Category Archives: Spaces

Events, Scholars Lab

Scholars Lab Series Launches with Talk on Data Storytelling and Visualization

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The Scholars Lab Speaker Series at the University of Texas Libraries welcomed renowned data visualization expert Dr. Alberto Cairo on February 10 for a thought-provoking discussion on the intersection of visualization, art, and insight. Cairo, the Knight Chair in Visual Journalism at the University of Miami, engaged an audience of students, faculty, and researchers in a conversation about how data storytelling can enhance both comprehension and communication.

During his talk, “Visualization: An Art of Insight,” Cairo explored the aesthetic and analytical dimensions of data visualization, emphasizing that effective visuals go beyond aesthetics to provide clarity, context, and meaning. He shared examples from journalism, scientific research, and public policy to illustrate how well-crafted visual representations can inform, persuade, and even challenge assumptions.

Cairo discussed how data visualization is not merely about following set rules but rather a reasoning process that carefully considers content, audience, and purpose. He emphasized that designing a visualization is an intentional, iterative dialogue, requiring deliberate choices about how information is encoded—using length, area, angle, or color—to effectively represent data.

Cairo illustrated how data visualization can reveal trends, exceptions, and broad patterns, pointing to, and underscored the challenge of balancing showing vs. explaining data, using the cone of uncertainty in hurricane forecasts as an example of how misinterpretation can arise without adequate context and annotation.

Finally, he urged designers to move beyond software defaults, encouraging thoughtful refinement in visual composition, from color choices to line breaks, to create clear and effective graphics. His insights reinforced the idea that data visualization is both an analytical tool and a form of storytelling, shaping how people understand and engage with information.

The event, held in Perry-Castañeda Library’s Scholars Lab, was the first installment of the new Scholars Lab Speaker Series, launched to highlight emerging trends in digital scholarship. Audience members had the opportunity to engage with Cairo in a Q&A session that followed the talk.

The event also marked the commencement of International Love Data Week 2025, celebrating the significance of data in modern research and decision-making. For more information on upcoming events and resources, visit the UT Libraries’ official website.

Digital Humanities, Digital Scholarship, Scholars Lab

Transforming Text: A Year of the Scan Tech Studio

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The Scan Tech Studio (STS), located in the new PCL Scholars Lab, is a self-service facility designed to empower scholars and researchers in digitization, image processing, and text analysis projects. Equipped with advanced scanning equipment and software, the STS allows the UT community to independently digitize materials, apply optical character recognition (OCR) and handwritten text recognition (HTR), and engage in digital text analysis. From helping patrons scan historical documents to applying machine-readable techniques to modern texts, the STS has had an exciting first year guiding users in elevating their research.

The team behind this effort is the Scan Tech Studio Working Group, composed of seven librarians and digitization experts dedicated to helping scholars maximize the studio’s resources. We’re also grateful for the support of UT Libraries IT and the Scholars Lab Graduate Research Assistants, who keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes. The working group develops workshops, creates research guides, and promotes the use of digital scholarship tools related to OCR, HTR, and text analysis. Additionally, we offer guidance on copyright considerations and assist users in navigating the complexities of text recognition and analysis. Over the past year, the STS Working Group has been instrumental in fostering a dynamic learning environment within the Scholars Lab and building campus-wide connections to unlock the studio’s potential.

The working group has been dedicated to developing services that meet the evolving needs of the campus community. So far, our primary focus has been providing consultations and instruction related to digitization, OCR/HTR, and text analysis. With the diverse expertise of our team, we’ve been able to offer tailored, one-on-one consultations and small group sessions that help users think through the various stages of their digital projects, from planning to execution. Scheduling time with STS experts is simple through our user-friendly request form, ensuring patrons have easy access to specialized support.

Overall, we received 18 reservation requests, which meant that users had a consultation with one of the STS Working Group members, needed the space for digitization, and/or used our digital tool to OCR their materials. Many of these requests came from graduate students, specifically from the Department of History and the School of Information.

