General Information

Library Carpentry is made by people working in library- and information-related roles to help you:

• automate repetitive, boring, error-prone tasks
• create, maintain and analyze sustainable and reusable data
• work effectively with IT and systems colleagues
• better understand the use of software in research
• and much more...

Library Carpentry introduces you to the fundamentals of computing and provides you with a platform for further self-directed learning. For more information on what we teach and why, please see our paper "Library Carpentry: software skills training for library professionals".

The workshop is organised jointly by colleagues from Methods@Manchester, the University of Manchester Library, the University of Manchester Research IT, and Manchester branch of the Software Sustainability Institute.

We are committed to providing a positive and accessible learning environment for all. Please notify the hosts in advance of the workshop if you require any accommodations or if there is anything we can do to make this workshop more accessible to you.

Audience

The workshop is aimed at the University of Manchester’s postgraduate students and research and other staff who develop software or deal with or analyse data as part of their work. You don’t need to have any previous knowledge of the tools that will be presented at the workshop - this is an introductory-level course.

When & Where

The workshop will be run online over 4 half-days, from 08 - 11 June 2021, 9:30 - 12:30 BST (UTC+1). We will meet using the online videoconference software Zoom. You will need to download and install Zoom client to connect with your instructors. The Zoom link to use for this event will be announced via email to registered participants.

Registration

Registration is free via EventBrite. You will need a special code to register - please get in touch with Aleksandra Nenadic using your Manchester email address.

Requirements

Participants must have a laptop/PC with a Mac, Linux, or Windows operating system (rather than a tablet, Chromebook, etc.) that they have administrative privileges on. They should have a few specific software packages installed (listed below).

Code of Conduct

All participants (including instructors, helpers and observers) are required to abide by The Carpentries Code of Conduct.

Contact

Please email a.nenadic@manchester.ac.uk for more information.

---

Collaborative Notes

We will use this collaborative document for chatting, taking notes, and sharing URLs and bits of code during the workshop.

---

Surveys

Please be sure to complete these surveys before and after the workshop.

Pre-workshop survey

Post-workshop survey

---

Schedule

---

Setup

Installation instructions

To participate in this workshop, you will need to install all of the software described below before coming to the workshop. We will run a pre-workshop installation session to help everyone set up and make sure they have the required software installed.

We maintain a list of common issues that occur during installation as a reference for instructors that may be useful on the Configuration Problems and Solutions wiki page.

Setup instructions specific to University of Manchester staff

Further to the above setup instructions, we would like to provide you with some extra suggestions, specific to University of Manchester managed-desktop machines (i.e. your Windows 10 work laptop).

OpenRefine

1. If you do not have administrator rights, you can still install OpenRefine to your local hard drive (‘This PC’ > ‘OS (C:)’ > ‘Work’).
2. OpenRefine will not work if you install it to a network drive such as your P: drive.
3. Download the Windows kit, a file called ‘openrefine-win-3.4.1.zip’.
4. Move the file from ‘Downloads’ to your local hard drive (‘This PC’ > ‘OS (C:)’ >> ‘Work’).
5. Unzip the file: Right-click on the file, choose ‘7-Zip’ then ‘Extract Here’.
6. Open the new folder ‘openrefine-win-3.4.1’ then double-click ‘openrefine’ with the blue gem icon.
7. OpenRefine will run in the background, you must leave it open. Wait for a new tab to open automatically in your browser at http://127.0.0.1:3333/.
8. If for some reason your computer does not have Java JRE, you can install that from the Software Center, or replace the file in step 3 with the Windows kit with embedded Java.

Git and Shell

1. For the Git and Shell lessons, we suggest you install ‘Git 2.22.0’ from the Software Center. It includes a program called Git Bash.
2. Click on the Windows Start button then ‘Software Center’ should appear on the right. (It may also be on the desktop.)
3. In the ‘Applications’ tab, go to the search box on the right and type ‘git’ then press Enter.
4. Click on the result ‘Git 2.22.0’.
5. Click the ‘Install’ button.
6. When it has installed, go back to the Start menu and scroll to the ‘G’ section. In the ‘Git’ folder, click ‘Git Bash’.
7. This is our command shell where we can type commands to interact with the files on our computer and with the GitHub server.
8. (TBC) we will not be using the alternative software ‘GitHub Desktop 2.5.4’ in this workshop though we may mention it for your future use.