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Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences researchers are often faced with big questions when it comes to planning and orchestrating their data-related projects.
Our recent Omeka workshop took some of these questions and challenges head-on by considering the research ‘life cycle’ that comes before and after using a web-publishing platform.
While Omeka is free, flexible and very easy to use, there are serious and important considerations that must be undertaken before embarking on a research project that has a visual exhibition component.Full house for @omeka workshop today @ @ResPlat with 2 excellent ResLeads, Alex & Daniel! pic.twitter.com/OEGCcZT0MR
— Tyne Daile Sumner (@tynedaile)
July 26, 2018
What kind of story do you want to tell?
Who is your audience?
How will the project or site be used?
What kinds of items will be included in your project?
What kinds of features do you want? Will they enhance the research?
Who will be contributing to the project?
Is the project sustainable?
In the workshop we explored provocations such as these. We trialled this new approach to gain insights into the kinds of questions that HASS researchers ask at the outset of their projects as well as some of the barriers that they face and how these might be overcome. The result was an engaging and thought-provoking discussion around not just Omeka but Digital Humanities research outputs more generally.
Jared Winton opened the session by canvasing some of the key recommended steps when starting out in a HASS research project that involves collections and data. Jared is the Data Collections Manager at Research Platform Services. ResPlat offer a range of research-specific infrastructure. In the workshop we had a brief look at Mediaflux - just one tool among many for managing digital assets.
We then looked at Omeka in the context of a data management plan and considered how best to set up a project. Although Omeka is designed with non-IT specialists in mind, it’s nevertheless important to seek out expert help in the early stages of a large research project.
Omeka can handle large archives of metadata and files (over 100,000 items), and is extensible by publicly available plugins and themes. Users can populate an Omeka site by adding items individually or by ‘batch,’ using data migration tools such as the OAI-PMH harvester, and CSV, EAD, and Zotero importer plugins. Omeka accepts and stores all file types, including: images, video, audio, multi-page documents and Pdfs, and Powerpoint presentations.
Our fantastic ResLead Daniel then gave a demonstration of just one way in which a large dataset can be imported into Omeka. Daniel’s example was the Actors Database on IMBD, which he used as a case study dataset.
Using a Python tool (Pandas) to wrangle the data into shape, Daniel showed us the steps that could be taken to transform a pre-existing database for display in Omeka.And here’s a shot of today’s guest presentation by Daniel on preparing data for @omeka. @ResPlat pic.twitter.com/whcasijEql
— Tyne Daile Sumner (@tynedaile)
July 26, 2018
Finally, one of the most important parts of conducting research that uses Digital Humanities methods or tools, is being able to connect with the relevant experts.
Here at Melbourne University, two of these resources are:
Research Integrity Training (RIOT): covers the principles of research integrity and their application to the planning, conducting and reporting of research.
Managing Data @ Melbourne: an online program that guides you through the process of writing a data management plan for your research project. It has been developed for graduate researchers, early career researchers, and information professionals.
There’s lots going on in the world of Omeka at the moment.
We’re working on making “Preservation and portability” better via #DataCrate. Eg, this export from Omeka: https://t.co/t6OVtuKMKV @omeka https://t.co/Yd8ce7l3jI
— petie (@ptsefton)
July 30, 2018
On the 3rd of August, 2018 we held our first LaTeX meet-up!
The purpose of this event was not only to showcase some exemplary LaTeX documents, but also to give attendees the opportunity to ask their burning LaTeX-related questions, and learn some tips and tricks. We saw examples of including images in LaTeX, a recipe book, academic posters, and slide presentations. Keep reading to hear about each of these, and to access some great templates…
Do you use LaTeX? Come along and meet other LaTeX enthusiasts tomorrow afternoon for a special event! https://t.co/mvtMQ5sLDZ
…ask questions, learn tips & tricks, and see some exemplary documents while enjoying light snacks and beverages with the LaTeX community! pic.twitter.com/d0gLBm8dN5— Meirian (@MeirianLT)
August 2, 2018
After some quick introductions and once everyone had settled in with some tea and snacks, Ben began the meet-up with his presentation on preparing illustrations and images for inclusion in a thesis using LaTeX.
Ben also discussed the following frequently asked questions:LaTeX handles images slightly differently to many other applications. The DPI setting in the image is ignored and the size of the image will be based on the DPI of the document if no other size parameters are included. There are no rules for adding images, thesis instructions including required DPI settings are rare. For the sake of consistency I recommend you resize your images to match the size that they will be reproduced at… There are a few ways of including figures with vector objects (with or without images as well) in LaTeX. From a technical support perspective I look for methods that provide the best quality with the fewest problems… – Ben Kreunen @OzBigBen
Next, Brian presented his Mother’s recipes coded in LaTeX. The detail of his presentation was not about code specifically, but about communication with audiences and working with teams.
When we write we often write to ourselves, as my Mother did. We may include shorthand, not fully explain ideas presuming others have already grasped them and more importantly, we may not be actually addressing our audience or have a clear idea who they are. Pitch your ideas at the knowledge set of your presumed audience and explain all concepts that would be unclear to this audience. Make sure the flow of the document is logical and leads the reader to the conclusions that you intend.
Also, working with teams on documents — as this one was — has it’s own difficulties and complexities. This was created with an online editor/UX coder, a typesetter/graphic layout person and a recipe checker. As it was a labor of love it was difficult to assign deadlines. However, when working with a team who have specified areas and content to deliver it is a good thing to specify both job demarcations and time-lines in which to deliver the work. Deadlines and clarity around what a person is to do helps them deliver and, while it may be some pressure, people generally perform better knowing the limitations. – Brian Boyce @innerversitysou
You can view the template Brian created for the cookbook on Overleaf.
Fantastic #latex meetup tonight with three awesome speakers @OzBigBen, @innerversitysou and Tom, each sharing their experiences with the tool. #resplat #unimelb #research pic.twitter.com/WGrVJfTmWI
— Research Platform Services (@ResPlat)
August 3, 2018
Meirian also showed examples of slide presentations which were created in LaTeX.These included his Ph.D. thesis, a presentation, as well as a set of lecture notes for a subject he is teaching. Particular attention was given to creating a poster in LaTeX using the baposter template designed by Brian Amberg.
This link contains a sample poster created using the template, the documentation of the template, as well as a LaTeX primer with sample code to get things rolling. – Thomas Wong
The document class for creating presentations is beamer. There are many options for layouts and colour schemes to choose from; some of these are displayed in the beamer theme matrix. I recommend reading the ShareLaTeX guide on beamer for some great help and tips when creating your own presentations in LaTeX! There are also a variety of templates available online to help you get started. – Meirian Lovelace-Tozer @MeirianLT
Would you like to come along to a future LaTeX workshop or meet-up, and get involved?
I encourage you to sign up to upcoming events on Eventbrite. Please also check out our website for more information, or contact me if you have any questions.