Rowan University Libraries offers workshops on various topics related to inquiry, learning, research, and creativity. All workshops are free and open to students, staff, faculty, and the public. Slides for many past workshops are available on the Rowan Digital Works "Library Workshops" page.
Please note:
Workshop questions? Contact Andrea Baer: baera@rowan.edu
Please register by using the Register link for the relevant workshop. Upon registration you will receive a confirmation email. For online workshops, participants will receive an email with tie online login information.
Each workshop description also includes the event location: most workshops are virtual but several are in-person.
Workshops are organized into the following five tracks:
Questions? Contact Andrea Baer: baera@rowan.edu
Date: Wednesday, April 19, 1:30pm - Begin registration
Location: online
Faculty: Tim Dewysockie, Library Application Support Specialist
Learning objectives:
Learn to prepare and upload text for analysis in Voyant Tools.
Learn fundamental text analysis concepts through instruction and hands-on practice with Voyant’s suite of tools.
Voyant Tools is a web-based, open-source platform for text analysis, or the computational analysis of text. Text analysis has a wide range of applications, but in humanities research–such as in literary studies and historical research–it can be used to explore research questions in novel ways through “distant reading”. Unlike close reading, or the human interpretation of small amounts of text, distant reading utilizes computers to identify patterns and trends in large amounts of text. For example, text analysis can be used to determine which words appear most frequently in texts (word frequency analysis), show how terms are used in different contexts (keywords in context), identify topics (topic modeling), and much more. Text analysis is one methodology in the field of digital humanities that augments traditional humanities scholarship by providing interpretive tools to work with text on a large scale, in ways that would otherwise be too labor-intensive. This session will cover how to prepare and upload text into Voyant for analysis, explore fundamental text analysis concepts through Voyant’s built-in tools, and prompt reflection on the potential benefits–as well as the pitfalls–of using digital humanities methodologies and tools to explore humanities research questions.
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience
Software requirements: None
Date: Friday, February 17, 12-1pm - Begin registration
Location: online
Faculty: Andrea Baer, History and Political Science Librarian
Learning objectives:
Identify Internet and library resources for locating primary sources.
Identify and apply effective search strategies for locating primary sources.
Locating primary sources for historical research can be both exciting and challenging. There is no central location for all primary source material, and it’s not always easy to determine what search terms will lead you to the content you want. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn about good starting points for locating primary sources (both on the web and through the library) and will develop effective strategies for locating primary sources. This workshop includes time for hands-on practice and questions.
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience, Some experience
Software requirements: None
Date: Friday, April 21, 11-12pm - Begin Registration
Location: Online
Faculty: Dan Kipnis, Life Sciences Librarian
Learning objectives:
Literature mapping is a method for discovering and exploring connections among scholarly peer-reviewed articles on your research topic. It uses graphical methods to plot relationships among published scholarship (e.g., links via citations, authors, keywords, other descriptors). Literature mapping can help researchers see patterns that otherwise might not be evident. In this introductory workshop, Life Sciences Librarian Dan Kipnis, will present various s literature mapping techniques and online tools (i.e. Elicit, Semantic Scholar, and Litmaps) to help researchers discover scholarly literature beyond using traditional databases.
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience, Some experience
Date: Friday, February 10, 11:30-12:00pm - Begin Registration
Location: online
Faculty: Jon Jiras, Technology Services Librarian
Learning objectives:
LibKey Nomad is a free browser extension provided by Rowan University Libraries that makes accessing electronic journal articles easier. It links you to open access and licensed library content and allows you to avoid publisher paywalls when on publisher websites, search engines, and Wikipedia.
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience
Software requirements: None
Dates:
Wednesday, January 25, 11am-12pm - Begin registration
Friday, January 27, 1:30-2:30pm - Begin registration
Location: online
Faculty: Dan Kipnis, Life Sciences Librarian
Learning objectives:
This workshop is designed as an introduction or refresher to Rowan University library services, particularly new faculty and transfer students. Topics covered will include using Library Search, online resources, research guides, and interlibrary loan. There will also be time reserved for questions and answers on general library services.
