Introduction to TEI
2025-12-06 00:00 - 23:59 (America/Halifax) | University of Victoria Libraries, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Description: This workshop offers a three-hour introduction to the eXtensible Markup Language of the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI-XML). It begins by asking how we mark up historical and literary texts in order to create digital editions/archives and will cover the basics of XML terminology before diving into the specifics of TEI elements, attributes, and values. We will dig into the “TEI Guidelines,” discover how they are structured, and do some hands-on encoding of a short poem. As time permits, we will look at some TEI projects hosted by HCMC. This workshop will prepare participants for work on HCMC projects and/or for a longer TEI course offered by the DH training network.

Facilitator Bio: Janelle Jenstad is a Professor in the Department of English and Academic Director of the Humanities Computing and Media Centre. She is the founder and director of the Map of Early Modern London and Linked Early Modern Drama Online; Co-Coordinating Editor of the New Internet Shakespeare Editions, MoEML Mayoral Shows, and Digital Renaissance Editions; and former member of the TEI Technical Council.

Certificate Eligibility: This workshop is eligible for the Canadian Certificate in Digital Humanities

Number of seats: 15

To register: Contact HCMC Administrative Assistant Marla MacKinnon at hcmcadmin@uvic.ca

Making Images Talk: Writing Visual Novels with Decker.
2025-12-08 00:00 - 23:59 | Toronto Metropolitan University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 2K3, Canada
Date: December 8 2025

Instructor: Jason Boyd

Decker is a multimedia platform influenced by HyperCard and created by Internet Janitor. It can be used for creating and sharing interactive documents, with sound, images, hypertext, and scripted behavior. In this workshop, participants will be introduced to two Decker libraries (Dialogizer and Puppeteer) designed to facilitate the creation of visual novels.

The Decker app can be used in-browser or be downloaded to your computer.

This workshop does not require previous knowledge of Decker and can act as an introduction.

Introduction to Python: Part 5
2025-12-10 00:00 - 23:59 | The University of British Columbia, 1958 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V62 1Z2, Canada
Date: December 10th 2025

Instructor: Kendra Oudyk

This set of five workshops is an introduction to Python programming, with a focus on skills that are relevant to students and researchers who are working with data, particularly tabular data.

The five workshops cover the following:

Part 1: To understand the basics of Python syntax, variables, and data types.

Part 2: To learn how to work with tabular data in Python, including reading, manipulating, and visualizing data.

Part 3: To learn how to automate tasks in Python, including working with multiple files.

Part 4: To learn to use logic and modularity to make Python code flexible and reusable.

Part 5: To develop good habits for programming for research in Python, including handling errors, debugging, and writing reliable code.

Participants must sign up for each workshop individually. It is not necessary to sign up for the first workshop in order to do the second (and so on), but note that each workshop will build on the topics covered in previous workshops in this series.

Prerequisites:

There are no prerequisites needed for this series; no prior programming experience is required.

Setup Instructions:

In these workshops, we will write Python code in a text editor called Visual Studio Code (VS Code).

Please follow the following steps/links to complete the setup for this workshop series before you attend:

Install a Python Interpreter

Install Visual Studio Code

Install the Python extension for VS Code. If you want more info on installing extensions for VS Code, see this page on their “Extension Marketplace”

Install this Python Debugger extension for VS Code

NOTE: You may use your own preferred text editor or Jupyter Notebooks to write code in these workshops, but keep in mind that some aspects may be unpredictably different from the way things appear on the instructor’s screen. For example, the instructor will frequently use the Python Debugger in VS Code, and other text editors may have entirely different mechanisms for debugging, and you may have to figure that out on your own. If you want to follow what the instructor is doing exactly, you should install VS Code and the extensions listed above.

