Event Calendar

Using Microsoft Copilot with Library Databases: An Introduction (Hybrid)

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM, Evanston

In recent years generative artificial intelligence (GAI) tools have increased in availability and popularity at universities, but not everyone knows how to use them for better library search results. In this 60-minute hybrid session we will demonstrate how to use Microsoft Copilot, a free GAI tool for all NU students and faculty, to improve searches with the gold standard of reliable content, library databases. This session is geared toward participants with little-to-no familiarity with generative artificial intelligence. Students can learn about NU’s Copilot accounts here.

This workshop is presented by Tracy Coyne, Distance Learning and Professional Studies Librarian; Frank Sweis, User Experience Librarian; and Jeannette Moss, User Education Librarian.

A Northwestern Zoom Account is required to access this session.

Text Analysis with the Gale Digital Scholar Lab (Online)

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM, Online

The Gale Digital Scholar Lab is a tool designed to introduce researchers to text analysis through the facilitation of building and cleaning data sets and providing easy to use algorithms. During this session attendees will learn how to create a data set, clean it, and then run an analysis,  all using the Digital Scholar Lab.

This workshop is geared toward Northwestern students, staff, and faculty.

This workshop will be presented via Zoom by Geoff Morse, Interim Head of the Research Services work group.

A Northwestern Zoom account is required to access the session.

EndNote: Cite Smarter and Manage Your Research (In Person)

3:00 PM - 4:00 PM, Evanston

Keeping track of your research can be an overwhelming task. Fortunately, EndNote can help! In this session, we will introduce you to a powerful citation management application, EndNote, which can help you organize your research materials and save you countless hours in the course of your researching, reading, and writing. EndNote is available at no cost to Northwestern students, staff, and faculty. It's easy to use and allows you to collect, manage, and share your research sources. You can also insert properly formatted citations and bibliographies as you write in Microsoft Word.

Literature Review Basics for Undergraduates: From Research Question to Writing (Online)

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM, Online

This workshop will introduce undergraduates to strategies for completing a literature review. The workshop will include tips and guidance on scoping, developing the research question, choosing databases and searching, organizing materials, and constructing a review.

This workshop will be presented virtually over Zoom by Jason Kruse, Undergraduate Engagement Librarian; and Lauren McKeen McDonald, Open Education Librarian. Register to receive connection information.

Research is Non-Linear (Online)

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Online

Research is often portrayed as a linear process of discrete parts to be followed in sequential order. In practice, the components of the research process overlap, are interconnected, and repeat. This session will explore the messiness of research and highlight tools, services, and tips to help you navigate the process. Drawing on real-world examples, the presenters will discuss pitfalls and opportunities to help normalize potentially stressful experiences and help you mitigate them.

This workshop will be presented virtually over Zoom by Gina Petersen, Assessment Librarian; and Jason Kruse, Undergraduate Engagement Librarian. Register to receive connection information.

Your Dissertation and Copyright: What You Need to Know (Online)

3:00 PM - 4:00 PM, Online

As you prepare your dissertation, you may have questions about copyright. Can you use articles you’ve published during your time at Northwestern? What about images and texts by other creators? This workshop will help you understand copyright as it applies to your dissertation, from the basics of copyright ownership to exceptions like fair use. No matter where you are in your program, come to discuss real-life examples – and feel free to bring your own. 

This workshop will be presented over Zoom, led by Liz Hamilton, Copyright Librarian.

A Northwestern Zoom Account is required to access the session.

Personal Archiving: Preserving Your Student Activism (In Person)

3:00 PM - 4:00 PM, Evanston

Students who participate in protests, organizing, or political groups often have documentation of their activism. Fliers, signs, photos, and social media posts are commonly created. This workshop will discuss the best practices to preserve this material, both physical objects and digital formats. Learn about appropriate storage, care and handling, damaged materials, born-digital files, and social media in order to best steward your own collection. Archival materials, both physical and digital, that document past activism will be on display. 

