use and click the Request button. The account number must be in this sort of format: "1234567-" (and you will receive an error for the account number if it is not).

Editing a group member

If you need to edit any of the properties beside a group members name, click on the pencil icon (also known as the Edit button) beside a member's name:

A screenshot of the Member panel showing the location of the two buttons used to remove a group member or edit a member's information.

This opens the text boxes (shown below) corresponding to e-mail, phone, start/end dates, etc. This action also allows the PI to designate this member as the group financial contact, a lab manager or PI (as opposed to a simple lab member), etc.

A screenshot of the editing panel that opens when clicking on the Edit button beside a member's information that will allow you to manually change the member's email, phone, start/end date, and more.