Feel free to attend the following library sessions. Many of the sessions offer hands-on instruction. In addition to Brown School Library sessions, the list includes selected sessions from WashU's Becker Medical Library, WashU's Olin Library, and WashU's Writing Center.
Approaches to Writing the Dissertation
This workshop, presented in partnership with the Graduate Center, will approach writing a dissertation through the lens of the writing process. We will reflect on the writing processes we’ve all used to succeed in graduate study, with emphasis on how they may need to change when taking on the dissertation project. Our focus will be on having a lot of flexibility in the dissertation writing process. To that end, we will be discussing options and different approaches, with the goal of developing a writing process that is regular, reproducible, and productive! This workshop is appropriate for all PhD students, regardless of discipline.
March 21, noon - 1:00 p.m., The Graduate Center, lower level of the Women’s Building, room 005
Please register: https://writingcenter.wustl.edu/calendar_event/grad-workshop-approaches-to-writing-the-dissertation
Book Making Workshop: Flag Book (AM Session)
Learn how to make your own flag book. A flag book is a sculptural book made up of flags attached to an accordion-folded spine. As the book opens, the flags move, creating a unique viewing experience. Participants will be able to view examples from the Rare Book Collections before learning step by step how to make their own. Please arrive early so that we can start on time and ensure everyone has time to finish their flag book. Doors will open 15 minutes before the workshop begins.
March 22, 9:30 a.m. - noon, Olin Library, Mendle Classroom, Julian Edison Department of Special Collections Reading Room, (Level 1)
Please register: https://library.wustl.edu/events/book-making-workshop-flag-book
Catalog of Library Materials
Learn how to search the catalog, request WashU items, set up a reading history, and renew checked out items. No registration needed.
By appointment or Recorded session
Course Reserves Tips
Learn how to find and use the Brown School course reserves located in the Library Catalog and Ares.
Please email the Library for a one-on-one or small group appointment: brownlibrary@wustl.edu
Don’t Sign Your Rights Away: Author's Rights
Hope to publish an article in the future? Learn how to retain your copyrights so you can freely use your own work for teaching, scholarly, and professional activities. Otherwise, you may have to pay the publisher in order to use your own work. Learn about WashU's open access repository for articles. No registration needed.
By appointment or PowerPoint slides
Evidence-Based Resources
Learn about the evidence-based resources. Covers evidence-based databases, websites, and filters. These resources should save you some time when doing evidence-based assignments. No registration needed.
By appointment or Tutorial
Finding Similar Phrases for Database Searching
Learn how to find similar phrases in order to expand your database search. Covers the research guide tab, database thesauri, database words, and a thesaurus. No registration needed.
By appointment or Recorded session
GIS Week in November (Geographic Information Systems) (November 2025)
Learn about some geospatial resources at WUSTL.
Grant and Fellowship Application Writing
Looking for more funding for your project? Want to make your grant or fellowship application stand out? Not sure where to start? The Writing Center will guide you through the essentials for excellent grant writing. We’ll share pointers on developing strong application materials, cover the common components of grant applications, and discuss examples from a range of disciplines. You’ll leave the workshop with a clearer idea of what granting organizations are looking for and what red flags to avoid. This workshop is for graduate students who are considering applying for external funding through individual grants or fellowships. It’s appropriate for those applying for travel grants, research grants, conference travel grants, dissertation completion fellowships, etc.
March 5, noon - 1:00 p.m., The Graduate Center, lower level of The Women’s Building, room 005.
Please register: https://writingcenter.wustl.edu/calendar_event/grad-workshop-grant-and-fellowship-application-writing
Green Get-It Button
Learn how to use the green get-it button to retrieve full text items. Learn what to do when the full text doesn't display. No registration needed.
By appointment or Recorded session
Interlibrary Loan (Mobius and ILLiad)
WashU cannot buy every book and journal that is available. Learn how to use the interlibrary loan system to request items that WashU does not own. No registration needed.
By appointment or Recorded session
Introduction to Blender
Discover the basics of 3D modeling in this hands-on workshop designed for beginners. Blender is a powerful, free, and open-source software used for creating 3D models, animations, and visual effects. During this session, you’ll learn how to navigate Blender’s interface, create and manipulate objects, and apply basic materials and textures. By the end of the workshop, you’ll have the foundational skills to start your own 3D projects. No prior experience with 3D software is needed.
