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For all you bibliophiles out there (a person who loves books and/or collects them), I’m certain that you’ll enjoy this blog post where I draw an irresistible connection between the front matter of books and README files. For the casual book user, I hope today's Tartan Datascapes not only increases your interest in README files, but also sparks a passion for all the lovely things that comprise a book.
Maybe it’s because I’ve been listening to a lot of YouTube ambiance videos (check out this one creating a soundscape of being in a cabin during a blizzard) and drinking copious amounts of tea, but I’ve had the word “cozy” on my mind for a few weeks now. What comes to your mind when you think of the word “cozy”? Soft blankets? A cabin with a fireplace? A basket of tiny, fuzzy bunnies? Being the data enthusiast that I am, a really interesting thing comes to mind when I think of the word “cozy”: data repositories.
You might be reading the title of this blog post and thinking “Really, Hannah? Data management in a vampire mockumentary?” Hear me out, because not only is the 2014 film What We Do in the Shadows a phenomenal story about the trials and tribulations of daily life for vampire roommates in Wellington, New Zealand, many of the themes and plotlines can be translated to data management principles and challenges!
In this mini-issue of Tartan Datascapes, I’m thrilled to signal boost an upcoming open house for our Data Collaborations Lab (dataCoLAB) at CMU Libraries, which connects researchers who need help with their datasets with individuals who have data science and computer science skills!
There’s an iconic scene from the UK science fiction television show Doctor Who in which the Doctor describes the concept of “time” as a “big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff.” (Video below for those who don’t know this scene!)
Each day in my role here at CMU Libraries, I’m steeped in everything data. I really enjoy getting to teach other people data skills while also honing my own skills in the process! However, it hasn’t always been easy. In fact, for a long time, I’ve always found it quite intimidating to learn new data and technology skills. Part of that intimidation was never feeling like I fit in with data science and technologist communities.
Full-disclosure to my readers: I am writing this post in the midst of a multi-day migraine, but I’ve got a cup of oolong tea with a healthy dose of caffeine and I’m excited to be sitting down to write to you all about something that I really love: data management plans (hereafter DMPs). Yeah, okay - at first glace you might read that and say, "Really? You love DMPs?" But hear me out!
Our fall 2020 semester has officially started, and wherever you are joining us from, we are glad you are here! I am really happy to share that we have a full lineup of virtual workshops for the upcoming semester, many of which have a distinct Tartan Datascapes flavor! What's the benefit of attending a Libraries workshop? It's a great chance to learn some new skills in a short amount of time, and can be an excellent supplement to your teaching/learning/research/professional development.
Think back to your high school biology class: did you enjoy it? Were there things about it that stressed you out? Speaking for myself, as a high school student in Wyoming, we had a field-based biology class where we would collect samples from various ecosystems around our town and bring them back to our lab to process and write reports on our findings. I absolutely loved every bit of that experience, but I found that I struggled with the quantitative side of the class.
Here at Tartan Datascapes, we love all research but we definitely have a soft spot for humanities research and exploring the many ways that data intersects with topics in the humanities!
