Spring/Summer Workshops

Spring/Summer Workshops & Events: May – August 2025

* Except where otherwise noted, workshops, talks and presentations hosted at the Library Collaboratory are open to all of the Toronto Metropolitan University community.

We are closed May 19 (Victoria Day), July 1 (Canada Day), August 1 (TMU Day) and August 4 (Civic Holiday).
For full schedule of Library Building hours: https://library.torontomu.ca/info/hours/

TMU Libraries’ Collaboratory is open for access from:

Monday, April 28 to Sunday, August 3, 2025 *
Monday to Thursday: 8:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Friday: 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Saturday – Sunday: 11:00 AM – 7:00 AM

Tuesday, August 5 to Sunday, August 31, 2025 *
Monday to Thursday: 8:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Friday: 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Saturday – Sunday: CLOSED

* Please note: The Library Collaboratory entrance is affected by the SLC Building’s hours. Please plan accordingly.

The Library Collaboratory is staffed Monday – Friday (10:00 AM – 4:00 PM).

Be sure to check our calendar for all other scheduled programs and closures not listed here.

Workshops are offered throughout the semester, some in-person only and some online only.
Research consultations are available for Library Collaboratory members. If you are not a member, and interested in becoming one, learn more about membership here.

If you are a faculty member getting new research off the ground, contact us about training and in-kind support.

* Appointments for consultation may only be made by members of the Library Collaboratory.

Workshops, Talks & Presentations

May

Pre-Production from Idea to Script: Adapting Scholarly Writing for Podcasting for Grad Students
Friday, May 16 | 11 AM – 1 PM | ONLINE

Podcasting is a creative way to disseminate current or past research and ideas in an audio format.

This workshop will take participants through some of the basics of adapting pre-existing papers or other written research into a podcast script. Participants will also be guided through advantages and disadvantages of different types of podcast structures and format, as well as considerations for clarity and word choice and tips for incorporating sound and music to enhance the overall narrative.

As an added bonus, through the process of adapting scholarly work into a script, researchers may even re-examine their work in new ways or gain further insight by coming at it from another perspective. Podcasting can be a creative and satisfying outlet that doesn’t derail the research and dissemination process, but rather makes it stronger.

Participants can expect to listen to excerpts of both scholarly and less scholarly examples. If time permits, participants will have the opportunity to work on “translating” a sample of writing from something scholarly to something still scholarly but more meaningful and engaging.

Please note: Library Collaboratory workshop instructors will not sign attendance forms for courses.

Register Now

Text Mining and Topic Modeling with Orange 3
Tuesday, May 27 | 5 – 7:00 PM | IN-PERSON

Struggling to efficiently review extensive research literature? Join this hands-on walkthrough workshop to learn how topic modeling and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) can streamline your literature review process with the help of the open-source tool, Orange 3.

In this peer-to-peer learning workshop, you will learn how guest instructor Zarah, a TMU Professional Communication graduate student, is actively using topic modelling in her own research.

Participants will learn how text analysis capabilities of Orange 3 can speed up and automate literature reviews by analyzing papers without getting bogged down in manual reviews.

Using a case study of “binge-watching,” participants will be shown how to use this tool to efficiently uncover the core themes and topics within large volumes of text and research data.

No technical or previous experience is required.

Bring a laptop with the software and add-ons installed, along with the CSV.
** All materials should be downloaded and installed prior to the workshop.**

Please note: Library Collaboratory workshop instructors will not sign attendance forms for courses.

Register Now

June

Creating and Printing a Lithophane
Tuesday, June 17 | 1 – 2 PM | IN-PERSON

A lithophane is an object for the display of an image in 3D relief. Illuminated from behind, light passes through layers of translucent material, revealing the image in detail. Invented in the early 19th century, and originally made of porcelain or bone china, lithophanes are becoming popular again because of modern 3D printing techniques. 3D printing techniques permit far easier and faster methods for making lithophanes.

Participants will learn how to:

  1. prepare an image to be printed as a lithophane;
  2. 3D print the image;
  3. display a printed lithophane.

No prior experience is necessary.

Participants are required to bring their own laptop, and encouraged to choose an image to work with, in advance of the workshop.
There are no constraints on resolution or image size. The printed lithophane will be between 10x10cm and 20x20cm. Participants may wish to choose an image that will look reasonable at that size.

Participants should also install Bambu Studio in advance. Bambu Studio is free and available at this link: https://bambulab.com/en/download/studio

Please note: Library Collaboratory workshop instructors will not sign attendance forms for courses.

Register Now

Seeing Ourselves in Robots: A Curious Look at Anthropomorphism
Friday, June 20 | 1:30 – 2:30 PM | ONLINE

This presentation will not be discussing Large Language Models (LLM) or complex AI systems. And we won’t be building robots from scratch, either. Instead, come join us for a fun and curious look at how we humans can’t help but see life in machines.

Through simple robot demonstrations and interactive moments, participants will explore how easy it is to  project emotions, intentions, and even personalities onto the most basic of robots. This presentation is a lighthearted dive into the very human habit of treating machines as though they are alive.

Please note: Library Collaboratory workshop instructors will not sign attendance forms for courses.

Register Now

Text Mining and Topic Modeling with Orange 3
Tuesday, June 24 | 5 – 7:00 PM | IN-PERSON

Struggling to efficiently review extensive research literature? Join this hands-on walkthrough workshop to learn how topic modeling and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) can streamline your literature review process with the help of the open-source tool, Orange 3.