March 3, 1:00 ‒ 3:00 p.m., Olin Library, Instruction Room 2 and also via Zoom
Please register if you need a Zoom link: https://library.wustl.edu/events/introduction-to-blender
Introduction to Text Mining with the HathiTrust Research Center
Join us to learn about the principles of text mining using the HathiTrust Research Center’s computational text analysis tools. Topics include text mining and copyright compliance; building collections for analysis; using HTRC no-code tools for text analysis and visualization; and how to access HathiTrust data and metadata via provided APIs, request procedures, and open datasets.
March 24, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m., Olin Library, Instruction Room 2 and also via Zoom
Please register if you need a Zoom link: https://library.wustl.edu/events/introduction-to-text-mining-with-the-hathitrust-research-center
Introductory Compute – Getting Started with High Performance Computing
This webinar is offered by Becker Library and WashU's Research Infrastructure Services (RIS). This session will introduce high performance computing and a variety of software applications used in hpc environments including text editors, shell and batch scripts, Docker container technology, and the ssh protocol.
March 5, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m., via Zoom
Please register: https://becker.wustl.edu/civicrm/?page=CiviCRM&q=civicrm/event/info&reset=1&id=878
Introductory Compute – Getting Started with the RIS Scientific Compute Platform
This webinar is offered by Becker Library and WashU's Research Infrastructure Services (RIS). This session will introduce the queue system and basic queue system commands to submit and execute jobs on the Scientific Compute Platform. Attendees will learn how to use Docker images and queue system commands to submit and process jobs.
March 26, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m., via Zoom
Please register: https://becker.wustl.edu/civicrm/?page=CiviCRM&q=civicrm/event/info&reset=1&id=879
Library Resources After Graduation
Learn about the library resources that are available to you after you graduate. No registration needed.
By appointment or PowerPoint
Love Data Week (week of February 14, 2026)
Medline via PubMed: A Fantastic, Free Health Database
Learn how to effectively search Medline via PubMed for public health, psychological, and therapeutic information. Covers MeSH searching, applying limits, using the search history, changing the results display, accessing full text, using the evidence-based clinical queries, and more. No registration needed.
By appointment or Recorded session
Open Access Month (October 2025)
A series of events highlighting trends in open science, open data and open access. Presented by Bernard Becker Medical Library and Washington University Libraries with sponsorship from the Digital Intelligence & Innovation (DI2) Accelerator.
Python Workshops
Recorded sessions are in the Previous Workshops section, Python tab: https://becker.wustl.edu/services/research-computing/
Data Analysis and Visualization with Python Series
This four-session course will introduce participants to the primary packages and methods for data analysis and visualization in Python. Initial sessions will explore how to use the popular Pandas library for the management and preliminary analysis of data, with a particular focus on CSV and JSON format datasets. In later sessions, you will learn how to produce customized static and interactive visualizations of your data using the Matplotlib, Seaborn, Plotly and Bokeh libraries. This class is intended for graduate students, faculty and staff at Wash U who have basic familiarity with Python. Participants will use their own laptops.
February 17 (part 1), 11:30 a.m. ‒ 1:00 p.m., Olin Library, Level A, Instruction Room 3
February 19 (part 2), 11:30 a.m. ‒ 1:00 p.m., Olin Library, Level A, Instruction Room 3
February 24 (part 3), 11:30 a.m. ‒ 1:00 p.m., Olin Library, Level A, Instruction Room 3
February 26 (part 4), 11:30 a.m. ‒ 1:00 p.m., Olin Library, Level A, Instruction Room 3
Please register: https://library.wustl.edu/events/data-analysis-and-visualization-with-python-series-2/
Data Cleaning with Python
Data can be messy. Researchers commonly lament the amount of time spent preparing data before any analysis can take place. Potential steps for preparing or “cleaning” data include changing data types, adjusting values for consistency and validation, splitting or joining values, and removing extraneous records, to name a few. This workshop will cover some common data-cleaning steps using Python and the Pandas library. Basic knowledge of Python syntax is recommended.