Cultural Expressions of Indigenous Knowledge
2026-01-08 00:00 - 23:59 | York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
Date: January 8 2026

Presenter: Cora Coady

The winter is a time when Indigenous people typically tell stories. This is the perfect time to delve into cultural expressions of Indigenous Knowledge. During this 90 minute workshop we will engage with Indigenous story, art and craft. We will also discuss intellectual property, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions. During the second half of the workshop we will create simple beadwork meant to convey a message. No experience needed.

Data Bites - File Naming Best Practices for Research Data
2026-01-12 00:00 - 23:59 | Ontario
This practical workshop, delivered by the UBC Library Research Data Management team, introduces strategies for consistent and meaningful file naming to support better research organization, collaboration, and long-term data reuse. Designed for graduate students, researchers, and staff, this session helps participants avoid common pitfalls and adopt best practices in their research workflows.

Participants will learn how to:

Avoid problematic file names that can cause compatibility issues across platforms and systems

Apply clear and consistent file naming conventions

Incorporate elements like version control, dates, and identifiers for easy file tracking and retrieval

Best Practices for Managing Data in your Research
2026-01-14 00:00 - 23:59 | Ontario
Date: January 14 2026

TIFU (Today I F’ed Up) by losing a ton of data for my research – Have you ever seen a description like this on Reddit? Are your desktop and downloads folders a jumble of files named Data-finalFINAL-USETHISONE? Is all of your lab’s data stored on a single drive located conveniently under a sprinkler system? Join research data management services and learn how investing a small amount of time in organizing your data now can save you a lot of time and prevent future headaches. In this introductory workshop, learn about research data management best practices. We will go over best practices for data planning, storage, organization, preservation, and sharing.

By the end of the session, participants will be empowered to:

Produce a plan for their data

Organize and document their data consistently

Store and back-up their data securely,

Select an appropriate data repository for archival and sharing.

No prior experience with data management is required! This session is perfect for anyone who wants to feel more confident organizing, storing, and sharing their data in clear and practical ways.

Details: Any preparatory work for the session can be found on its information page. This virtual workshop will be recorded and shared on the same page, and discoverable via the Sherman Centre’s Online Learning Catalogue.

Facilitator Bio:

Isaac Pratt (he/him) is a research scientist by training and has a PhD in Anatomy & Cell Biology. He leverages nearly a decade of interdisciplinary research experience to help support students, staff, and faculty. His expertise lies in questions surrounding data storage, security, planning, archival, and sharing. Isaac also provides support and curation services for McMaster Dataverse. His other interests include reproducible research methods, open science, and data science.

Danica Evering holds expansive experience with research support, education, project management, advocacy, and knowledge translation; with fluency in social practice art, healthcare, community research, data, and systems development. Danica supports students, postdocs, faculty, and staff with RDM through the data lifecycle—Data Management Plans, storage and backup, data security, data sharing. With an MA in Media Studies from Concordia, they are interested in fostering RDM within curious scholars and disciplines.

Certificate Eligibility: This workshop is eligible for the Sherman Centre’s certificate program. For more information, visit scds.ca/certificate-program. It is also eligible for the Canadian Certificate for Digital Humanities. To learn more, visit ccdhhn.ca or contact scds@mcmaster.ca.

Credit Eligibility: This workshop counts toward credit for students in the Faculty of Science who are enrolled in SCIENCE 2SF1: Digital Skills Workshop. For any questions, please contact oursci@mcmaster.ca.

Makerspace Orientations: Sewing Machines
2026-01-14 00:00 - 23:59 | York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
Date: January 14 2026

Presenter: Jacob Turola

Get started with the makerspace sewing machines. We’ll demonstrate how to set up the machine and show you different stitch patterns. We’ll also go over how to make and find patterns as well as how to cut your fabric properly. Basic fabrics are provided but you’re encouraged to bring your own.