In addition to consultations, we’ve developed instructional tools such as a comprehensive research guide on research data management and the use of the studio’s equipment and software. The STS has also become a valuable teaching space, regularly hosting classes that integrate the studio’s technology into their curriculum, allowing students hands-on experience with advanced digitization tools and methods.

Reflecting on the past year, the STS has hosted several workshops inside and outside the studio to showcase its tools and demonstrate the possibilities to the campus community. For example, STS team members led workshops at this past summer’s Digital Scholarship Pedagogy Institute, focusing on digitization, OCR, and text analysis. Additionally, we contributed to the Digital Humanities Workshop Series, providing training in these specialized areas. 

It’s also worth noting that the working group dedicates time to internal development by hosting workshops for ourselves, allowing us to learn from one another and build up our collective skillset. As the saying goes, the best way to learn is to teach—and we’ve embraced this approach to better serve our users!

Due to the Scan Tech Studio being a new service, we wanted to partner with existing programs and reach out to various centers. We invited and provided an overview of our services to different centers around campus, such as JapanLab and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. This gave us great insight into the needs around campus regarding digitization and OCR.

Additionally, we provided training in using specialized OCR tools such as Abbyy FineReader, a paid program under Adobe that is exclusively available at STS. It works exceptionally well for accurately OCRing text and training. We had about 36 uses in just our first year in the space.

As we continue to see the success of our space, we are planning to expand our services and tools. We aim to create additional resources covering various OCR tools and processes. We also plan to continue to collaborate with the Digital Humanities Workshop series to present different OCR and text analysis tools. Additionally, we intend to develop workshops tailored to researchers, including pre-research and post-research workshops. These workshops will help researchers understand what they need to do when conducting their research to ensure a successful OCR experience and facilitate the beginning of text analysis upon their return. We look forward to seeing how the groundwork we laid during the first year will impact our service in the upcoming year.

As you can see, we have a lot of promising plans to build off the Scan Tech Studio’s successful first year. We look forward to continuing to grow the space as a new hub for digitization and text analysis on campus. Scan you feel the excitement? 

Events, Global Studies, Humanities & Liberal Arts, The Foundry

A Warm Welcome for Fall

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As students made their way back to campus for the fall 2024 semester, the University of Texas Libraries put together a fun and engaging lineup of events as part of Longhorn Welcome. The Libraries’ Welcome Week was all about giving new and returning students a chance to meet new people, get creative, and discover everything the Libraries have to offer.

Things kicked off on Monday, August 26, with the “Color and Geometry in Islamic Art” event at The Foundry in the Fine Arts Library. Students got hands-on with geometric patterns and the math behind Islamic art, working with 3D models and crafting their own intricate designs, some even taking time to make Arabic jewelry. With about 35 attendees from different departments, everyone got the chance to be creative and learn more about The Foundry’s resources for future projects.

Tuesday, August 27, brought the Zine Making Party, which transformed the Fine Arts Library into a buzzing creative space. Over 60 students, faculty, and staff dove into the zine collection, scissors and glue sticks in hand, and created their own zine pages. It was a DIY vibe all around, with people blending personal creativity and ideas with inspiration from the Libraries’ growing collection of zines.

On Wednesday, August 28, nearly 100 people gathered for “Stepping into Fall: A Celebration of Indian Dance and Music.” The night featured amazing performances from student groups like Texas Taraana, Gandharva, Sindhu Vasudevan, and Fusion Bollywood. From live Hindustani music to Bollywood fusion choreography, the audience got to experience an exciting mix of traditional and contemporary Indian art forms. The event was cosponsored by the South Asia Institute and SPIC MACAY, giving attendees a chance to learn more about these student groups and how to get involved.

Thursday, August 29, the UFCU Room in PCL was transformed into a Bibliogarden—a relaxed space where students could explore all kinds of cool books, graphic novels, zines, maps, and more from the Libraries’ collections. Around 40 attendees wandered through the offerings, checking out everything from rare books to fun reading materials that Libraries staff recommended. The variety of formats and languages sparked curiosity, and many left inspired to dive deeper into the Libraries’ collections and maybe even learn a new language or two.

