2021-2022
Do More With Digital Scholarship
1. Best Practices for Managing Data in your Research
Presented in collaboration with RDM
Synchronous Workshop | October 22, 2021
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Instructor: Isaac Pratt
In this introductory workshop, learn about research data management best practices and how investing a small amount of time in organizing your data now can save you a lot of time and prevent future headaches. We will go over best practices for data planning, storage, organization, preservation, and sharing. This session will be recorded and made available openly.
2. Version Control with Git
Presented in collaboration with DASH
Synchronous Workshop | October 28, 2021
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Instructor: John Fink
This workshop will give you a solid introduction to Git. Git is software originally designed to help manage vast, decentralized software projects with hundreds of authors, but it works just as well with many things that aren’t software, like data and text. Imagine having a complete archive of your work at every stage in its development! This workshop assumes no prior experience. This session will be recorded and made available openly.
3. Predatory Publishing in the Era of Open Knowledge: Reducing the Risks of Falling Prey
Synchronous Workshop | November 24, 2021
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Instructors: Neera Bhatnagar and Olga Perkovic
Thinking about where to publish? Do you receive random invitations to submit your work for publications? Don’t get caught publishing in a questionable journal! This session will provide an overview of what predatory journals are and tips on how to avoid them. We will also include suggestions on how to avoid predatory conferences.
4. Building Digital Exhibits: A Roundtable Celebrating the Launch of Omeka S
Synchronous Roundtable | November 25, 2021
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Presenters: Karen Balcom, Myron Groover, Rachel Manes, Amanda Montague, Devon Mordell, and Nina Sartor
Learn about the variety of uses and possibilities for digital scholarly exhibits with the digital exhibit platform Omeka S. From classroom projects and research dissemination to organizing digital collections, members of the McMaster community will share some of their experiences working with Omeka. Join us and find out if Omeka is the right tool for your next classroom or research project! This session will be recorded and made available openly.
5. Visualizing Texts with Voyant Tools
Synchronous Workshop | January 26, 2022
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Instructor: Devon Mordell
See texts in exciting new ways at this virtual workshop on Voyant Tools. Devon Mordell (Educational Developer, MacPherson Institute) will show participants how to transform text documents into data for visualization, helping Humanities scholars see texts from new perspectives. If you are interested in Digital Humanities, this workshop is a great place to start. This session will be recorded and made available openly.
6. Network Visualizations with Gephi
Synchronous Workshop | February 2, 2022
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Instructor: Devon Mordell
Learn to graph data and visualize networks at this workshop on Gephi. Devon Mordell (Educational Developer, MacPherson Institute) will teach participants how graph data can help express relationships between entities and visualize networks for Humanities scholars. The group will use a visualization tool intended for social network analysis, Gephi, to map and identify relationships within a dataset scraped from Twitter. This session will be recorded and made available openly.
7. Intro to ArcGIS Online
Presented in collaboration with DASH
Synchronous Workshop | February 17, 2022
View the online module
Instructor: Christine Homuth
If you’ve ever thought that a map would help illustrate a critical part of your research, this workshop is for you. At this beginner-friendly session, Christine Homuth (Spatial Information Specialist) will introduce participants to the core concepts of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and geospatial data, then show attendees how to apply these concepts during a hands-on exercise where the group will create a web-based map in ArcGIS Online. This session will be recorded and made available openly.
8. LaTeX for Human(ist)s
Synchronous Workshop | March 2, 2022
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Instructor: John Fink
LaTeX is a typesetting and document creation program that has a lot of traction in STEM areas (compsci and maths especially, due to its facility with mathematical symbols) but very little pickup with folks in the Humanities. At this session, John Fink (Digital Scholarship Librarian) will discuss why this doesn’t have to be the case.
We’ll learn about how LaTeX can be used by Humanities scholars and discuss topics like what makes *typesetting* different from a *word processor*, why LaTeX still has resonance today despite being invented in the 1970s, why maths nerds love the program, and why people who might ordinarily use Word might want to think about maybe not using Word. This session will be recorded and made available openly.
9. StoryMaps
Presented in collaboration with DASH
Synchronous Workshop | March 3, 2022
View the online module
Instructor: Christine Homuth
Learn how to make maps tell stories with ArcGIS StoryMaps. This multimedia digital storytelling tool allows you to incorporate maps and apps from your ArcGIS account, as well as text, photos, and videos. At this workshop, Christine Homuth (Spatial Information Specialist) will provide attendees with an introduction to storytelling through maps using ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Storymaps. No prior knowledge of GIS is required. This session will be recorded and made available openly.
10. Podcasts: A New Way to Mobilize Your Knowledge
Presented in collaboration with Lyons New Media Centre and the MacPherson Institute
Synchronous In-Person Workshop | May 18, 2022
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Instructors: Veronica Litt and Elaine Westenhoefer
Podcasts can take academic research out of the ivory tower and into the public. Learn the basics of podcasting at this workshop from podcaster and SCDS Coordinator Veronica Litt and Digital Media Specialist Elaine Westenhoefer.
This intensive workshop is for academics and researchers who are interested in creating a podcast about their work. We’ll discuss how to plan a show, best practices for recording crisp, professional audio, and give participants hands-on experience with editing on Audacity, a free and open source audio editing software. We’ll also discuss how to brand your show, go through the basics of hosting and distribution, then discuss how to promote your podcast and build an audience.