Introduction to the Unix Shell
2026-01-14 00:00 - 23:59 | The University of British Columbia, 1958 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V62 1Z2, Canada
This workshop will introduce the Unix shell, a powerful way to communicate with your computer more directly through a command line interface. There are many ways to interact with a computer. Most of the time we click on things and select options with a cursor through a graphical user interface (GUI). A command line is exactly what it sounds like, a way of writing commands to your computer line by line and is incredibly powerful. In this workshop we will show you how to navigate through different parts of your system and introduce some of the most useful commands to be aware of.

No previous experience with the command line is required. This workshop is for beginners.

Pre-workshop setup

Please have a laptop ready for this workshop. We will be using the Unix shell for most of the workshop. If you have a Mac or a Linux laptop you don’t need to install or enable anything. If you are using a Windows 10 PC you will need to turn on the “Windows Subsystem for Linux” setting as per these instructions.

This workshop is part of the Core Skills series.

Débogue tes humanités: Synthèse des sources et Recherche d'Information
2026-01-15 00:00 - 23:59 | Université de Montréal, 3150 Rue Jean Brillant, Montreal, Québec, H3T 1N7, Canada
On vous a sûrement déjà dit que pour limiter les erreurs des IA génératives et pour s’assurer qu’une machine rende les bonnes informations, il fallait passer par un RAG. Mais qu’est-ce qu’un RAG et comment est-ce que ça fontionne exactement ? Dans cet atelier vous apprendrez à disséquer un outil de recherche d’information associé à un outil de synthèse de texte.

→ Bibliothèque des lettres et sciences humaines (15:30)

→ Alexia Schneider, Clara Grometto

Pour plus de détails, veuillez consulter https://debogue.ecrituresnumeriques.ca/

Telling Spatial Stories with your Data
2026-01-19 00:00 - 23:59 | Ontario
This introductory workshop is targeted toward scholars, practitioners, and researchers who are interested in finding ways to represent their data and research materials spatially. Rather than focusing on a single software or technical workflow, participants will be introduced to a variety of methods, tools, and platforms to create maps or spatial representations. Participants will also be walked through key questions to manage research projects, and learn how to evaluate tools and workflows for their applicability to their projects.

Think of this workshop as a wayfinding tutorial for navigating what questions to ask yourself at the beginning of a project comprising spatial data. By the end of this workshop series, participants will be able to:

Design a project to tell a spatial story with your data

Identify suitable methods/tools/platforms of spatial visualization to best represent research idea

Inventory and assemble the necessary resources to begin

Though there will be an example project, participants are invited to bring their own projects/datasets to work through together.

Not sure if this workshop is for you? Non-geospatial experts are welcome, especially those interested in spatial approaches to humanities research and data.

This workshop is taught by a graduate student in Geography with expertise in GIS and cartographic methods.

Workshop link: https://ubc-library-rc.github.io/gis-spatial-stories/

Instructor: Lily Crandall-Oral

Data Bites - Choosing File Formats for Research Data
2026-01-19 00:00 - 23:59 | Ontario
This practical workshop, delivered by the UBC Library Research Data Management team, explores how selecting the right file formats can support long-term preservation, data sharing, and reuse. Aimed at graduate students, researchers, and staff, the session highlights best practices for choosing formats that align with FAIR data principles.

Participants will learn how to:

Apply practical guidelines for selecting file formats throughout the research data lifecycle

Identify preferred file formats for preservation, sharing, and interoperability

Distinguish between proprietary and open formats and understand their implications

Presenter(s): Eugene Barsky, Vanessa Choy

Makerspace Orientations: Laser Cutting and Engraving
2026-01-20 00:00 - 23:59 | York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
Date: January 20 2026

Presenter: Jacob Turola

Get started with the makerspace laser cutter. We’ll demonstrate how it works and how you can use the cutter to make amazing designs with wood and acrylic!