To wrap up the week on Friday, August 30, the Libraries teamed up with the Center for Asian American Studies to screen Everything, Everywhere All at Once (2022) at the PCL. About 100 people showed up to enjoy the sci-fi adventure, which had everyone laughing and tearing up at different moments. The screening wasn’t just a movie night—it was also a chance to enjoy some great food from Tso Chinese, highlighting how partnerships can bring cultural events to campus in a big way.

All in all, the UT Libraries’ week of events brought students and faculty together, sparking creativity and offering a fun way to connect with the resources and communities on campus. It was a perfect way to kick off Longhorn Welcome 2024, and everyone walked away feeling a little more inspired.

Faculty, Fine Arts Library, Global Studies, The Foundry

Capturing Culture: Yiddish Folk Songs Come to Life in the Foundry

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In April, Dr. Adrien Smith, assistant professor of Instruction in the Department of Germanic Studies took her Yiddish class (YID 612) into the recording studio at the Fine Arts Library’s Foundry makerspace to capture the essence of traditional Yiddish folk songs.

The project was part of a year-long, accelerated language course that not only aimed to teach the Yiddish language but also to immerse students in its rich culture and history. The course utilized a range of instructional methods, including board games, songs, poetry, textbooks, and grammatical exercises. The rigorous approach fostered a close-knit community of students passionate about Yiddish language and culture.

Dr. Smith sought to create an engaging and practical learning experience for her students. She envisioned a project that would allow her students to practice their language skills and provide them with a lasting memento of their efforts. To achieve this, she attended a training session at the Foundry’s recording studio, with the hope of gaining the skills necessary to record her students singing traditional Yiddish folk songs.

After her training, Dr. Smith and the Foundry team met in late March to plan the recording sessions. They decided to hold two sessions: one focused on a group recording and another on small group projects. They carefully considered the logistics, including accommodating about a dozen students and instruments in the studio, selecting appropriate microphones, and allocating sufficient time for the recordings.

The first session took place on April 15. Nearly a dozen students, accompanied by a professional accordionist, gathered in the studio. Dr. Smith directed the students while the Foundry team assisted with the recording equipment and software. After a few test recordings, they successfully captured the entire class singing “Der alef-beys iz zeyer sheyn” and “Got hot bashafn himl mit erd.”

The second session, held on April 22, focused on small group recordings for a final project. Dr. Smith, now comfortable with the recording equipment, managed the session independently. She successfully recorded five more folk songs, which she later edited and published on SoundCloud, featuring cover art designed by one of her students.

This collaboration between Dr. Smith and the Foundry highlights the valuable opportunities the Foundry offers to modern languages and humanities courses. Recording sessions like these allow students to practice their language skills in a dynamic and cultural context, and, additionally, the recorded performances serve as a tangible reminder of their learning experience.

Dr. Smith  and her students thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and she looks forward to the opportunity of returning to the Foundry for projects in future semesters.

Digital Scholarship, Scholars Lab, Staff, Uncategorized

Data Analysis of Library Data

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Anusha Ravi, a Scholars Lab Graduate Research Assistant (GRA), is entering her second year in the School of Information Science, specializing in Data Science and Analytics. During the last academic year, she undertook a Digital Scholarship Project as part of her GRA position. Collaborating with the Collection Development team, she cleaned, analyzed, and visualized data they had collected over the past few years.

I am a passionate data analyst with a keen interest in leveraging data to drive meaningful insights and decisions. My recent work at Scholars Lab Graduate Research Assistant(GRA) has given me a valuable opportunity to apply my skills in a real-world setting, addressing practical challenges and contributing to the enhancement of our informational resources present at the library. My journey in data science is driven by a curiosity to explore data intricacies and a commitment to using technology for the greater good. As part of my responsibilities, I have to complete a digital scholarship project.

The data points in this graph have been anonymized to safeguard confidentiality.

