After a student visited the library at Trent University Durham GTA and asked for a certain software not yet available on campus, the Trent library team sprang into action to ensure students have access to the resources they need and software they can use to further expand their research stories. 

The Durham Campus Library and Learning Centre has now launched the Data Visualization Workstation, allowing students to avoid long processing time and having to purchase expensive software. The workstation is an extension of the Data Visualization Lab in the Bata Library at the Peterborough Campus and was made possible through the John Stubbs Library Innovation Fund. 

 “The workstation provides opportunities for students in all disciplines to discover diverse tools and techniques for data analytics and visualization,” said Librarian Emerita Barbara Znamirowski, who worked to secure the workstation for Durham prior to her retirement. “Whether their projects call for analyzing text, comparing images, or creating a story map or infographic, we want students to have a place to experiment with different ways of working with, understanding and visualizing information.” 

Students enhance their storytelling using the workstation

The computer is looked after by Trent’s Maps, Data & Government Information Centre (MaDGIC), part of the University Library & Archives. MaDGIC helps students learn to use the computer and software and manages any upkeep the computer may need.  

Samantha Davenport, a fourth-year Political Studies student, used the workstation at Trent Durham to teach herself to use some of the Adobe programs, which helped enhance the accessibility of a project she was working on and expanded her video editing skills. 

“It was a unique experience as my major has little involvement with software or computer programming. I enjoyed the opportunity to engage in autonomous learning and develop a basic understanding of a prominent editing platform,” Samantha said. 

The workstation offers various data visualization and analysis software including the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, ArcGIS Pro, Autodesk Recap, Meshlab, NVIVO, and RStudio. The software and high-powered computer can also help students analyze big data sets.  

The library team will host a launch celebration on Thursday, November 2, where the Trent Durham community can learn more about the workstation. 

Learn more about the supports offered by the Durham Campus Library and Learning Centre