Tracking the Impact of Non-Traditional Research Outputs
2026-01-21 00:00 - 23:59 | Ontario
Date: January 21 2026

From datasets and code to podcasts, reports, and performances, not all research outputs take the form of journal articles or books. These are known as Non-Traditional Research Outputs (NTROs)—scholarly or creative works that fall outside conventional academic publishing. While NTROs make up a significant and growing part of research activity, they are often under-recognized in systems that track and assess research impact. In this webinar, participants will explore current best practices for tracking and expressing the impact of NTROs and learn how these practices align with movements, like the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), advocating for more responsible research assessment.

Participants will learn how to:

Create persistent identifiers (e.g. DOIs) and metadata records for NTROs.

Incorporate NTROs into existing researcher profile systems (e.g. ORCiD; McMaster Experts).

Communicate the value of NTROs to responsible research assessment practices.

This session is ideal for researchers, creators, and academic staff working with non-traditional outputs who want to make their work more visible, trackable, and valued.

Details: Any preparatory work for the session can be found on its information page. This virtual workshop will be recorded and shared on the same page, and discoverable via the Sherman Centre’s Online Learning Catalogue.

Facilitator Bio: Jack Young (he/him) is McMaster’s Research Impact Librarian, supporting the use of bibliometric data to enhance the reporting and strategic planning practices of the University’s academic departments, institutes, and researchers.

Certificate Eligibility: This workshop is eligible for the Sherman Centre’s certificate program. For more information, visit scds.ca/certificate-program. It is also eligible for the Canadian Certificate for Digital Humanities. To learn more, visit ccdhhn.ca or contact scds@mcmaster.ca.

Credit Eligibility: This workshop counts toward credit for students in the Faculty of Science who are enrolled in SCIENCE 2SF1: Digital Skills Workshop. For any questions, please contact oursci@mcmaster.ca.

Introduction of VR for Wellness and World Exploration
2026-01-21 00:00 - 23:59 | York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
Date: January 21 2026

Presenter: Jack Leong

Participants will learn the basics of virtual reality technology, and get hands-on experience with Quest headsets in this gentle introduction. Using a Quest headset, participants will immerse into sample content for education, wellness, world travel, and entertainment, and learn how to borrow VR equipment from the Library’s Media Creation Lab. Participants will also be introduced to our standalone VR Rooms, where more advanced content can be experienced using HTC Vive Pro headsets on high-powered computers.

Makerspace Orientations: 3D Printing
2026-01-26 00:00 - 23:59 | York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
Date: January 26 2026

Presenter: Jacob Turola

Join us for this introduction to a staple in makerspace technology! Attendees will get started with 3D printing in the makerspace. The session will cover how to find a file, process it for printing and run the machine. All are welcome, and everyone gets to keep what they make.

Data Bites - Creating README Files for Research Data
2026-01-26 00:00 - 23:59 | Ontario
This hands-on workshop, delivered by the UBC Library Research Data Management team, introduces the importance of README files in documenting research data for long-term access and reuse. Designed for graduate students, researchers, and staff, the session provides practical guidance for creating clear, consistent, and useful data documentation.

Participants will learn how to:

Use templates and open tools to create and maintain README files throughout the research lifecycle

Identify the key components of an effective README file, including dataset description, file structure, and usage instructions

Apply best practices to improve data transparency, usability, and alignment with FAIR principles

Presenter(s): Eugene Barsky, Vanessa Choy

Streamline Your Research Materials Photos with Tropy
2026-01-27 00:00 - 23:59 | Ontario
Date: January 27 2026

You’ve been there–getting home from an incredible research trip to an archive, maps collection, or gallery only to face down thousands of photos all labelled “IMG50293.png.” Join Research Data Management Specialist Danica Evering and Data Analysis and Visualization Librarian Subhanya Sivajothy for an overview of Tropy: a free and open-source solution to explore and manage research photos. In this webinar, you will learn how to use Tropy to zoom into details, tag and organize content with metadata, and begin uncovering patterns across your sources. We will also explore how Tropy connects with Zotero for reference management and Omeka for building digital exhibits, offering a full workflow from research to public presentation.