As my digital scholarship project, I worked with the Collection Development team on improving the process of handling suggested purchase requests. These requests are crucial as their analysis would help them understand and enhance the breadth and depth of the collections available in the library. My role involved exploring historical data to identify gaps and understand its structure thoroughly for future enhancements. Collaborating with the Collection Development team who are my stakeholders, I ensured their needs were clearly understood and actionable. This collaborative approach not only enriched my perspective but also aligned our efforts with the library’s strategic goals.

The data points in this graph have been anonymized to safeguard confidentiality.

Using Python, I undertook the task of cleaning and anonymizing the data. Fixing missing values and ensuring data confidentiality was challenging, yet automating these processes was a significant achievement. Python’s versatility and powerful libraries were instrumental in this endeavor. Looking ahead, I aim to deepen my expertise in Python to automate more complex data workflows and improve efficiency further. Learning to automate this process was a big challenge, but overcoming it was a significant achievement. I had to code with a future use case in mind, which proved to be very insightful and thereby allowed me to improve my skills.

For data visualization, I turned to Tableau, known for its user-friendly interface and powerful visualization capabilities. Creating interactive and simple charts made it easier to communicate complex data insights to non-technical stakeholders. This was confirmed on presenting this dashboard to the Collection Development team who praised the simple but effective dashboard.  Additionally, based on their feedback, I plan to create documentation on using Tableau to ensure easy navigation for future use of the team. 

The Scholars Lab provided invaluable support, offering resources and expert advice that enhanced my analysis. Presenting my findings at a poster session was a highlight, showcasing the success and the practical recommendations for better data organization and future collection improvements. This project taught me the importance of stakeholder collaboration, secure data practices, and the continuous quest for automation and efficiency in data processes. 

Scholars Lab, Spaces, Strategy

Renovations Bring New Life to Perry-Castañeda Library

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The Perry-Castañeda Library (PCL) is constantly in transformation, keeping speed with the needs of users by enhancing the library’s facilities, and recent renovations have been breathing new life into aging spaces to better serve students and staff alike.

From modernizing furniture, power, and whiteboards to carpet replacement and staff space rearrangement, renovations aim to create a more conducive environment for learning and collaboration.

Students don’t let a little construction get in the way.

Rehab efforts have seen significant changes to key areas such as the additions of the Scholars Lab and the Center for Teaching and Learning office space, and updates to the PCL lobby, with a focus on improving functionality and aesthetics. Additionally, new carpet will has been installed in the map room, replacing the well-worn flooring that dated the space to the previous century.

The fourth-floor quiet study has undergone significant renovations, with significant enhancements to its study areas aimed at elevating user experience and functionality. The notable update affects 6,800 square feet, which now boasts improved aesthetics and functionality. Featuring new accent colors, enhanced Wi-Fi capacity, and personal task lights, this space offers 138 seats, each equipped with enhanced electrical outlet access. Students can choose from a variety of seating options, including lounges, cubicles, and footrests, ensuring comfort and productivity.

The PCL lobby underwent a facelift in the wake of the Scholars Lab opening, covering 4,200 square feet and accommodating 66 seats with electrical outlet access. An added highlight is the inclusion of a 32-seat PC lab equipped with printers and scanners, catering to diverse academic needs. Moreover, the Scholars Lab renovation, spanning an impressive 16,250 square feet, provides an additional 256 seats with electrical outlet access, along with 10 new project rooms, fostering collaborative research endeavors. These renovations signify the library’s commitment to providing an enriching and conducive environment for academic pursuits.

Beyond physical enhancements, the library is also prioritizing the well-being of its staff with the addition of new massage chairs in the staff lounge, as well as in a dedicated wellness room on the fourth floor. These amenities underscore the university’s commitment to supporting the holistic well-being of its community members.

And additional upgrades and improvements are on the horizon. Shaded outdoor seating on the Plaza will provide students with a comfortable space to study and relax, while updates to collaborative spaces on the upper floors will encourage teamwork and innovation. An upcoming renovation of interior fixtures and finishes in the larger restrooms on the second floor will further enhance the library’s amenities, ensuring that students have access to modern and comfortable facilities.

