Data Horror Stories: Avoid a Research Nightmare In-Person
What: There are many examples of data horror stories you can learn from to avoid problems with your own projects in the future.
Why: Data management is not easy! Learning from past examples of improper planning and unforeseen events disrupting research can help us be better data stewards in the future.
How: This is a free 2-hour in-person workshop, consisting of lecture, interactive poll questions, and discussion. We will review real-life data horror stories and provide advice for avoiding data disasters in the future. Have you lived through a research nightmare? 👻 Submit your story today!
Where: Classrooms 102 & 103 on the First Floor of Countway Library. Lunch options will be provided.
Who: This seminar is open to all! There are no prerequisites or assumptions of knowledge. In-person workshops are open to Harvard University ID holders only.
Instructors:
- Julie Goldman, BS, MLIS, Research Data Services Librarian, Countway Library
- Meghan Kerr, MLIS, Records Manager/Archivist, Center for the History of Medicine
- Ashley Thomas, MLIS, MA, Health Science Data and Digital Services Librarian, Countway Library
Come learn from these data disasters, share their own personal examples of data hell, and celebrate the spooky Halloween season with colleagues in a welcoming and encouraging environment!
- Date:
- Wednesday, October 29, 2025
- Time:
- 12:00pm - 2:00pm
- Time Zone:
- Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
- Location:
- Countway Floor 1: Room 102
- Campus Location:
- Harvard Longwood Campus
- Categories:
- Classes Data Management > RDM Seminar Series Records Management
Fall 2025 Research Data Management Seminar Series
- September 17 - Better Research I: Managing Research Data Efficiently (online)
- September 30 - Better Research I: Managing Research Data Efficiently (in-person)
- October 15 - Research Management: Project and Lab Onboarding (online)
- October 29 - Data Horror Stories: Avoid the Nightmare (in-person)
- November 4 - Research Management: Roadmap for Data Retention Policies & Practices (online)
- November 5 - Data Literacy: Intro to GIS, maps and data with the Harvard Map Collection (in-person)
- November 20 - Better Research II: Writing a Data Management and Sharing Plan (online)
- November 25 - Better Research II: Writing a Data Management and Sharing Plan (in-person)
- December 3 - Better Research III: Data Sharing in Repositories (online)
- December 9 - Research Management: Data Organization and Sharing in Open Science Framework (in-person)
Seminar Audience
- Seminars are free and open to all faculty, research staff, postdoctoral researchers, and students from all disciplines.
- In-person workshops are open to Harvard University ID holders only.
- Online webinars are open to the public research community.
- While content will focus on Harvard policies and resources, participants from other institutions may find the concepts useful.
Seminar Accessibility
- Harvard Library is committed to making our workshops accessible to everyone.
- If you require an accommodation to fully participate in the workshop, please contact Julie Goldman to discuss options.
Need help with data management? Feel free to book a 30 minute meeting slot with me.
Happy to help with data organization, cleaning, and sharing for fostering reproducible workflows and open science!