HathiTrust Reseach Center Workshops

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The HathiTrust Research Center offers a workshop series to develop a community of users, teachers, and supporters of computational text analysis with HathiTrust data. Each training event is 1.5 days long and consists of a full day train-the-trainer session for librarians and a half day introduction to text mining with HathiTrust session for researchers. This new series, which started in fall 2019, builds on previous train-the-trainer workshops from HTRC.

Learn more about hosting | attending.

For hosts

Hosting a workshop

We schedule HTRC workshops on a per-semester basis. A different HathiTrust member institutions hosts each training event, and priority registration is given to attendees affiliated with the host site. Hosting a workshop provides an opportunity to build a local community of practice for text and data mining research. HathiTrust covers time and travel for 2 instructors, as well as workshop materials. We also coordinate registration and lead the promotion of the workshop series.

Hosting requirements

Reserve instructional space for the workshops, including handling any room reservation fee. This space must be equipped with wifi, a means for projection, ample outlets, and seats for at least 25 people.
Provide refreshments in the morning and afternoon on day 1 and the morning on day 2 (required). Provide lunch on day 1 (optional).
Open the workshops to attendees from other HathiTrust member institutions and reserve least 25% of the available slots for them. (Only if slots remain unfilled do we open registration to attendees from non-member institutions, with the host’s permission.)
Help us promote the workshops in your community.
Help to arrange meetings with local librarians or researchers based on local needs.

Apply to host

HathiTrust members can apply to host an HTRC workshop via an electronic form (below). Calls for hosts will go out twice yearly. Hosting institutions will be selected by the end of August for fall events and the end of December for spring events. In selecting workshop locations, we aim for geographic and institutional diversity. We also assess whether a host is able to meet the requirements stipulated above. Hosts of previous workshops, particularly a Digging Deeper, Reaching Further workshop, are not eligible to host an HTRC workshop under this program at this time. We hold 3-4 events per semester.

Apply to host a workshop in spring 2020: https://forms.gle/rtGNJtrzSXCE9BuN8. The deadline is December 11.

For attendees

Workshops for librarians

Text Mining with HathiTrust: An Introduction for Librarians

This day-long workshop introduces librarians to computational text and data mining, with hands-on examples drawn from HathiTrust data and HathiTrust Research Center analysis tools. Attendees learn how scholars employ this research method, as well as the types of research questions that can be explored using it. Librarian attendees build connections between computationally-driven research and their professional practice. Attendees can expect to leave with an understanding of:

The text data available from HathiTrust
The tools and services of the HathiTrust Research Center, including freely available datasets, plug-and-play tools, and secure computing environments for advanced researchers
The ways librarians can support text and data mining research

The workshop is particularly useful for librarians who would like to become more familiar with HathiTrust research opportunities or who would like to gain a deeper understanding of the current state of academic text and data mining research. No experience is required! While the workshop addresses technical topics, the content has been designed to be approachable for librarians from a variety of backgrounds.

The series offers an opportunity for librarians to become part of a cohort of learners and instructors. A small number of librarian attendees from the first day who want to deepen their learning experience will be invited to stay for the second day as observers and participants. Librarians who stay for day two commit to teaching an HTRC/text mining workshop on their campus within 9 months of the event they attend. All who attend day 1 will be able to take part in a community of fellow learners and trainers.

Workshops for researchers

HathiTrust’s Data and Analysis Tools for Text Mining Research

This half-day workshop introduces attendees to the text data and computational tools of HathiTrust. HathiTrust operates a repository of over 17 million items digitized at a network of partner libraries. This massive collection of text is available for computational text mining primarily through the tools and services of the HathiTrust Research Center. Attendees of this workshop gain hands-on experience with these data and tools in order to become more familiar with the opportunities for research HathiTrust makes available.

The workshop includes:

A characterization of the data available
Hands-on activities with HTRC’s Extracted Features dataset and secure research environments

No experience is required, but prior exposure to text analysis concepts is beneficial.

Registration details

Registration for each workshop is first-come, first-served. We will maintain a waitlist for each workshop if registration reaches capacity. Only librarians should register for day 1, and only researchers should register for day 2. Please register only for one workshop per semester. If you register for multiple workshops, we will assume the first one you sign up for is the one you prefer to attend.

Hosting institutions get priority registration for their librarians and scholars. The remaining seats are opened to those from other HathiTrust member organizations. In some cases, if spots remain in the weeks leading up to the workshop, seats may be opened to registrants regardless of institutional affiliation.

We screen registrants as they come in. You will receive an email notification confirming your registration after you sign up, including information about whether you have secured a seat or been added to the waitlist.