In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn to:

Use Tropy to organize, annotate, analyze and manage research materials image collections.

Select appropriate metadata and implement documentation and tagging systems.

Integrate Tropy with Zotero and Omeka to cite archival sources and enhance the impact of your research and digital exhibitions.

No prior knowledge of the software will be required but please come with a version of the software downloaded for the demo! We’ll be doing some hands-on experimentation with the software to get you familiar with these tools.

Details: Any preparatory work for the session can be found on its information page. This virtual workshop will be recorded and shared on the same page, and discoverable via the Sherman Centre’s Online Learning Catalogue.

Facilitator Bio:

Danica Evering holds broad experience with research support, education, project management, advocacy, and knowledge translation; with fluency in social practice art, healthcare, community research, data, and systems development. Danica supports students, postdocs, faculty, and staff with RDM through the data lifecycle—Data Management Plans, storage and backup, data security, data sharing. With an MA in Media Studies from Concordia, they are interested in fostering RDM within curious scholars and disciplines.

Subhanya Sivajothy (she/her) brings a background of research in data justice, science and technology studies, and environmental humanities. She is currently thinking through participatory data design which allow for visualizations that are empowering for the end user.

Certificate Eligibility: This workshop is eligible for the Sherman Centre’s certificate program. For more information, visit scds.ca/certificate-program. It is also eligible for the Canadian Certificate for Digital Humanities. To learn more, visit ccdhhn.ca or contact scds@mcmaster.ca.

Credit Eligibility: This workshop counts toward credit for students in the Faculty of Science who are enrolled in SCIENCE 2SF1: Digital Skills Workshop. For any questions, please contact oursci@mcmaster.ca.

GitHub for Word Geeks Intro
2026-01-27 00:00 - 23:59 | Ontario
Reg Beatty and Alex Pospisil

GitHub is a platform designed to help software developers manage large collaborative projects. Essentially, it is a repository for different files, but it has a unique way of documenting the history of a project including any commentary, debate, and edits to those files. It also features the ability to create ‘branches’ where experiments and alternate paths can be explored. But despite its rather technical origins it can easily be appropriated for a variety of projects.

Join Reg and Alex as they explain GitHub’s whys and wherefores and how they are using it to work on collaborative and creative writing.

There will also be a 2-hour Hybrid Workshop on Friday January 30 (see the next listing) for those who would like a hands-on experience.

Makerspace Orientations: Sticker Making & Journaling
2026-01-28 00:00 - 23:59 | York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
Date: January 28 2026

Presenter: Lana Yuan

This workshop will introduce participants to Cricut Maker 3 and its application “Cricut Design Space” in creating custom stickers for journaling, scrapbooking, and other creative projects. Through a hands-on approach, participants will learn the basics of Cricut Design Space, material selection, cutting techniques, and how to integrate their custom stickers into personal journals.

Machine: inkjet printer, Cricut Maker 3, laptop Material: sticker paper, vinyl, colored paper Tool: scissors, cutting mat, trimmer

Patrons need to bring: a journal/notebook

Introduction to Git and GitHub: Part 2
2026-01-28 00:00 - 23:59 | The University of British Columbia, 1958 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V62 1Z2, Canada
Learn the basics of using Git and GitHub for version control and collaboration. Git is widely used version control software that tracks changes to a group of files, referred to as a repository. GitHub is a popular website for hosting and sharing Git repositories, making it easier to collaborate and share your work. Together, Git and GitHub provide a platform that is increasingly used for collaboration in research and academic environments. In this beginner workshop participants will learn key concepts, create their own Git repository, and publish to GitHub. No previous experience with Git is required. Familiarity with the command line interface will be helpful but is not necessary. This is part 2 of a two-part introductory workshop.

Pre-workshop setup

Please complete the pre-workshop setup to install the Bash shell and Git. If you don’t already have one, create a free GitHub account before the workshop.

This workshop is part of the Core Skills series.