Presented by Katie Risseeuw, Preservation Librarian; Kelsey O’Connell, Digital Archivist; and Andrea Martinez, Archival Processing Specialist

Building a Digital Exhibit with Canopy (Online)

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM, Online

Canopy IIIF is an open-source static site generator that allows you to quickly create digital exhibits using collections in digital repositories. You can use this tool to introduce your research to a wide audience, incorporate multimedia into essays, and provide deeper context to an array of digital objects. Geared toward students and faculty with an interest in public and digital humanities, this workshop will walk you through creating your own digital exhibit using Github and Canopy. It will also introduce you to the image sharing framework, IIIF, which is used by many libraries and museums as a way to share high-quality images. For an example of a Canopy site, check out abolition now. from the Univerity of Tennessee. 

Presented by Mat Jordan, Front End Developer; and Basia Kapolka, Digital Humanities Librarian 

Zotero: Cite Smarter and Manage Your Research (In Person)

3:00 PM - 4:00 PM, Evanston

Keeping track of your research can be an overwhelming task. Fortunately, Zotero is a tool that can help! In this session we will introduce you to the citation management application, Zotero, which can help you organize your research materials and save you countless hours in the course of your reading and writing. Zotero is a freely available citation management software application that works as standalone software or through a web browser. Zotero is easy to use and allows you to collect, manage,  and share your research sources. You can also insert properly formatted citations and bibliographies as you write in Google Docs, Microsoft Word, and LibreOffice.

EndNote: Cite Smarter and Manage Your Research (Online)

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM, Online

Keeping track of your research can be an overwhelming task. Fortunately, EndNote can help! In this session, we will introduce you to a powerful citation management application, EndNote, which can help you organize your research materials and save you countless hours in the course of your researching, reading, and writing. EndNote is available at no cost to Northwestern students, staff, and faculty. It's easy to use and allows you to collect, manage, and share your research sources. You can also insert properly formatted citations and bibliographies as you write in Microsoft Word.

Can I Use This? Copyright and Fair Use in Practice (Online)

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM, Online

Copyright is a growing concern among researchers, who may have questions like “When can I use someone else’s copyrighted work?” or “What rights do I have in my own research?” This workshop will cover basic copyright principles, as well as taking a deeper dive into how exceptions to the law like fair use apply in an academic setting. Expect large-group discussion of real-life fair use case studies. Participants are encouraged to bring examples of texts, images, and other copyrighted materials they would like to incorporate into their work for the group to discuss.

This workshop will be presented over Zoom, led by Liz Hamilton, Copyright Librarian.

A Northwestern Zoom Account is required to access the session.

Googling for Data: Strategies & Resources​ (Online)

3:00 PM - 4:00 PM, Online

Do you need to find statistics to support an argument?  Or a dataset to analyze as part of a research project?  Finding datasets from authoritative sources can be challenging. This workshop will point you to the best places to start looking for data to streamline the discovery process.  How to cite datasets will also be addressed. 

Topics NOT addressed in this session:  cleaning data, analysis methods or software.

This workshop is presented by Becca Greenstein, STEM Librarian; and Anne Zald, Government Information Librarian.

Systematic, Scoping, and Literature Reviews: What Type of Review is Right for You? (Online)

3:00 PM - 3:30 PM, Online

This session will provide an overview of systematic and scoping reviews, how they differ from literature reviews, what you should be thinking about as you plan your research, and the support available through Northwestern Libraries. This session is geared towards faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and other researchers.

This session is presented by Lauren McKeen McDonald, Open Education Librarian; and Jason Kruse, Undergraduate Engagement Librarian.

A Northwestern Zoom Account is required to access this session.

Systematic Reviews: An Introduction to the Process (Online)

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM, No Location

This session will introduce you to the steps in the systematic review process, and the support services that Northwestern Libraries provides. Topics covered include different types of reviews, what to do before starting a review, software & tools, and scaling down projects using systematic review techniques. This session is geared towards faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and other researchers.

This workshop is presented by Lauren McKeen McDonald, Open Education Librarian; and Jason Kruse, Undergraduate Engagement Librarian.

