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Hello everyone, 

I have a question about equipment databases. We've set up an equipment database and implemented processes alongside it so that newly purchased equipment can be added to the database. Unfortunately, however, there's no information recorded when equipment is decommissioned or we do not receive this information until much later. In Core Facilities, ideally, the relevant staff members are responsible for updating the database and its equipment entries. However, we don't have staff listed in the database for every device, and not every device is located in a Core Facility (we've integrated every device costing $25k or more). 
Does anyone have a solution for cases like this? Perhaps a process you've set up? 

Many thanks in advance. Best regards,
Christian

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Christian Riese
Assistent to the Vice President for Scientific Research
Justus Liebig University Giessen
Giessen
Germany
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Here at our University, facilities (inventory management) takes care of this. Every instrument that is purchased is tagged with a barcode and registered in the main database by them. Annually they come and check the inventory and update it. If equipment is no longer being used or broken, we fill out a surplus request, they come scan it, take it and dispose/sell etc and also take it off your list of managed equipment.

We independently maintain a list of our equipment and update it as well.

Hope this helps

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Sridar Chittur
Director, Center for Functional Genomics
Center for Functional Genomics, SUNY Albany
Albany NY
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We have a similar system at JHU. Every piece of equipment is tagged (I think the cut off is $10k), it is visually inventoried annually by our capital equipment team. If we dispose of a piece of equipment or even move it to a different room, we have to report it via a form that we send to capital equipment.

Roxann


Original Message:
Sent: 6/25/2026 9:03:00 AM
From: Sridar Chittur
Subject: RE: Decommissioning of equipment in databases

Here at our University, facilities (inventory management) takes care of this. Every instrument that is purchased is tagged with a barcode and registered in the main database by them. Annually they come and check the inventory and update it. If equipment is no longer being used or broken, we fill out a surplus request, they come scan it, take it and dispose/sell etc and also take it off your list of managed equipment.

We independently maintain a list of our equipment and update it as well.

Hope this helps

------------------------------
Sridar Chittur
Director, Center for Functional Genomics
Center for Functional Genomics, SUNY Albany
Albany NY
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