Current Students

iSkills Co-Curricular Workshops

iSkills workshops enable current students and alumni to learn professional, academic, and technical skills beyond the classroom. We offer workshops during the Fall and Winter terms.  

This page includes information related to our current roster. Further information will be provided via email. 

support.iskills@utoronto.ca

Overview

University of Toronto and Faculty of Information professors, librarians, staff, current students, alumni, and a collective of professionals and academics worked together to create the iSkills roster of workshops listed below. Together with the required curricula, these workshops create a unique and enriching educational experience. They address academic, professional, and technical competencies that can fill gaps in your resume and can support your in-class learning and professional endeavours. iSkills workshops are optional but encouraged! 

To view a catalogue of our past sessions, please view the Historical iSkills Catalogue (last updated August 2024). 

For students and alumni looking for workshop materials from previous sessions, including slides and handouts, please contact the iSkills Program Coordinator at support.iskills@utoronto.ca. 

  • Registration is required for all workshops. 
  • BI, MI, MMSt and PhD students are eligible to register for all iSkills workshops. Faculty of Information alumni are eligible to register for most iSkills workshops. 
  • Students and alumni will receive an email from the iSkills Program Coordinator with the calendar and registration links at the start of the Fall and Winter semesters. 
  • If a workshop is full, be sure to sign up for the waitlist.  We work hard to open spots for waitlisted registrants. 
  • Students can view the catalogue of Fall 2024 iSkills workshops below. Registration links can be found within each workshop page. Students can also view the entire calendar directly on LibCal. 
  • Student registration for Fall 2024 opens on Wednesday September 4, 2024, at 8:00 AM EDT. 
  • Alumni registration opens on Tuesday, September 10, 2024 at 8:00 AM EDT. Alumni can register on Eventbrite. 

Cancellations

If you are unable to attend a workshop for which you have signed up, be sure to cancel your registration at least 48 hours prior to the session. Avoiding last-minute cancellations helps ensure that other students and alumni on the waitlist have a chance to attend the workshop in your place and that instructors can accurately predict the number of attendees. 

To cancel your workshop registration, please use the link provided in your initial registration confirmation email for the workshop, and follow the on-screen instructions. If you need to cancel due to unforeseen circumstances fewer than 48 hours before the scheduled workshop, please cancel your registration with the same link, but also please email support.iskills@utoronto.ca to let us know. 

No-shows 

If you fail to attend two workshops you have registered for, you will be sent a warning email from support.iskills@utoronto.ca. After receiving this warning email, if you miss a third workshop without advance notice, you may be removed from future workshop registration lists to make room for other attendees. 

Please ensure your Zoom display name and/or the name you write on the in-person attendance sheet matches the name you registered under on LibCal or Eventbrite. This helps us accurately cross-check registration and attendance data.  

General Etiquette 

Aim to arrive 10 minutes early for in-person workshops.  If you need to leave the workshop before it ends, notify the instructor at the beginning of the session. 

iSkills workshops are not recorded.  Do not ask instructors to record their workshops. 

All questions, comments, and suggestions related to iSkills workshops can be directed to the iSkills Program Coordinator at support.iskills@utoronto.ca. 

Upcoming iSkills Workshops

Stay tuned for more upcoming iSkills workshops happening in the Fall term.

For more information and to register for workshops, visit the University of Toronto Libraries events calendar.

Showing 1-10 of 10 Workshops

Python 102: Building on the Basics

Instructor: Omer Imran, Data Analytics Specialist, Ministry of Children Community and Social Services Ontario

Do you have a bit of experience with Python? Are you interested in applying that experience to data analysis? If you’re already taken your first steps to learn Python but would like to wade beyond the shallow end, this workshop will help you learn more about one of the world’s most popular programming languages! Having some prior knowledge of Python is recommended, but you do not need to know that much: this workshop follows on from Python 101, which covers very basic elements.

Time
12 to 2:30 PM
Alumni Registration
www.eventbrite.ca

Online 2024-10-12

Grant-Writing in the GLAM Sector

Instructor: Tonya Sutherland-Stewart, Co-Founder of The Jackson Park Project

This workshop will introduce practical tools and advice for grant-writing in the context of galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM), from the lens of administration and project planning. Some of the most important parts of the grant application process happen before the actual writing even begins, including helping yourself or your team get organized and justifying which grants are (and are not) appropriate for your organization. This workshop will also share tips for record-keeping during and after the grant-writing process. Students will learn the nuts and bolts of writing grant applications and come away with some tips for success. Please join us!

Note: Students currently taking MSL2350H this Fall already have designated spots in this workshop and should not register here.

Time
10 AM to 12 PM

BL507 2024-10-15

Low-Caron Electronics Making

Instructor: Brian Sutherland, PhD, Lecturer in Design and Sustainability

The embodied energy or emergy of electronics devices represents a significant expenditure of atmospheric carbon. In this two-hour maker-style workshop, participants will explore upcycling old devices to give them new, more sustainable capabilities. The upcycled devices will operate from ambient energy and storage, either without batteries or repurposing discarded laptop batteries. From designing electronics to respect the environment and working actively to adapt them to the way we want to use them this workshop is an opportunity to reflect on new ways eWaste, the material culture substrate of information studies, can be more ethically approached.