March 31, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m., Olin Library, Instruction Room 2 and also via Zoom
Please register if you need a Zoom link: https://library.wustl.edu/events/data-cleaning-with-python-5
Introduction to Text Analysis in Python
This four-session course will provide participants with an introduction to analyzing textual data using Python. We will begin by learning how to perform simple operations on text and convert text into data. This will cover topics such as working with strings, text preprocessing, NLP tasks (e.g., stemming, tokenizing), as well as representing text as data (e.g., bag-of-words, word embeddings). Subsequently, the course will introduce methods for measuring concepts using textual data and provide an overview of rule-based techniques, supervised learning, and unsupervised learning approaches. Specifically, we will delve into utilizing dictionaries, the application of Naive Bayes, Random Forests and SVMs for text classification. This course is intended for graduate students, faculty and staff from any field at WashU who are interested in learning about quantitative text analysis and would like to become familiar with the main libraries and functions used to work with textual data in Python. Participants are expected to have a basic proficiency in Python (taking the Introduction to Python training series 1 and 2 should be sufficient). This class will be fully in-person, and participants will use their own laptops.
March 18, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m., Olin Library, Instruction Room 3
March 19, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m., Olin Library, Instruction Room 3
March 25, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m., Olin Library, Instruction Room 3
March 26, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m., Olin Library, Instruction Room 3
Please register: https://library.wustl.edu/events/introduction-to-text-analysis-in-python-2
R Workshops
Recorded sessions available. Introduction to R sessions: https://wustl.app.box.com/s/xz68on19wnnp8o0jtctz5h8i4pvcaaqn
Recorded sessions available: Advanced Data Visualization and data wrangling in R: https://wustl.app.box.com/s/gsxu4l7qma5yfgqdd60zzayj9kii0v7e
Introduction to Data Analysis and Visualization in R Series
In this 4-session course, participants will gain fundamental skills in data analysis and visualization using R. The course covers the basics of data manipulation using base R functions, dplyr and tidy libraries, and creating visualizations using ggraph. This course is intended for graduate students, faculty and staff from any field at WashU. This course requires basic skills in R programming language. However, for those who are not familiar with R but wish to participate, we can provide recommended learning materials in advance to help bridge any knowledge gaps. Please reach out early! Participants will use their own laptops.
February 18 (part 1), 2:00 ‒ 3:30 p.m., Olin Library, Level A, Instruction Room 1
February 19 (part 2), 2:00 ‒ 3:30 p.m., Olin Library, Level A, Instruction Room 1
February 25 (part 3), 2:00 ‒ 3:30 p.m., Olin Library, Level A, Instruction Room 1
February 26 (part 4), 2:00 ‒ 3:30 p.m., Olin Library, Level A, Instruction Room 1
Please register: https://library.wustl.edu/events/introduction-to-data-analysis-and-visualization-in-r-series/
REDCap Workshops
REDCap is a secure, web-based application for building and managing online databases and surveys, but you do not need web development or computer programming experience to use REDCap. REDCap has built-in quality assurance/quality improvement features and is HRPO compliant. If you have a WashU Key, you can use REDCap for free! Note: some REDCap workshops are recorded. The recordings are available at the following website: Recorded sessions available
Research Like a Pro: Verifying AI-Generated Content
While navigating the complexities of academic research, ensuring the accuracy and credibility of AI-generated data is quickly emerging as an essential research skill. This webinar will demonstrate practical strategies for cross-referencing AI content with reputable sources, highlight the importance of human oversight, and provide tips for developing critical evaluation skills. Leave equipped with the tools to assess and use AI-generated information in your scholarly work.
March 24, noon - 12:30 p.m., Olin Library, Instruction Room 1 and also via Zoom
Please register if you need a Zoom link: https://library.wustl.edu/events/research-like-a-pro-verifying-ai-generated-content-2
SciComm Journal Club
Reimagining publics and (non) participation: Exploring exclusion from science communication through the experiences of low-income, minority ethnic groups
Evaluate the structural inequalities that limit the participation of underrepresented groups in science communication and reflect on ways to design science communication activities that include multiple voices, perspectives, and values. Leslie Sutton (DBBS program in Developmental, Regenerative, & Stem Cell Biology) will lead the discussion. Reading is suggested but not required to attend.
February 19, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m., Becker Medical Library, Room 405, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63110-1010
Please register: https://becker.wustl.edu/civicrm/?page=CiviCRM&q=civicrm/event/info&reset=1&id=880
Search Strategies for Database Searching
Learn about the basic search strategies and use them in a database search in order to find relevant articles. Covers Boolean Operators, truncation, phrase searching, field qualification, proximity operators, using the search history, and applying limits. No registration needed.