Presenter(s): Kendra Oudyk

Débogue tes humanités: Le matériel informatique : trésor ou ordure ?
2026-01-29 00:00 - 23:59 | Université de Montréal, 3150 Rue Jean Brillant, Montreal, Québec, H3T 1N7, Canada
Rester à la fine pointe de la technologie, ça coûte cher. Mais est-ce même utile ? Est-ce que ça se fait de seulement remplacer la batterie de son ordinateur, ou un disque pour rendre sa machine plus rapide ? C’est souvent plus facile qu’on le pense ! Avec cette démo, on vous aide à garder votre machine plus longtemps, et votre argent dans vos poches !

→ Bibliothèque des lettres et sciences humaines, local à venir (15:30)

→ Louis-Olivier Brassard

Pour plus de détails, veuillez consulter https://debogue.ecrituresnumeriques.ca/

GitHub for Word Geeks Hands-on Workshop
2026-01-30 00:00 - 23:59 | Toronto Metropolitan University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 2K3, Canada
Reg Beatty and Alex Pospisil

This workshop will get you up and running on GitHub — creating a repository, adding and editing files, and learning how to understand and use some of its core tools. Reg and Alex will also introduce how they are utilizing GitHub for their own creative writing explorations.

Finding The TMU Library Collaboratory:The main entrance to the Library Collaboratory is via the SLC Building.

Elevator: Take the elevator (opposite the main entrance) up to the 3rd floor of the SLC Building. Exit and turn left: the Library Collaboratory is at the end of the hall, marked with large yellow doors.

Stairs: Take the main stairs (on the right of the entrance) up to the second floor. Keep to the right and follow the stairs up to the third floor. Walk past the DMZ and the DME to the end of the hall. The Library Collaboratory is at the end of the hall, marked with large yellow doors.

Data Bites - Optimize Directory Structures for Research Data
2026-02-02 00:00 - 23:59 | Ontario
Workshop: Optimize Directory Structures for Research Data

This practical workshop, delivered by the UBC Library Research Data Management team, focuses on strategies for organizing research data using clear and logical directory structures. Designed for graduate students, researchers, and staff, the session helps participants manage files more effectively to support collaboration, reproducibility, and long-term data stewardship.

Participants will learn how to:

Apply best practices to maintain consistency and clarity throughout the research lifecycle

Design directory structures that reflect research workflows and support project organization

Implement naming and hierarchy conventions for easy navigation and version control

Presenter(s): Eugene Barsky, Vanessa Choy

Introduction to Git and GitHub: Part 1
2026-02-04 00:00 - 23:59 | The University of British Columbia, 1958 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V62 1Z2, Canada
Learn the basics of using Git and GitHub for version control and collaboration. Git is widely used version control software that tracks changes to a group of files, referred to as a repository. GitHub is a popular website for hosting and sharing Git repositories, making it easier to collaborate and share your work. Together, Git and GitHub provide a platform that is increasingly used for collaboration in research and academic environments. In this beginner workshop participants will learn key concepts, create their own Git repository, and publish to GitHub. No previous experience with Git is required. Familiarity with the command line interface will be helpful but is not necessary. This is part 1 of a two-part introductory workshop.

Pre-workshop setup

Please complete the pre-workshop setup to install the Bash shell and Git. If you don’t already have one, create a free GitHub account before the workshop.

This workshop is part of the Core Skills series.

Presenter(s): Kendra Oudyk

Makerspace Orientations: Game Pieces and Figurines
2026-02-05 00:00 - 23:59 | York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
Date: February 5 2026

Presenter: Jacob Turola

Participants work on techniques that make their expensive games more affordable and create unique twists on classics like Catan, Chess, Monopoly, Warhammer, Battletech and many more. You’ll see demonstrations of designing and creating custom game pieces, followed by post-processing and painting techniques to achieve high-quality finishes. These methods enhance both the appearance and durability of game components.