A Northwestern Zoom Account is required to access this session.

Zotero: Cite Smarter and Manage Your Research (Online)

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM, Online

Keeping track of your research can be an overwhelming task. Fortunately, Zotero is a tool that can help! In this session we will introduce you to the citation management application, Zotero, which can help you organize your research materials and save you countless hours in the course of your reading and writing. Zotero is a freely available citation management software application that works as standalone software or through a web browser. Zotero is easy to use and allows you to collect, manage,  and share your research sources. You can also insert properly formatted citations and bibliographies as you write in Google Docs, Microsoft Word, and LibreOffice.

Keep Current with Scholarly Literature (Online)

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM, Online

While the research literature grows at an exponential rate, the time available to graduate students to discover, read, and evaluate the importance of literature in one’s field of study remains fixed. Through discussion, mini-lecture, and hand-on activities participants in this workshop will explore strategies to keep current with the literature in their field of study as well as to use their time effectively to accomplish that goal. Strategies discussed include: citation chaining and cited reference searching; pre-print repositories; database & publisher alerts.  Social media strategies will be lightly touched upon. Those studying in the social sciences, humanities, the sciences, and technology will be able to incorporate at least one of these strategies into their ongoing practice.

This workshop will be presented online via Zoom by Anne Zald, Government Information Librarian.

A Northwestern Zoom account is required to access this session.

Googling for Data: Strategies & Resources​ (Online)

3:00 PM - 4:00 PM, Online

Do you need to find statistics to support an argument?  Or a dataset to analyze as part of a research project?  Finding datasets from authoritative sources can be challenging. This workshop will point you to the best places to start looking for data to streamline the discovery process.  How to cite datasets will also be addressed. 

Topics NOT addressed in this session:  cleaning data, analysis methods or software.

This workshop is presented by Becca Greenstein, STEM Librarian; and Anne Zald, Government Information Librarian.

Introduction to Text Analysis with the HathiTrust Research Center (Online)

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM, Online

The HathiTrust Research Center (HTRC) enables beginner-to-advanced text analysis on the HathiTrust Digital Library collection, which is home to millions of digitized books and publications (18 million and counting!). This workshop will focus on the beginner features of the HTRC, including building a workset and running the built-in algorithms.

This workshop is presented online via Zoom by Jamie Carlstone, Authority Metadata Librarian.

A Northwestern Zoom account is required to access this session.

Keep Current with Scholarly Literature (Online)

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Online

While the research literature grows at an exponential rate, the time available to graduate students to discover, read, and evaluate the importance of literature in one’s field of study remains fixed. Through discussion, mini-lecture, and hand-on activities participants in this workshop will explore strategies to keep current with the literature in their field of study as well as to use their time effectively to accomplish that goal. Strategies discussed include: citation chaining and cited reference searching; pre-print repositories; database & publisher alerts.  Social media strategies will be lightly touched upon. Those studying in the social sciences, humanities, the sciences, and technology will be able to incorporate at least one of these strategies into their ongoing practice.

This workshop will be presented online via Zoom by Anne Zald, Government Information Librarian.

A Northwestern Zoom account is required to access this session.

Cite Smarter and Manage Your Research: EndNote and Zotero Drop-In Assistance (In Person)

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Evanston

Keeping track of your research can be an overwhelming task. Fortunately, EndNote and Zotero are both tools that can help keep your research organized! In this session we will introduce you to the citation management applications, Zotero and EndNote, which can help you organize your research materials and save you countless hours in the course of your reading and writing. Zotero is a free and open-source citation management software application that works as standalone software or through a web browser, and EndNote is free to download for Northwestern users. Both are easy to use and allow you to collect, manage, and share your research sources. You can also insert properly formatted citations and bibliographies as you write in Google Docs and Microsoft Word.

No registration needed. Drop by any time during these hours for help getting started using EndNote or Zotero, if you're already using the software and need help, or if you're just curious how a citation management tool can work for you!