Registrants should have basic familiarity with electricity. If you have an old unused device you are considering discarding that has speakers, like a clock radio or a boom box, please bring it!

Time
1 to 3 PM

BL520 2024-10-18

WordPress 101

Instructor: Asad Ansari, Systems Technician, E. J. Pratt Library

WordPress powers approximately 43% of all websites in the world [1]. Many institutions rely exclusively on WordPress to maintain an internet presence. In this workshop you will learn the basics of managing and creating content with WordPress. This workshop assumes prior knowledge of topics discussed in HTML & CSS 101.

Time
11 AM to 2 PM
Alumni Registration
www.eventbrite.com

Online 2024-10-19

Crash Course in Library of Congress Classification System

Instructors: Anna Slawek, Cataloguing Librarian, and Fabiano Rocha, Librarian, Japan Studies/Collection & Cataloguing Services, University of Toronto Libraries

Library of Congress Classification (LCC) is a notational system for organizing and arranging the book collections of the Library of Congress. Since its creation in 1898 as a local classification scheme, many academic and research libraries across the United States and Canada have adopted the system.

This workshop introduces participants to the basic structure and principles of LCC. Throughout the workshop, participants will have opportunities to classify topics using the LCC schedules (https://www.loc.gov/aba/publications/FreeLCC/freelcc.html).

Time
10 AM to 12 PM

Online 2024-10-21

Web Accessibility Analysis and Auditing

Instructor: James Mackey, Analyst Planning & Design at Shared Services Canada, Government of Canada

The technologies which structure our digitally-connected world are exposed to hugely diverse audiences. We particularly rely on web and internet technologies to be universally available and comprehensible, but too often they fail in this regard. This workshop will introduce students to the practical skills necessary to make web technologies more accessible. It begins with a review of conventions and frameworks for accessibility analysis, and focuses on a detailed study of web accessibility auditing practices based on WCAG 2.1 guidelines. This workshop is intended for individuals at the working level to conduct accessibility analyses of web technologies and to guide their related work. It is recommended that students first attend “Introduction to Web Accessibility for Information Organizations” to get the most out of this workshop.

Time
6 to 9 PM
Alumni Registration
www.eventbrite.com

Online 2024-10-21

WordPress 102

Instructor: Asad Ansari, Systems Technician, E. J. Pratt Library

WordPress powers approximately 43% of all websites in the world [1]. Many institutions rely exclusively on WordPress to maintain an internet presence. In this workshop you will learn some advanced WordPress topics. This workshop assumes prior knowledge of topics discussed in HTML & CSS 101 and WordPress 101.

Time
11 AM to 2 PM
Alumni Registration
www.eventbrite.com

Online 2024-11-09

Simple Book Repairs for General & Reference Collections

Instructor: Andrew Huot, Conservator, Big River Bindery

Catching damage before it gets worse is a great preservation technique. This workshop will present some simple repairs to common issues that can keep further damage from our items. These repairs require simple tools and materials, easy for any size library. Techniques covered include cleaning, hinge tightening, tip ins, and attaching loose endsheets. Once we’re done, you’ll be ready to get your books in shape for another use.

Time
3:30 to 6 PM

Bissell Building, Learning Hub, 4th floor 2024-11-12

Exhibition Design 101

Instructor: Cynthia Roberts-Pérez, Exhibition Designer, ROM

This workshop will introduce exhibition design principles, covering experiential considerations for both graphic and spatial design components. Participants will learn how to create design frameworks and analyze design choices in real-world exhibition examples. Finally, this workshop will touch on career paths in exhibition design and interpretive planning, and the connections between the fields of design, interpretation, and other museum work. Though this workshop will focus on museums, students with an interest in exhibitions of any kind are encouraged to register!

Note: Current MSL4000 (MMSt Capstone) students already have designated spots in this workshop and should not register here.

Time
9:15 to 11:45 AM

BL538 2024-11-21

Low-Budget Collections Care in Storage and Exhibitions

Instructor: Cara van der Laan, Interpretive Design Manager, Haley Sharpe

This hands-on workshop will introduce the world of collections care in both storage and exhibition contexts—and on a budget! Participants will learn a variety of ways to mount collection items cheaply but effectively, including using spider mounts, carved ethafoam pieces, and more. We will explore considerations ranging from long-term care to aesthetics to collection security. Though this workshop will focus on museums, students with an interest in material collections of any kind are encouraged to register.

Students should plan to bring a special object from home to mount and experiment with during the workshop.

Note: Current MSL4000 (MMSt Capstone) students already have designated spots in this workshop and should not register here.

Time
9:15 to 11:45 AM

BL538 2024-11-28