Create a Digital Exhibition with Omeka S
2026-02-06 00:00 - 23:59 | McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada
Date: February 6 2026

Have a creative project you want to showcase online? Join this hands-on bootcamp to kickstart building your own digital exhibition site using Omeka S, a free and open-source web publishing platform designed for creating and managing online archives and exhibits.

In this workshop, we will cover Omeka S fundamentals, including best practices for organizing archival item collections, adding detailed metadata, and setting up a basic website. We will also explore more advanced features like creating interactive elements and using modules to extend your site’s functionality. Whether you come with a project idea or just want to learn the platform, there will be dedicated time to develop your own site with support available throughout the session.

By the end of this bootcamp, you will:

Learn how to add and manage items in Omeka S

Understand key features that make digital exhibitions engaging and effective, and have your exhibit reviewed by the instructor.

This session is great for researchers, students, librarians, archivists, artists, and anyone interested in digital storytelling, online archiving, or building accessible web exhibitions! No prior experience with Omeka or web publishing is required.

Details: Any preparatory work for the session can be found on its information page. This workshop will not be recorded.

Facilitator Bio: Subhanya (she/her) brings a background of research in data justice, science and technology studies, and environmental humanities. She is currently thinking through participatory data design which allow for visualizations that are empowering for the end user.

Certificate Eligibility: This workshop is eligible for the Sherman Centre’s certificate program. For more information, visit scds.ca/certificate-program. It is also eligible for the Canadian Certificate for Digital Humanities. To learn more, visit ccdhhn.ca or contact scds@mcmaster.ca.

Credit Eligibility: This workshop counts toward credit for students in the Faculty of Science who are enrolled in SCIENCE 2SF1: Digital Skills Workshop. For any questions, please contact oursci@mcmaster.ca.

Rethinking “Good” Data: Power, Vulnerability, and Queer Data Care
2026-02-09 00:00 - 23:59 | Ontario
Date: February 9 2026

Data is never truly neutral. It is imagined, created, managed, and archived through the perspectives, values, and lived experiences of those who produce it. This workshop introduces queer data care, a feminist framework that challenges conventional understandings of “good” or “gold standard” research (Compton, 2018) and invites more ethical, accountable, and justice-oriented approaches to working with data. Together, we will explore how data practices are shaped by, and can reinforce, existing power structures. We will then examine alternative strategies for collecting, maintaining, and sharing data that center care, collaboration, and community.

Guided by questions such as: How is data maintained? Who controls access? Who is most at-risk during data collection? And how can we collect data that more effectively serves marginalized communities while remaining attentive to the ways data collection can also heighten their vulnerability? —this workshop will guide participants through a reflection on and reimagining of data practices through case studies.

In this workshop, we will:

Analyze how social, political, and disciplinary contexts might shape data practices

Identify how data practices can reinforce or resist structural power dynamics, particularly in relation to marginalized communities.

Develop ethical, accountable, and community-centered approaches to data collection, maintenance, and access.

Apply these methods and principles to your own research projects, and/or case studies.

This workshop is for anyone interested in thinking differently about data, such as graduate students, librarians, community researchers, data professionals, and others engaged in research, advocacy, or knowledge production. No formal experience with data is required. We all generate and interact with data in our everyday lives!

Details: Any preparatory work for the session can be found on its information page. This virtual workshop will be recorded and shared on the same page, and discoverable via the Sherman Centre’s Online Learning Catalogue.

Facilitator Bio:

Alexis-Carlota Cochrane (she/they) is the Digital Scholarship Coordinator at the Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship. In her role, she connects students, faculty, staff, and community members to resources, tools, and training that advance their digital research projects. Alexis is also PhD Candidate in the Department of Communication Studies and Media Arts at McMaster University. Her research interests include critical data studies, platform studies, data feminism, online harms, data justice, and digital humanities.