The renovations to PCL reflect the Libraries’ dedication to providing students and staff with state-of-the-art facilities that foster learning, collaboration, and well-being. With substantial completion expected by January of next year, the university looks forward to unveiling a transformed library that will serve as a hub of academic excellence for years to come.

Digital Scholarship, Scholars Commons

Scholars Lab Newsletter – March 2024

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Digital Humanities Workshop

 Introduction to Recogito

When: 3/8/24, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Where: Zoom

Presenters: Miriam Santana and Willem Borkgren

Recogito is an open-source semantic annotation tool that allows you to tag key terms and reveal the relationships between key names, places, and events between multiple documents. Attendees will learn how to create an account, upload documents, and start working on tags and annotations. They will also learn the deeper capabilities of Recogito, such as mapping relationships, working collaboratively on a corpora of documents, and exporting data for use in other DH tools.

Zoom Registration

Introduction to Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

When: 3/22/24, 12:00 pm – 1:15 pm

Where: Hybrid – Zoom and Scholars Lab Data Lab, Perry-Castañeda Library

Presenters: Dale J. Correa, Mercedes Morris, & Natalya Stanke

This workshop introduces the basics of optical character recognition (OCR), which allows for full-text searching and other types of text manipulation of a digitized document. Attendees will learn how to use Google Docs to create a basic machine-readable text from an image file and be introduced to Tesseract for OCR through exercises in Google Colab.

This workshop is open to researchers interested in OCR for any language. It is strongly recommended that attendees:

1) prepare a digitized, highly legible sample image file for trying out the tools

2) have a Google account to do the exercises fully and save their work.

Register for Zoom or PCL Scholars Lab Data Lab

Open Education Week Virtual Panel

When: 3/8/24, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Where: Zoom

UT Austin’s OER Working Group invites you to celebrate Open Education Week (March 4-8) by joining our faculty/student panel for a virtual discussion on open education practices. Join us for a special Open Education Week discussion on applying open education practices in your teaching. Our student/faculty panel will discuss their experiences finding, adopting, and even creating open educational resources (OER) and other no-cost course materials.

In addition to this faculty perspective, our panel will also include a student voice. Our student panelist is currently collaborating on an original OER project, bringing valuable and unique insight into how open pedagogy can transform student learning experiences.

Zoom Registration

Digital Scholarship in Practice

When: 3/8/24, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm

Where: Scholars Lab Data Lab, Perry-Castañeda Library

Want to get started with Digital Humanities in the classroom, but you don’t know where to start? This introductory workshop will provide advice and practical ideas to incorporate digital humanities methodologies at all levels of teaching — from syllabus design to assignments and classroom activities. Learn about platforms, strategies, and resources to fit your classroom, your teaching style, and your comfort level with technology. While the advice given will apply to a wide variety of classrooms, the workshop will highlight resources specific to Japanese and East Asian Studies.

Digital Scholarship, GIS, Scholars Lab

Unraveling Trauma Through Maps: Rethinking Historical GIS

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In a recent event hosted at the Scholars Lab in the Perry-Castañeda Library, the Institute for Historical Studies (IHS) in the Department of History at the University of Texas at Austin delved into the complexities of mapping trauma in a workshop titled “Mapping Trauma: A Workshop on Space and Memory.”

This event, part of IHS’s exploration of the theme “Experiencing Place: Interrogating Spatial Dimensions of the Human Past,” brought together scholars and practitioners to discuss the limitations of traditional Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in capturing the nuances of human experiences, particularly in contexts of trauma such as the Holocaust.

The keynote speakers, Dr. Anne Kelly Knowles and Levi Westerveld, presented insights gleaned from their extensive research collaboration spanning a decade. Knowles, a McBride Professor of History at the University of Maine and co-founder of the Holocaust Geographies Collaborative, along with Westerveld, a Senior Engineer & Geographer at the Norwegian Coastal Authority, offered innovative perspectives on mapping trauma, drawing from their work with Holocaust survivor testimonies.