By appointment or Tutorial
Social Explorer Census & Social Statistics
Learn how to use Social Explorer for census and social statistics. Generate maps. Overview of the 2010 census and the American Community Survey. Produce statistical reports through the Premade, Keyword, and table features (age, race, households, education, income, etc.). No registration needed.
By appointment
Social Welfare Policies & Services Class: Library Resources
Learn about library resources that may help you with your Social Welfare Policies & Services class assignments. Covers Congress.gov, ProQuest Congressional, CQ Researcher, PAIS, and more. No registration needed.
By appointment
Successful Group Writing
Group writing projects provide an opportunity for discourse and true collaboration, but also bring their own challenges and stressors. Join The Writing Center for a workshop focused on shared authorship in group assignments–we’ll cover best practices, strategies for minimizing miscommunication amongst group members, and insights from facilitators who have experience in collaborative authorship situations.
March 26, 11:00 a.m. - noon, The Writing Center’s classroom space, Mallinkcrodt, room 132
Please register: https://writingcenter.wustl.edu/calendar_event/successful-group-writing
Tour the Brown School Library
Take a walking tour of the Brown School Library and learn where the resources are located. No registration needed.
By appointment
Zotero Sessions
Zotero Citation Manager
Learn how to use Zotero to organize citations and create APA bibliographies. No registration needed.
By appointment or Recorded session
Zotero Zoom Through
Collect and organize sources as-you-go, and cite with Zotero. In this brief workshop you’ll learn and practice the essentials for using this powerful citation management program. You will leave the session with the basics and a checklist to take you through additional Zotero features we may not be able to cover in this 30 minute session, including: in-text citations with dynamic bibliographies, space-saving strategies, and advanced setting options. Note: If possible, please download the Zotero desktop client on your own laptop prior to the session, and please create your Zotero online account. If you are attending the session in person, please bring your own laptop.
March 27, 1:00 - 1:30 p.m., Olin Library, Instruction Room 1 and also via Zoom
Please register if you need a Zoom link: https://library.wustl.edu/events/zotero-zoom-through-3
Here is the above list in chronological order:
February 25 (part 3), 2:00 ‒ 3:30 p.m., Introduction to Data Analysis and Visualization in R Series, Olin Library, Level A, Instruction Room 1
February 26 (part 4), 11:30 a.m. ‒ 1:00 p.m., Data Analysis and Visualization with Python Series, Olin Library, Level A, Instruction Room 3
February 26 (part 4), 2:00 ‒ 3:30 p.m., Introduction to Data Analysis and Visualization in R Series, Olin Library, Level A, Instruction Room 1
March 3, 1:00 ‒ 3:00 p.m., Introduction to Blender, Olin Library, Instruction Room 2 and also via Zoom
March 5, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m., Introductory Compute – Getting Started with High Performance Computing, via Zoom
March 5, noon - 1:00 p.m., Grant and Fellowship Application Writing, The Graduate Center, lower level of The Women’s Building, room 005
March 18, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m., Introduction to Text Analysis in Python, Olin Library, Instruction Room 3
March 19, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m., Introduction to Text Analysis in Python, Olin Library, Instruction Room 3
March 21, noon - 1:00 p.m., Approaches to Writing the Dissertation, The Graduate Center, lower level of the Women’s Building, room 005
March 22, 9:30 a.m. - noon, Book Making Workshop: Flag Book, Olin Library, Mendle Classroom, Julian Edison Department of Special Collections Reading Room, (Level 1)
March 24, noon - 12:30 p.m., Research Like a Pro: Verifying AI-Generated Content, Olin Library, Instruction Room 1 and also via Zoom
March 24, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m., Introduction to Text Mining with the HathiTrust Research Center, Olin Library, Instruction Room 2 and also via Zoom
March 26, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m., Introductory Compute – Getting Started with the RIS Scientific Compute Platform, via Zoom
March 25, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m., Introduction to Text Analysis in Python, Olin Library, Instruction Room 3
March 26, 11:00 a.m. - noon, Successful Group Writing, The Writing Center’s classroom space, Mallinkcrodt, room 132
March 26, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m., Introduction to Text Analysis in Python, Olin Library, Instruction Room 3
March 27, 1:00 - 1:30 p.m., Zotero Zoom Through, Olin Library, Instruction Room 1 and also via Zoom
March 31, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m., Data Cleaning with Python, Olin Library, Instruction Room 2 and also via Zoom