Danica Evering holds broad experience with research support, education, project management, advocacy, and knowledge translation; with fluency in social practice art, healthcare, community research, data, and systems development. Danica supports students, postdocs, faculty, and staff with RDM through the data lifecycle—Data Management Plans, storage and backup, data security, data sharing. With an MA in Media Studies from Concordia, they are interested in fostering RDM within curious scholars and disciplines.

Subhanya Sivajothy (she/her) brings a background of research in data justice, science and technology studies, and environmental humanities. She is currently thinking through participatory data design which allow for visualizations that are empowering for the end user.

Certificate Eligibility: This workshop is eligible for the Sherman Centre’s certificate program. For more information, visit scds.ca/certificate-program. It is also eligible for the Canadian Certificate for Digital Humanities. To learn more, visit ccdhhn.ca or contact scds@mcmaster.ca.

Credit Eligibility: This workshop counts toward credit for students in the Faculty of Science who are enrolled in SCIENCE 2SF1: Digital Skills Workshop. For any questions, please contact oursci@mcmaster.ca.

Mapping for Academic Publication (Reference Maps)
2026-02-09 00:00 - 23:59 | Ontario
In this beginner-friendly workshop, you will learn to create simple, static maps to accompany academic publications. You will be introduced to a variety of maps as well as best practices in cartography. This workshop is suited for anyone who wants to make a map of their research area, or whose project involves data with a spatial component. To make our maps, we will use QGIS, a free and open-source Geographic Information System (GIS) for analyzing, modifying, and visualizing spatial data.

By the end of this workshop, you will have the confidence to:

Decide what kind of map best conveys your research or contextualizes your study area;

Find and download relevant spatial data;

Load datasets into QGIS and style them as data layers;

Compose a map that includes a title, scale bar, legend, and north arrow; and

Export this map into formats compatible with print and digital publication.

NOTE: The fundamental skills and concepts pertaining to spatial data, map types, and the QGIS interface will not be covered during this workshop. Therefore, prior to the workshop date, please review our Introduction to Mapmaking with QGIS (https://ubc-library-rc.github.io/gis-mapping-intro/)

This workshop is designed for those with no experience using GIS. It is taught by a graduate student in Geography with expertise in GIS and cartographic methods.

Workshop link: https://ubc-library-rc.github.io/gis-reference-mapping/

Things to do before arriving:

QGIS is a free and open source desktop geographic information system (GIS). It can be installed on Windows, MacOS, and Linux using the download instructions here: https://www.qgis.org/en/site/forusers/download.html. This workshop will use the latest Long Term Release version. Please make sure you have this installed on your computer.

Presenter(s): Lily Crandall-Oral

Data Bites - Creating a Data Dictionary for Research Projects
2026-02-09 00:00 - 23:59 | Ontario
This practical workshop, delivered by the UBC Library Research Data Management team, introduces the purpose and structure of a data dictionary to support clear, consistent, and reusable research data. Designed for graduate students, researchers, and staff, the session emphasizes how data dictionaries enhance data documentation, sharing, and reuse.

Participants will learn how to:

Use templates and tools to build data dictionaries that promote transparency and reproducibility across research projects

Identify key components of a data dictionary, including variable names, definitions, formats, and units

Create and maintain a data dictionary that aligns with best practices and supports FAIR principles

Presenter(s): Eugene Barsky, Vanessa Choy

Data Discovery for your Research: Social Sciences [Online]
2026-02-10 00:00 - 23:59 | Ontario
Date: February 10 2026

Presenter: Rosa Orlandini & Alexandra Wong

Do you need to find published data to use in your research projects or assignments, and you don’t know where to start? We can help!

This practical workshop will be conducted by members of the York University Libraries’ Data Services Team. It will introduce various sources of data, such as Statistics Canada and international data producers. In addition we will explore strategies to locate and evaluate relevant datasets for research in the social sciences.

This workshop is part of the Libraries’ programming for International Love Data Week 2026.