Traditional GIS methodologies, while effective for certain types of mapping, often struggle to represent the complexities of human experiences. Knowles and Westerveld’s research challenges the default Cartesian grid approach of GIS, advocating for alternative mapping techniques that accommodate the fragmented and subjective nature of traumatic memories. They emphasized the importance of incorporating qualitative data and subjective narratives into geospatial practices, moving beyond mere coordinates to capture the emotional and psychological dimensions of historical events.

The workshop explored various strategies for mapping traumatic memory, including the concept of “mental maps” and inductive visualization techniques. Participants engaged in hands-on exercises, analyzing survivor testimonies and experimenting with visualization tools to uncover hidden spatial narratives. Through these activities, attendees gained a deeper understanding of the challenges inherent in representing trauma spatially and the creative possibilities for addressing them.

The event offered a thought-provoking exploration of the intersection between geography, memory, and trauma. By challenging traditional GIS approaches and embracing alternative mapping techniques, scholars are in a better position to uncover deeper insights into historical experiences and enrich understanding of the human past.

Learn more about IHS programs, including those under the “Experiencing Place” research theme this year, by following @utaustinihs and joining the mailing list here.

Watch video of the event.

Digital Scholarship, Scholars Lab, Uncategorized

Scholars Lab Newsletter – February 2024

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Digital Humanities Workshop Series

Digitization, Digital Projects, and Copyright Issues

When: Feb. 2, 2024, 12 pm – 1 pm 

Where: Perry-Castañeda Library Scholars Lab Project Room 6 (2.218)

Join us in-person for a discussion about some of the common copyright issues that pop up when digitizing materials or creating digital projects. We’ll have some scenarios to talk through as a group, but feel free to also bring your questions and we’ll try to discuss some of those scenarios as well.

In-Person Registration

Interactive Writing in Twine

When: Feb. 9, 2024, 12 pm – 1 pm

Where: Zoom 

Twine is an open-source application used to write interactive narratives ranging from fictional adventures to practical decision trees. This workshop will introduce the basics of Twine story creation: creating your first passage of text, linking passages, incorporating HTML and variables, and publishing a Twine project. The session will include a variety of example Twines of different complexity and purpose, and by the end, participants will have their skeleton decision tree that they can expand into a larger text. 

Zoom Registration

Getting Started with Scalar

When: Feb. 23, 2024, 12 pm – 1 pm

Where: Zoom 

Scalar is a free, open-source publishing platform designed for long-form, born-digital, and media-rich digital scholarship. This workshop will give an overview of Scalar and discuss what differentiates it from other content management systems, before demonstrating how to build your Scalar site.

Zoom Registration

Data & Donuts Workshop Series

 Research Data Management Best Practices

When: Feb 16, 2024, 12 pm – 1:15 pm

Where: Perry-Castañeda Library Scholars Lab Data Lab (2.202) and Zoom

This workshop will go over helpful strategies and techniques for effective research data management in all stages of the research lifecycle, from the drafting of comprehensive data management plans to successful publication of research data. Join this session to learn how to overcome data management challenges and stay in compliance with research data management regulations.

Zoom Registration

The Institute for Historical Studies in the Department Workshop

“Mapping Trauma: A Workshop on Space and Memory”

When:  Feb 19, 2024, 12 pm – 1:30 pm 

Where:  Perry-Castañeda Library Scholars Lab Data Lab (2.202) and Zoom 

Anne Kelly Knowles has been a leading figure in the Digital and Spatial Humanities, particularly in the methodologies of Historical GIS, for more than twenty years. She has written or edited five books, including Placing History: How Maps, Spatial Data, and GIS Are Changing Historical Scholarship (2008); Mastering Iron: The Struggle to Modernize an American Industry, 1800-1868 (2013); and Geographies of the Holocaust (2014). Anne’s pioneering work with historical GIS has been recognized by many fellowships and awards, including the American Ingenuity Award for Historical Scholarship (Smithsonian magazine, 2012), a Guggenheim Fellowship (2015), and three successive Digital Humanities Advancement grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (2016-2022). She is a founding member of the Holocaust Geographies Collaborative, an international group of historians and geographers who explore the spatial aspects of the Holocaust through digital scholarship. She is currently developing a public website to share data on over 2,200 Holocaust camps and ghettos and nearly 1,000 survivor testimonies to enable students and scholars to map the historical geographies of named and unnamed Holocaust places.