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience
Software requirements: None
Dates:
Friday, March 24, 11:00-12:30pm - Begin registration
Location: online
Faculty: Dr. Ashley York, Lecturer, Department of Geography, Planning, and Sustainability
Learning objectives:
Many of us use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in our everyday lives without even knowing it. The last time you used Google maps to get to a desired destination, you used GIS. Google is using spatial information about distance, speed limits, and traffic, in order to perform calculations that, ultimately, direct you to your destination along the fastest path. In general, GIS is a framework for gathering, organizing, and analyzing spatial data. By arranging spatial information into coincident layers, GIS software can help reveal deeper insights into patterns and relationships – not only where occurrences and processes of interest are happening, but also why. By visualizing data through maps, GIS users can make smarter decisions. In this introductory workshop, participants will learn the basic steps for gathering, organizing, and analyzing spatial data that are necessary to create a meaningful final map product using the ArcGIS Pro software program.
Note: This is a 75 minute workshop!
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience
Software requirements: None
Date: Tuesday, April 4, 2-3pm - Begin registration
Location: online
Faculty: Rachel King, Online Services and Scholarly Communications Librarian, CMSRU
Learning objectives:
If you've ever had a corrupted computer file, a damaged smartphone, or a stolen laptop, you know how easy it is to lose important digital data. What’s more, extreme weather will increase the likelihood of data loss in coming years. At the end of this one-hour virtual workshop, you'll have the skills you need to be your own digital archivist during an era of extreme weather. Through a combination of lecture and hands-on exercises, we'll cover tips for naming files, choosing file formats, and storing data for long-term access.At the end of the workshop, participants will feel confident in their ability to preserve their personal and professional digital data, and they will understand the challenges passing personal archives, including treasured photographs and videos, along to future generations.
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience, Some experience
Software requirements: None
Date: Friday, April 21, 9:30-10am - Begin Registration
Location: online
Faculty: Dan Kipnis, Life Sciences Librarian
Learning objectives:
Learn about Open Access resources for research
Discover add-on tools for accessing research
Learn what resources and services are available for Rowan alumni
Will I still have access to this database when I leave Rowan? This is a very common question that is asked by many Rowan students, staff and faculty. When Rowanites leave the institution many of the library databases (over 300 of them!) that are available for research from Rowan University Library system are unavailable. This workshop will highlight resources and services available to Rowan graduates and the Rowan community to help them with their research needs as they leave the University and transition to their next destination.
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience
Software requirements: None
Dates:
Tuesday, February 14, 11-11:45am - Begin registration
Location: online
Faculty: Dan Kipnis, Life Sciences Librarian
Learning objectives:
Google Scholar has rapidly become a starting point for research. Dan Kipnis, Life Sciences Librarian, will introduce search tips and tricks for searching Google Scholar. Rather than getting millions of results, learn techniques to focus your searches. In 30 minutes attendees will become power searchers and learn the tricks the expert searchers use to improve their results. The last 15 minutes will be dedicated to questions and practice.
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience
Software Requirements: None
Date: Tuesday, February 7, 11am-12pm - Begin registration
Locaton: online
Faculty: Andrea Baer, Public Services Librarian
Learning objectives:
The spread of misinformation has always been a problem, but the Internet, social media, and other digital technologies have intensified the speed and ease at which misinformation spreads. The often reactive nature of our brains and of our personal biases also play a role, especially given increased political polarization in the U.S. and beyond. Once misinformation has spread, correcting it isn’t as simple as merely telling people that information is inaccurate. People tend to continue believing the false information despite the correction. This is especially true when the misinformation reinforces a person's pre-existing beliefs.
But there are useful ways to counter misinformation! In this workshop you’ll be introduced to effective “debunking” strategies and on related research on the relationship between our brains, beliefs, and the spread of misinformation.
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience, Some experience
Software requirements: None
Date: Friday, February 24, 11am-12pm - Begin registration
Length of workshop: 75 minutes
Faculty: Andrea Baer, Public Services Librarian
Learning objectives:
Over the past several years, almost all of us have become highly reliant on digital technologies and platforms to complete everyday tasks and to meet many of our most basic social, emotional, intellectual, and physical needs. At the same time that digital technologies help us connect with others and to engage in meaningful activities, digital platforms can also be sources of stress that divide our attention, negatively affect our physical health, and pose privacy concerns.