In this peer-to-peer learning workshop, you will learn how guest instructor Zarah, a TMU Professional Communication graduate student, is actively using topic modelling in her own research.

Participants will learn how text analysis capabilities of Orange 3 can speed up and automate literature reviews by analyzing papers without getting bogged down in manual reviews.

Using a case study of “binge-watching,” participants will be shown how to use this tool to efficiently uncover the core themes and topics within large volumes of text and research data.

No technical or previous experience is required.

Bring a laptop with the software and add-ons installed, along with the CSV.
** All materials should be downloaded and installed prior to the workshop.**

Please note: Library Collaboratory workshop instructors will not sign attendance forms for courses.

Register Now

July

In the Field for Grad Students: How to do Qualitative Interviews, Start to Finish
Wednesday, July 16 | 1 – 2:30 PM | ONLINE

Interviews. Don’t we already know how to do interviews? What’s so special about talking to people? What’s the difference between talking to someone and conducting an interview?

Humans are chatty creatures and we exchange information and ideas all the time in conversation. But in research, qualitative interviews – no matter your discipline or research area – require more care, an art unto itself.

Join two experienced scholars and practitioners who have years of experience working “in the field,” formally and informally interviewing people with different lived experiences, in a variety of settings, for a range of applications (including print publications, podcasts, radio features, documentary films and more). They offer tips, tools, and anecdotes from working in the field.

Learn about how to prepare for your own qualitative interviews, hear about recording interviews for your scholarly research and also future proofing those recordings for other forms of dissemination like podcasts and radio features. Find out about the ins and outs of interviewing folks for your research, from finding interviewees, designing questions, developing rapport, the complexities of ethics, data management, and transcriptions – and everything in between.

Please note: Library Collaboratory workshop instructors will not sign attendance forms for courses.

Register Now

Text Mining and Topic Modeling with Orange 3
Tuesday, July 29 | 5 – 7:00 PM | IN-PERSON

Struggling to efficiently review extensive research literature? Join this hands-on walkthrough workshop to learn how topic modeling and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) can streamline your literature review process with the help of the open-source tool, Orange 3.

In this peer-to-peer learning workshop, you will learn how guest instructor Zarah, a TMU Professional Communication graduate student, is actively using topic modelling in her own research.

Participants will learn how text analysis capabilities of Orange 3 can speed up and automate literature reviews by analyzing papers without getting bogged down in manual reviews.

Using a case study of “binge-watching,” participants will be shown how to use this tool to efficiently uncover the core themes and topics within large volumes of text and research data.

No technical or previous experience is required.

Bring a laptop with the software and add-ons installed, along with the CSV.
** All materials should be downloaded and installed prior to the workshop.**

Please note: Library Collaboratory workshop instructors will not sign attendance forms for courses.

Register Now

From Pixels to Prints: 3D Development for XR and Fabrication
Wednesday July 30 | 11 AM – 12:30 PM | IN-PERSON

This engaging and hands-on workshop will explore 3D development techniques for both XR platforms and physical fabrication. 

Participants will be introduced to key tools like Blender, Photogrammetry, and even Minecraft, demonstrating how 3D models can be created, refined and exported into 3D models for use in virtual and physical spaces.

The workshop will include a 15–20 minute live demonstration on how to export a Minecraft model for 3D printing, showing the entire process from digital design to real-world fabrication.

Whether you’re interested in immersive environments or 3D printing, this workshop will provide valuable insights into the workflow of 3D content creation.

Please note: Library Collaboratory workshop instructors will not sign attendance forms for courses.

Register Now

August

Grant Writing for Grad Students
Wednesday August 13 | 11 AM – 12:30 PM | IN-PERSON

This special edition of our popular ‘Grant Writing for Grad Students’ workshop is dedicated to graduate students applying for SSHRC funding – just in time for the fast approaching fall submission deadlines.

Created by two SSHRC-funded PhD researchers, the workshop will focus on how to best tailor a research proposal to SSHRC’s quirks, and how to consider the application as a whole. The workshop will provide  tips and tricks to effectively and efficiently navigate the SSHRC process, from start to finish.

First-time and repeat applicants at any stage of their application are invited to join. A one hour lecture will be followed by a 30min Q&A to answer specific questions. Participants are invited to book one-on-one consultations following the workshop.

Please note: Library Collaboratory workshop instructors will not sign attendance forms for courses.

Register Now

Text Mining and Topic Modeling with Orange 3
Tuesday, July 29 | 5 – 7:00 PM | IN-PERSON

Struggling to efficiently review extensive research literature? Join this hands-on walkthrough workshop to learn how topic modeling and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) can streamline your literature review process with the help of the open-source tool, Orange 3.

In this peer-to-peer learning workshop, you will learn how guest instructor Zarah, a TMU Professional Communication graduate student, is actively using topic modelling in her own research.

Participants will learn how text analysis capabilities of Orange 3 can speed up and automate literature reviews by analyzing papers without getting bogged down in manual reviews.

Using a case study of “binge-watching,” participants will be shown how to use this tool to efficiently uncover the core themes and topics within large volumes of text and research data.

No technical or previous experience is required.

Bring a laptop with the software and add-ons installed, along with the CSV.
** All materials should be downloaded and installed prior to the workshop.**

Please note: Library Collaboratory workshop instructors will not sign attendance forms for courses.

Register Now