Levi Westerveld is a geographer and award-winning cartographer with broad experience in spatial data gathering, analysis and visualization. He has 8 years of work experience in GIS and mapping for environmental modeling, impact assessments, community engagement and communication. Levi has international project management experience overseeing multidisciplinary teams with delivery in the Arctic and Pacific, and thematic knowledge in land and marine environmental issues, including climate change, waste and biodiversity. He is the lead editor of the forthcoming Arctic Permafrost Atlas. He is currently employed as senior engineer in the section for digitalization and innovation at the Norwegian Coastal Authority.

For In-person Registration email: cmeador@austin.utexas.edu

Zoom Registration

Digital Scholarship in Practice

Computational Approaches in the Study of History: The Case of People’s Daily

When: Feb 21, 2024, 12 pm to 1 pm 

Where: Perry-Castañeda Library Learning Lab 3

In this talk, we will explore what computational approach and methods may look like in historical studies. Alongside the potential advantages, the talk will also discuss the limitations and pitfalls in computational historical analysis. We will focus on a case study of the People’s Daily 人民日报, a prominent national newspaper of the PRC, to demonstrate the outcomes and limitations of applying computational methods in historical research.

Scholars Lab

Scholars Lab Newsletter – November 2023

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Digital Humanities Workshop Series

Getting Started with Omeka

When: Nov. 3, 2023, 12 pm – 1 pm 

Where: Zoom

Omeka is a free, open-source platform for creating digital archives, exhibitions, and more. This workshop will give an overview of the various versions of Omeka and their different uses, before covering how to set up a basic Omeka site.

Zoom Registration

Additional Information

Libraries Workshop

Patent Basics

When: Nov. 7, 2023, 11 am – 12 pm

Where: Zoom

A virtual workshop on patents aimed at a beginner audience. We will define patents as a type of intellectual property, describe the different ways in which patents can be useful to researchers, and show how to find patent documents on freely available websites such as Google Patents.

Zoom Registration

Additional Information

Author Profiles & Citation Metrics: An Introduction for Scholars

When: Nov. 8, 2023, 1 pm to 2 pm

Where: Zoom

Taking advantage of profile services and understanding publishing metrics can help you increase the discovery of your work and track its impact. This workshop will introduce you to ORCID and Google Scholar profile systems and give you some tips for making the most of these types of services. We will also highlight several widely used citation metrics (Impact Factors, h-indices, SJR indicators) and help to demystify what they mean and how to find them.

Zoom Registration

Additional Information

The Theory & Practice of Digitization: A Community Symposium

When: Nov. 9, 2023, 4:45 pm – 7 pm

Where: The Scholars Lab, Perry-Castañeda Library

Join us in the Scholars Lab for a symposium on digitization. What gets digitized and how it gets digitized are decisions that affect everyone, but most of all, marginalized communities that have been historically disadvantaged from participation in scholarship and the building of library collections. Come and listen to lightning talks from cohort members trained in OCR and digitization, followed by a keynote address by Dr. Raha Rafii.

 Additional Information

UT GIS Day

GIS Day 2023 Celebration

When: Nov. 15, 2023, 12:30 pm to 5 pm

Where: Scholars Lab, Perry-Castañeda Library and Zoom

Join the UT Austin community in celebrating GIS Day 2023 on Wednesday, November 15th! GIS Day is an internationally acknowledged annual event held each November on the Wednesday of Geography Awareness week. It is a day dedicated to appreciating, discussing, and learning about GIS (geographic information system) technology and all that it enables.
    Through our UT GIS Day events this year we hope to raise the profile of the innovative GIS work being carried out by the UT campus community and specifically highlight open geospatial research since 2023 has been designated a Year of Open Science by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

In Person & Zoom Registration

Additional Informational

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If you have any questions please feel free to email scholarslab@austin.utexas.edu