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University Libraries On-Request Workshops

An instructor teaching a library workshop in an active learning classroom with multiple screens on the walls and people at tables surrounding the instructor

OU Libraries offers workshops targeted to researchers of all levels (students, postdocs, faculty, and staff) to increase working efficiency with understanding of research and data better practices. Workshops focus on a broadly targeted mix of concepts and tools.

We can bring these workshops to your location or you can attend regularly scheduled workshops throughout the semester. You can sign up to receive notifications of these upcoming scheduled workshops on the Libraries Research Workshops listserv.

If you would like a workshop brought to your group (whether you are students self-organizing or a faculty member with a research group or a class), please contact your liaison librarian or the Research Workshops Committee chair. Minimum group size is flexible but a larger group (at least 10-15 people) are preferred for the multi-day workshops.

Online and In-Person Workshop Options Available

We offer workshops in both online (Zoom) and in-person formats (we can come to your classroom or meeting room, or host a workshop in our spaces). A smaller number of workshops are available in a hybrid format where pedagogy permits; these are noted in the "Formats Available" column. For workshops that are regularly scheduled and not available in hybrid format, we alternate in-person and Zoom formats each semester for accessibility. 

Survival Skills 101

Survival Skills 101: Beginner-level workshops for researchers. These workshops cover basic data and computing skills needed in all research fields.  No prior experience is needed for most.
 

 Workshop Prerequisites Duration Formats available Regularly scheduled
Managing Your Research Files None 1 hour In-person, hybrid, online-only Spring and fall
Formatting Your Data for Analysis None 1 hour In-person, hybrid, online-only Spring
Concepts of Data-driven Visualizations None 1 hour In-person, hybrid, online-only Spring
Using Computers for Scholarly Research None 1 hour In-person, online-only Spring
Troubleshooting Computer Code Any experience with coding 1 hour In-person, online-only Fall only


 

Better Practices

Better Practices: Better practices for research, data, coding, and communication.  Workshop lengths vary from 1-2.5 hours.  No prior experience is needed.
 

 Workshop Prerequisites Duration Formats available Regularly scheduled
Managing Research Projects with OSF None 1 hour In-person, hybrid, online-only Spring and fall
Presentation Concepts and Practice None 1 hour In-person, hybrid, online-only No
Smoother Meetings None 1 hour In-person, online-only Fall only
Data Management Plan Tool for Funding None 2.5 hours In-person, hybrid, online-only No
Tracking Changes with Version Control in Git/GitHub None 2.5 hours In-person, online-only Spring and fall

Workflow Tools

Workflow Tools: These beginner- to intermediate-level workshops focus on specific tools to implement workflows.  These specific skill-sets meet specific needs of individual researchers and complement concepts shown in the Survival Skills and Better Practices collections.  Prior experience needed is listed in the "Prerequisites" column.
 

 Workshop Prerequisites Duration Formats available Regularly scheduled
Citation Management with Zotero None 1 hour In-person, hybrid, online-only Spring and fall
Introduction to LaTeX None 1 hour In-person, hybrid, online-only No
A very brief introduction to MATLAB None 1 hour In-person, hybrid, online-only No
Unix Shell (Bash) for Beginners None 2.5 hours In-person, online-only Spring and fall
Visualizing Data with Tableau None 2.5 hours In-person, hybrid, online-only No
Beginner LaTeX None 3 hours In-person, online-only Spring and fall
MATLAB for Data Analysis None 3.5 hours In-person, online-only Spring and fall
Visualization in Python Using 'matplotlib' Experience with Python 2.5 hours In-person, online-only Spring and fall
Shortcuts and Tips for Shell (Intermediate Bash) Experience with Shell (Bash) 2.5 hours In-person, online-only No
Repetitive Tasks in R Experience with R 2.5 hours In-person, online-only Fall only
Visualization in R Using 'ggplot2' Experience with R 2.5 hours In-person, online-only Spring only

Library Instruction

Library instruction sessions targeted to students and researchers of all levels (but mainly to undergraduate and graduate students) to increase working efficiency and ability to find appropriate information. Sessions are customized for each class or research group in collaboration with the instructor.  A small sample of examples presentations and worksheets is available online and examples are linked from topics where available below.
 

 Workshop Prerequisite Duration Formats available Regularly scheduled
Overview of OU Libraries Resources None 15-30 minutes In-person, hybrid, online-only No
Citation Management with Zotero None 15-90 minutes In-person, hybrid, online-only Spring and fall
Introduction to Basic Academic Resource Searches None 20-60 minutes In-person, hybrid, online-only No
Subject Specific Academic Resource Searches None 30-90 minutes In-person, hybrid, online-only No
Library Resources and Services for Graduate Students None 60 minutes In-person, online-only No
 Citing Sources in MLA 9th Edition Style None 60 minutes In-person, hybrid, online-only No
Digital Newspaper Collections at OU Libraries None 60-90 minutes In-person, online-only No

The Carpentries

The Carpentries teaches foundational coding, and data science skills to researchers worldwide. Currently we schedule three Carpentries workshops per semester, with at least one each focusing on R and Python, respectively.  You can learn more about these on the Carpentries @ OU page.  No prior experience is needed, but if you would like additional preparation, we recommend taking Using Computers for Scholarly Research first, as it discusses how to think about and interact with computer programs in a scholarly context.
 

 Workshop Prerequisites Duration Formats available Regularly scheduled
Data Carpentry for Ecology with R, OpenRefine, and SQL None 2 days (16 hours) In-person, online-only No
Data Carpentry for Geospatial with R None 2 days (16 hours) In-person, online-only No
Data Carpentry for Social Sciences with R, Tidy Data, and OpenRefine None 2 days (16 hours) In-person, online-only Spring and fall
Software Carpentry with Python, Bash, and Git/GitHub None 2 days (16 hours) In-person, online-only Spring and fall
Software Carpentry with R, Bash, and Git/GitHub None 2 days (16 hours) In-person, online-only No