Quick Summary
OpenRefine software can help you clean up messy data. Register for this free online workshop through the University of Minnesota's Software Carpentry workshop series.
Data Cleaning with OpenRefine online workshop
The University of Minnesota and Minitex invites you to attend an upcoming Data Cleaning with OpenRefine workshop! If you work with Microsoft Excel, and want to upgrade your toolkit, OpenRefine is a great free tool for working with messy data. This lesson is drawn from the Library Carpentry curriculum and is being offered as part of the University of Minnesota's Software Carpentry workshop series. It will be taught by librarians from the U of M Libraries and Minitex.
- Instructors: Stacie Traill, Kent Gerber, and Elissah Becknell
- Date and Time: Tuesday, September 24, 2024, 1 - 4 p.m. CDT.
- Library Carpentry OpenRefine Curriculum
- Register for Data Cleaning with OpenRefine Workshop
There are no prerequisites to join the online workshop. A basic knowledge of spreadsheets and interest in learning how to do more with data is all that you need. This is a hands on workshop, participants must install this software on their device before the workshop: OpenRefine setup instructions. If you have any questions please email Elissah Becknell.
What is OpenRefine?
OpenRefine is a desktop application that uses your web browser as a graphical interface. This tool is most useful when you have data in a simple tabular format such as a spreadsheet, a comma separated values file (csv) or a tab delimited file (tsv). OpenRefine can help you:
- Get an overview of a data set
- Resolve inconsistencies in a data set, for example standardizing date formatting
- Help you split data up into more granular parts, for example splitting up cells with multiple authors into separate cells
- Match local data up to other data sets - for example, in matching forms of personal names against name authority records in the Virtual International Authority File (VIAF)
- Enhance a data set with data from other sources
Library Carpentry
Library Carpentry workshops focus on building software and data skills within library and information-related communities. Our goal is to empower people in libraries to use software and data in their own work and to become advocates for and train others in efficient, effective and reproducible data and software practices. These are excellent learning opportunities for folks interested in tools and techniques for data cleaning, pattern matching, and data manipulation.
