A new resource of validated antibodies and short hairpin RNA (shRNA) constructs that recognize and target human RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) promises to help foster our understanding of RBP function. Sundararaman et al. tested the efficiency and specificity of 700 commercially available antibodies for 535 target RBPs. Using immunoprecipitation followed by western blot assays, the authors generated a validated catalogue of 438 commercially available antibodies that interrogate 365 RBPs. Antibody specificity was confirmed using 362 shRNA constructs against 276 unique RBPs. Subcellular RBP localization can be determined using these antibodies, as verified by immunofluorescence assays. These resources should prove valuable for mapping of functional RNA elements in the human transcriptome. Information about these resources is available at https://www.encodeproject.org.