The Data @ Rice Workshop Series, sponsored by Fondren Library and the Center for Research Computing, provides hands-on training in the basics of organizing, documenting, analyzing, and visualizing your data. Course descriptions and registration can be found on the library website.

One-on-one consultation is also available. Open office hours for help with R, Python, or GitHub are available 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. on Tuesdays or 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. on Thursdays in the GIS-Data Center classroom (basement of Fondren Library). For assistance with issues related to data management, Excel, and other topics, please schedule an appointment using the library’s request form.

By learning how to use the command line to manipulate files, Git to manage versions of files and collaborate with others, and Python to analyze data, researchers can work more efficiently and bring the power of computation to their research. But many lack formal training in these essential tools. To remedy this gap, Fondren Library and the Center for Research Computing teamed up to offer a Software Carpentry workshop on February 13-14, 2020. Software Carpentry offers popular research computing workshops around the world, drawing upon a tested curriculum and a network of trained volunteers. Employing a series of hands-on activities, instructors Cian Wilson and Hamid Mokhtarzadeh led participants through the basics of the Bash command line, Git, and Python; helpers from Fondren and Research Computing assisted in navigating technical issues.

Rice will host at least two more free Software Carpentry workshops in 2020, including a workshop on R, Git, and Bash planned for May. Check out the library's Research Data Services website for more information about data training.

Lisa Spiro, Executive Director of Digital Scholarship Services, recently served as a  conversation partner for the Digital Library Federation’s Authenticity Project.  This program, which is funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services, offers professional development and mentoring for “early- to mid-career library staff from HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities), along with conversational and project-based opportunities for building authentic connections and promoting genuine exchange among participants from HBCUs and PWIs (predominantly white institutions).”

Fondren Library and the Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning (CERCL) will host a CLIR/DLF Postdoctoral Fellow in Data Curation for African American Studies in 2020-2022. Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and overseen by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) and the Digital Library Federation (DLF), this postdoctoral fellowship program enables recent PhDs to gain hands-on knowledge in library and information science, higher education, and research data curation. Rice’s Fellow will lead efforts to curate digital collections focused on African American activism and cultural expression in Houston, including by working with local organizations such as Black Lives Matter Houston, the Community Artists Collective, and groups addressing the legacy of convict leasing. In addition, the Fellow will create training materials and a guide to collections about African American activism across Houston.