In this interactive workshop, we will reflect on the positive and negative effects that our relationships to digital technologies have on us as individuals and as communities. We will consider recent research on this topic, as well as everyday examples of people's relationships to technology and digital wellness. Throughout the session, we will consider our digital wellness priorities and related actions we can take to better support digital wellness in our own lives and in our communities.
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience
Software requirements: Computer recommended but not required.
Date: Thursday, February 23, 12:30pm-1:45pm - Begin registration
Location: online
Faculty: Andrea Baer, Public Services Librarian
Learning objectives:
Identify scenarios in which algorithmic bias influences search results in a given online environment.
Identify scenarios in which algorithmic bias influences everyday life choices or decisions.
Identify and apply simple strategies for recognizing and counteracting the negative effects of algorithmic bias.
People often think of technology and search engines like Google as neutral and unbiased. But search engine algorithms frequently reflect larger societal biases, as search engines “learn” from things like: the online content that they index, the topics for which people search, the search terms people use, and the links people click on. Google and other search engines also rank search results based partly on ad revenue, rather than prioritizing source relevance or credibility. Looking beyond Internet search engines, algorithms make predictions about us that can have real consequences on our everyday lives (for example, how much someone pays for insurance, whether someone gets a bank loan, or even if a person’s job application makes it to the eyes of those doing the hiring). Often this further exacerbates social inequities.
There are a good number of people and groups who are working actively to minimize and counteract the negative effects of bias in search systems and to build more ethical and human technology. But this work has a long road ahead. One thing that everyday citizens can do immediately is to increase our algorithmic awareness and to develop search and evaluation strategies that work to counteract the negative effects of algorithmic biases.
Challenging the notion that technology and algorithms are neutral, the workshop explores how algorithms influence both online search and everyday life. Participants are invited to consider how algorithms affect their online and offline experiences, to become familiar with where “algorithmic bias” might show up, and to strengthen their abilities to minimize its negative effects, starting with increased algorithmic awareness.
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience, Some experience
Software requirements: None
Time: March 8, 9:30-11:30am - Begin Registration
Organizers: Tim Dewysockie and Andrea Baer
Location: Campbell Library, Room 138 OR virtually via Zoom
Registration required
This coming March, Rowan University Libraries is partnering with Women’s and Gender Studies to host a Wikipedia Edit-a-thon for Women’s History Month. Our mission is to fill gaps in Wikipedia's coverage of Women's History.
We’ll have a 2-hour kick-off meeting in early March. In the first hour, the facilitators will introduce the basics of Wikipedia editing. The live presentation will be recorded and will followed by an hour of hands-on editing. During that time the facilitators will also be available to help. Participants can also continue editing online throughout the month of March, and the facilitators will continue be available throughout the month to help.
After learning the basics during the first hour of the live kick-off meeting, you will have the tools you need to help combat Wikipedia's gender imbalance. There are numerous ways to contribute to Wikipedia, including adding citations to a select article, making small or substantial edits to an article, or even creating a new article on an overlooked topic, issue, event, or person.
No experience is necessary. Stay as long as you like during the live session, or participate virtually during or after the live event!
Wikipedia can be edited in guest mode or using an account you create. If you plan on creating a Wikipedia account (which is required for advanced features like creating new Wikipedia pages), create it in advance.
Date: Tuesday March 21, 2-3:15pm - Begin registration
Location: online
Faculty: Dan Kipnis, Life Sciences Librarian
Learning objectives:
Scholarly publishing is an important part of a faculty member’s academic and scholarly life cycle. With the rise of digital publishing, however, it is important to have the tools and awareness to identify quality journals to publish in. In this workshop, attendees will learn what to look for in identifying and avoiding predatory publishers and will be introduced to resources to help with evaluating open access journals. The workshop includes a hands-on activity where attendees will evaluate an online journal for its quality and credibility by applying criteria learned during the workshop and using some tools that the Rowan University Libraries licenses.
