This document discusses Library Carpentry, which teaches digital skills to librarians through workshops based on Software and Data Carpentry lessons. It provides an overview of past instructor training events and workshops in Ireland and describes lessons on topics like SQL, OpenRefine, and tidy data. Attendees found the lessons engaging and useful. The presenters argue that Library Carpentry lessons can be customized for library instruction programs and help researchers develop important data skills. Their goal is to train more librarians as instructors and develop additional lessons in the future.

1. CONUL 2022: THE (LIBRARY) CARPENTERS
– WE’VE ONLY JUST BEGUN
Armin Straube (UL), Assumpta Byrne (TUS),
Jean Murphy (RCSI), Ken Lacey (TU Dublin),
Liam O’Dwyer (DCU), Sinéad Keogh (UL),
David Kane (SETU)

2.  An introduction to the LIR and the Library Carpentries
 Becoming a Library Carpentry instructor
 The Library Carpentry lessons
 Using Carpentry lessons as part of library instruction programmes

3. THE CARPENTRIES
carpentries.org

4.  Network and forum for librarians and libraries across HEAnet
 Supports development of digital skills for librarians
 Carpentries a good fit with this aim
 Carpentries InstructorTraining event in UCD Library, June 2019

5. LIR / UCD CARPENTRYTRAINING, JUNE 2019
Photo credit: University College Dublin Library - Flickr

6. LIR / UCD CARPENTRYTRAINING, JUNE 2019
Photo credit: University College Dublin Library - Flickr

7. FOLLOW UP WORKSHOPS
 2-day workshop Nov 2019
(again in UCD)

8. FOLLOW UP WORKSHOPS
 2-day workshop Nov 2019
(again in UCD)
 2 x series of online workshops
 Mar-Apr 2020
 Feb-Mar 2022

9. FOLLOW UP WORKSHOPS
 2-day workshop Nov 2019
(again in UCD)
 2 x series of online workshops
 Mar-Apr 2020
 Feb-Mar 2022
 Next workshop this Friday in UL!

10. FEEDBACK
“Very easy to understand
and follow. Pacing was great
too as I was never bored ”
“ Great workshops for dipping
into for refreshing knowledge ”
“I learned a few tips and tricks from this
session which will be a big help for my
day to day work - thanks very much”
“ Really good, easy to
follow instruction ”
“ Excellent teachers ”
“ It was great! The explanations are really
easy to follow and the instructors conveyed
the information really effectively ”

11.  Develop both technical skills and teaching experience
 Automate boring / repetitive tasks
 Lots of potential applications to all kinds of library work
 Many unplanned or unpredicted outcomes…
THE CARPENTRIES - WHY DO IT?

12. THE CARPENTRIES - WHY DO IT?
 From teaching Git, I used Github
Pages to make lesson sites for
DCU library workshops

13. THE CARPENTRIES - WHY DO IT?
 From teaching Git, I used Github
Pages to make lesson sites for
DCU library workshops
 All carpentries lessons can be
customised as carpentries-based
workshops

14. THE CARPENTRIES - WHY DO IT?
Go Open: A Beginners Guide to Open Education. Dublin: DCU. Farrell, O.,
Breen, E., Brunton, J., Cox, R., Costello, E., Delaney, L., Gallagher, E.,
Smyth,V. (2021). Doi: 10.5281/zenodo.4593103
 From teaching Git, I used Github
Pages to make lesson sites for
DCU library workshops
 All carpentries lessons can be
customised as carpentries-based
workshops
 Included as example of OERs in a
DCU report on open education

15.  From teaching Git, I used Github
Pages to make lesson sites for
DCU library workshops
 All carpentries lessons can be
customised as carpentries-based
workshops
 Included as example of OERs in a
DCU report on open education
THE CARPENTRIES - WHY DO IT?
Go Open: A Beginners Guide to Open Education. Dublin: DCU. Farrell, O.,
Breen, E., Brunton, J., Cox, R., Costello, E., Delaney, L., Gallagher, E.,
Smyth,V. (2021). Doi: 10.5281/zenodo.4593103

16. BECOMING A LIBRARY CARPENTRY
INSTRUCTOR
 Attend an InstructorTraining event
 Complete instructor checkout
 Make a small contribution to a lesson or glossary
 Take part in an online community discussion session
 Take part in an online teaching demonstration

17. LESSON EXAMPLES:
REGULAR EXPRESSIONS(REGEX)
 Regular expressions are a language for pattern making. They are an
incredibly powerful tool
 The lesson has no prerequisites all you need is a laptop and an internet
connection
 It is a method of using a sequence of characters to define a search to
match strings, i.e. “find and replace”-like operations

