As more and more researchers embrace digital methodologies, librarians are being called upon to support new types of research projects. One such increasingly common research method is digital textual analysis, sometimes called “Distant Reading.” While these new methodologies may feel very unfamiliar, librarians are actually already equipped with many of the necessary skills and strategies for this realm. Building on these, we will start by exploring some of the fundamental concepts and methodologies of text analysis. Together, we will create a collection of textual material to analyze. Then we will do some basic text manipulation and create visualizations from our corpus. Participants will leave with easy, actionable steps to bring back to their own researchers, no budget needed. BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) if possible -- we will provide a limited number of devices for participants to use during this interactive session.