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience, Some experience
Software requirements: None
Date: Thursday, April 6, 2-3pm - Begin registration
Location: online
Faculty: Ben Saracco, Reference and Research Librarian, Cooper Medical of Rowan University
Learning Objectives:
Learn about different components of digital management plans (DMPs).
Learn about resources available at Rowan to assist with writing better DMPs and infrastructure that may be available to meet funder requirements.
Learn how to better manage the research lifecycle.
External funding agencies are increasingly requiring researchers to write effective Data Management Plans (DMPs) as part of their grant proposals. DMPs include information on how researchers plan to manage, store and preserve research data to meet funding agency requirements for their grant award. This workshop will guide researchers about the different components of a DMP, best practices for writing effective DMPs and introduce tools and resources available to Rowan researchers for the same. This guidance will help researchers be more effective with managing their research lifecycle and also meet external funding agency data retention and public access requirements. This workshop is open to Rowan faculty, students, and staff.
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience, Some experience
Software requirements: None
Dates: Tuesday, February 14, 2-3pm - Begin registration
Location: online
Faculty: Rachel King, Online Services and Scholarly Communications Librarian
Learning objectives:
Participants will understand the basics of Fair Use and its application in using licensed or copyrighted materials/e-resources for teaching, learning, and scholarship.
This workshop will introduce participants to the basics of copyright. The focus will be on understanding the basics of copyright for creators and users. We will explore the role of the library in managing use of print materials and licensed electronic resources. The workshop will also briefly introduce participants to key issues related to fair use for teaching, learning and scholarship. A deeper dive will be available in the Fair Use and Instruction workshop. It is intended for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. This workshop is intended for faculty and graduate students.
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience
Software requirements: None
Date: Tuesday, February 28, 2-3:15pm - Begin registration
Location: online
Faculty: Rachel King, Online Services and Scholarly Communications Librarian
Learning objectives:
Participants will implement strategies for using classroom materials in an ethical manner.
This workshop will introduce teaching faculty to the ways that copyright specifically affects classroom and online instruction. The focus will be on the rights and limitations of the fair use doctrine, which allows the use of copyright-protected works in certain circumstances, including considerations of educational purposes. The workshop will introduce the traditional four factors of a fair use analysis, and participants will practice using this analysis in a variety of situations. The workshop is intended for informational purposes only and is not legal advice.
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience, Some experience
Software requirements: None
Date: Tuesday, March 7, 2-3pm - Begin registration
Location: online
Faculty:
Learning objectives:
Evaluate a journal's reputation and impact
Identify opportunities and funding resources for those wanting to publish their work in open access venues.
Avoid predatory journals.
There are many factors for researchers in the biomedical sciences to consider when choosing a journal for their research. Prestige and impact have always been key, but now there are additional factors—for example, the ability to make work open access (OA). OA publication means that the article is free to all readers, potentially amplifying the article's influence and reach. But how does one find reputable publications? And what about the steep fees (called APCs or article processing charges) that are often required to make work free to readers? This workshop, designed for medical researchers—in particular, students and faculty at Rowan's medical campuses—will give attendees a clearer understanding of the academic publishing landscape. Topics covered will include: the nuances of OA publishing, appraising journal impact and reputation, learning more about potential OA funding opportunities (including those provided by Rowan University Libraries), and avoiding predatory publishers. Whether you are a first-time or seasoned author you will walk away with the information you need to find the most appropriate venues for your work.
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience
Software requirements: None
Date: Friday, March 3, 12:30-1:30pm - Begin registration
Location: online
Faculty: Andrea Baer, Public Services Librarian
Learning objectives:
Reflect on the value of seeking a diversity of perspectives and voices when researching a topic, as well as barriers to locating a diversity of voices and perspectives in scholarly conversations.
Identify ways that citations influence conversations about a given topic, including what perspectives and voices are included or excluded.
Identify and apply strategies for diversifying the perspectives and voices reflected in your citations.