18. Core
 Regular Expression
 UNIX Shell
 OpenRefine
 Intro to Git
THE LIBRARY CARPENTRY CURRICULUM
Extended
 SQL
 Tidy Data
 Webscraping
 Intro to Python
 Data for Archivists
 Intro to R
Conceptual
 MarcEdit
 Wikidata
 FAIR Data &
Software
 XML

19.  Curriculum on Carpentries website as OERs
 Some require open source software installation and data file download
 In person or online hands on workshops
 Certified instructor and helper(s)
 In person – use post-its:
RED if you have a problem, GREEN if you understand
 Online – breakout rooms… sometimes
HOWTHE LESSONS WORK

20.  My background with SQL
 Active learning
 Hands on workshop
 Instructor and helper to answer questions and provide individual
assistance allowing attendees with different levels of experience
“...build self-efficacy and increase confidence and
create a positive learning experience.”
The Carpentries, 2021
WHYTHE LESSONS WORK

21.  SQL - DB Browser for SQLite install and data files download required
LESSON EXAMPLES: SQL

22.  Good data entry practices - formatting data tables in spreadsheets
 How to avoid common formatting mistakes
 Dates as data - beware!
 Basic quality control and data manipulation in spreadsheets
 Exporting data from spreadsheets
Much of your time when you’re producing a report will
be spent in this ‘data wrangling’ stage. It’s not the
most fun, but it’s necessary.We’ll teach you how to think
about data organization and some practices for more
effective data wrangling.
LESSON EXAMPLES:TIDY DATA
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT

23. Tidy Data RelevantTo MyWork………………………………… Strongly Agree
The Content Was Well pacedWithinThe AvailableTime.. Strongly Agree
WillYou UseTidy Data in the Future:
LESSON EXAMPLES:TIDY DATA
WORKSHOP FEEDBACK
“Yes! I've already started tidying my data!”
“Absolutely yes. I learned a few tips and tricks
from this session which will be a big help for my
day to day business; thanks very much.”
“Yes, I hope to use it soon before I forget what I
learned.”

24.  Google Refine  OpenRefine
 Tidy messy data. Fix inconsistencies. Enhance data.
 Transform using GREL (General Refine Expression Language) e.g.
value.toTitlecase()
if(value!='null',cell.cross("Report","Date").cells["Code"]
.value[0],'')
LESSON EXAMPLES: OPEN REFINE
Data Carpentry lessons:
Data Cleaning with OpenRefine for Ecologists
Data Cleaning with OpenRefine for Social Scientists

25. Library specific lesson
 Sample spreadsheet of published articles
 Retrieving information from API e.g. CrossRef using ISSN value
"https://api.crossref.org/journals/"+value
value.parseJson().xxxxxxx
 Reconciliation services for authorities
- Wikidata, RDF, VIAF, ORCID
LESSON EXAMPLES: OPEN REFINE

26. Track operations
‘Undo-Redo’
Data integrity
Reproducible
LESSON EXAMPLES: OPEN REFINE

27. Export to CSV, TSV,
Excel, Google Sheets,
HTML table…
Or create template
LESSON EXAMPLES: OPEN REFINE

28. Libraries run instruction programmes (mainly for
undergrads) and expand their research services
CARPENTRY AS PART OF LIBRARY
INSTRUCTION PROGRAMMES
 Data skills are needed by
researchers in all disciplines
 Carpentry lessons are designed to
address this need
 Carpentry lessons tie into support
for non-traditional research outputs
(Research Data, Open Software,
Open Educational Resources)

29. SPOILT FOR CHOICEWITHTHE CARPENTRIES

30.  Regular workshops at the Glucksman Library:
Tidy Data, OpenRefine, Introduction into Python
 Research Data and Digital Skills Summer School:
30.5.-3.6.2022
Next semester:
 Data Analysis andVisualisation
with Python
 Introduction into R
EXAMPLE:
UNIVERSITY OF LIMERICK

31.  Organise peer-learning workshops in the library
 Encourage PhD and early career researchers to
become Carpentry Instructors with:
THE FUTURE
• Support for development
of new lessons
• Train-the-Trainer
workshops

32.  The Carpentries. (2021). Library CarpentryWorkshop Overview:
Introduction to Library Carpentry. https://librarycarpentry.org/lc-
overview/02-intro-to-library-carpentry/index.htm
 Library Carpentry https://librarycarpentry.org/
 LIR Group https://lirgroup.heanet.ie/
REFERENCES & RESOURCES

33. THANK YOU
Assumpta Byrne assumpta.byrne@tus.ie David Kane david.kane@setu.ie
Sinéad Keogh sinead.Keogh@ul.ie Ken Lacey ken.lacey@TUDublin.ie
Jean Murphy jeanmurphy@rcsi.ie Liam O’Dwyer liam.odwyer@dcu.ie
Armin Straube armin.straube@ul.ie