Winter Workshops

Winter Hours, Workshops & Events: January – April 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 December 21 – January 5 (Mid-Winter Break), February 17 (Family Day) and April 18 (Good Friday).
For full schedule of Library Building hours: https://library.torontomu.ca/info/hours/

TMU Libraries’ Collaboratory is open for access from:

January 13 – April 13
Monday to Friday: 7:00 AM – 1:00 AM
Saturday – Sunday: 10:00 AM – 1:00 AM *

* Please note: The Library Collaboratory entrance is affected by the SLC Building’s hours. The SLC is open from 12:30 – 8:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays. Please plan accordingly.

The Library Collaboratory is staffed Monday – Friday (10:00 a.m – 4:00 p.m.).

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

January

Text Mining and Topic Modeling with Orange 3
Monday, January 27 | 5 – 7:00 PM

Struggling to efficiently review extensive research literature? Discover an automated approach to analyze dozens or even hundreds of papers without getting bogged down in manual reviews.

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 Orange 3 and the case of research on “binge-watching;” as an experiment. This walkthrough session will show you how to efficiently uncover the core themes and topics within large volumes of text and research, saving you valuable time. Perfect for researchers or anyone seeking to speed up and automate their literature reviews, this workshop will equip you with practical techniques to quickly get your hands on the essence of your research material.

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.

3D Design for Prototyping with Autodesk Fusion
Wednesday, January 29 | 11:30 AM – Noon

This skill-building workshop is an introduction for researchers to learn how to design for 3D. Participants will learn basic principles of 3D object design by using Fusion 360. These skills can be applied for future designs intended to be printed in 3D or fabricated using other technologies and methods.

No prior experience necessary.

Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptops to the workshop, to follow along. Bringing a mouse would also be very helpful for the learning process.
Fusion 360 is available here to download (free for educational purposes): https://www.autodesk.com/ca-en/products/fusion-360/trial-intake

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

February

Grant Writing for Grad Students
Wednesday, February 5 | 1 – 2:30 PM

This workshop, tailored for graduate students, gives an overview of grant writing strategies that can be applied across disciplines – in academia (e.g. SSHRC), the arts (e.g. Canada Council for the Arts), and beyond.

The two grant-funded  instructors will provide tips and tricks for writing convincing proposals, share successful examples (and pitfalls to avoid), and guide students in figuring out the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ of their own proposals. A one hour lecture will be followed by a 30min Q&A to answer your questions.

Beginners and experienced grant writers are welcome and people with proposals in progress are encouraged to participate.

Whose (Wiki)Data Is It? Ethics & Consent in Cataloguing People, Places & Things
Wednesday, February 12 | Noon – 4 PM

Wikidata is one of the most open and widely available data tools. It powers Wikipedia and links together data from all over the internet, gathering it together in one searchable space. Can Wikidata be used in your work or research? What purpose does it serve? And how can you contribute to Wikidata? How should you contribute to it? Should you contribute to it at all? 

Join us in discusson, to learn about linked data and how it can help to fill in blanks and gaps in marginalized subject areas, while getting a 101 crash cours in using and creating Wikidata items.This workshop is framed within the context of ethically gathering data with and without consent, the power of language, terminology and authority files.

Bring a laptop and join the group or work on your own. Stay for the whole session or drop in when you can!

Presented as part of 2025 Love Data Week.

Text Mining and Topic Modeling with Orange 3
Monday, February 24 | 5 – 7 PM

Struggling to efficiently review extensive research literature? Discover an automated approach to analyze dozens or even hundreds of papers without getting bogged down in manual reviews.

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 Orange 3 and the case of research on “binge-watching;” as an experiment. This walkthrough session will show you how to efficiently uncover the core themes and topics within large volumes of text and research, saving you valuable time. Perfect for researchers or anyone seeking to speed up and automate their literature reviews, this workshop will equip you with practical techniques to quickly get your hands on the essence of your research material.

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.

March

Conference Presentations 101 for Grad Students
Wednesday, March 19 | 1 – 2:30 PM

This workshop is designed to help graduate students prepare for their next conference presentations — whether the first or the fifteenth.

An introduction from start to finish, this workshop will cover initial preparations, strategies and methods for effective presentation techniques, and tips and tricks on addressing fears and doubts.

Created by grad students for grad students, instructors will explore different types and modes of presenting and go through the presentation process from applying to the big day. The workshop is open both to graduate students who have experience and are looking to hone their skills, and those with no experience (yet). 

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

Text Mining and Topic Modeling with Orange 3
Wednesday March 26 | 5 – 7 PM

** DATE CHANGE** April 9 | 5 – 7 PM

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 Zahra, 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!