Research and scholarship are sometimes described as conversations: people with varying kinds of knowledge and expertise on a topic and different perspectives on it ideally come together to share and further strengthen their individual and shared understandings. But having open and inclusive conversations is often tricky. Who is present in the conversation, who is absent, and how are people’s voices heard, muted, or amplified? How do people enter into the conversation, and what barriers stand in the way?
These questions point to the reality that scholarly conversations, like all conversations, are greatly influenced by the social structures and systems in which individuals and groups exist and interact, and which often advantage some while disadvantaging others. Inclusive citation practices, through which individuals seek out and engage with sources that reflect a diversity of voices and perspectives on a topic, can help to create more inclusive academic research and conversations. Participants in this workshop will explore the value of inclusive citation, as well as develop practical skills for inclusive citation.
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience, Some experience
Software requirements: None
Date: Tuesday, April 26, 2-3pm - Begin registration
Location: online
Faculty: Ben Saracco, Reference and Research Librarian, Cooper Medical of Rowan University
Learning Objectives:
Scholarly publishing is an important part of a faculty member’s academic and scholarly lifecycle. With the rise of digital and open access publishing, however, it is important to have an understanding of open access especially in the context of the changing scholarly communication system. In this workshop, attendees will learn the current challenges in the scholarly communication system, understand the different pathways to open access and learn about the open access publishing opportunities that Rowan University Libraries has made available to Rowan authors via publisher agreements.
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience
Software requirements: None
Date: Thursday, February 3, 2-3pm - Begin Registration
Location: online
Faculty: Marlowe Bogino, Clinical and Reference Librarian
Learning objectives:
The 2003 NIH Data Sharing Policy has been revised, and the new policy goes into effect on January 25, 2023. In January 2023, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) will begin requiring researchers who obtain funds from them to include a data-management plan in their grant applications and to eventually make their data publicly available.
This workshop is geared to those participating in NIH-funded research and those who simply are interested in learning more about this policy, which the NIH believes will accelerate research and discovery by increasing accessibility to data. This workshop will provide information on the policy and will highlight important features of it. Attendees will come away with a list of resources and tools to assist with understanding how to best comply with this new policy, as well as knowledge about Rowan library-specific tools and services that are available to assist with data management. This workshop is open to all students, researchers, medical students, clinicians, and staff members.
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience, Some experience
Software requirements: None
Citation management software is designed to help researchers organize their research and to generate bibliographies and format their manuscripts according to a desired manuscript output style.
Dates:
Location: online
Faculty: Dan Kipnis, Life Sciences Librarian
Learning objectives:
Attendees will learn how to format a bibliography in Word using Endnote.
Endnote is a software tool for publishing and managing bibliographies, citations and references. Rowan University offers a free license to EndNote available to students, staff and faculty. This is an introductory workshop that will demonstrate how to import citations from various databases and search engines. In addition, formatting bibliographies in Word will be demonstrated.
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience, Some experience
Dates:
Wednesday, February 8, 11am-12pm - Begin registration
Friday, March 3, 11am-12pm - Begin registration
Tuesday, April 18, 3:30-4:30pm - Begin registration
Location: online
Faculty: Dan Kipnis, Life Sciences Librarian
Learning objectives:
Frustrated with organizing your research and typing out bibliographies by hand? Do you have your PDFs stored in various places and wish they were all in one place and searchable?
Dan Kipnis, Life Sciences Librarian, will introduce RefWorks, an online bibliographic management software program that will help you organize your research and format bibliographies in just a few clicks. With over 3,000 bibliographic output styles and exceptional customer support, RefWorks will help any Rowan student, staff or faculty conducting research save time and get organized.
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience.
Software Requirements: None.
Date: Thursday, February 9, 11am-12pm - Begin registration
Location: online
Faculty: Andrea Baer, Public Services Librarian
Learning objectives:
Citation management software can help you keep track of the sources that you use in your research, but can also help streamline the writing and editing process. Come learn the tricks of open-source Zotero, and create citations and reference lists with ease, saving you valuable time.
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience
Software requirements: Recommended that participants download Zotero before attending the workshop: https://www.zotero.org/
For Spring 2023 semester there will be no workshops offered.