Welcome to your hub for digital research support Digital Research and Inquiry Lab
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Get to Know the DRI Lab
The Digital Research and Inquiry Lab is your comprehensive source for the use of digital technologies in support of new modes of scholarship. We can connect your digital project with the right library and campus expertise, tools, and services to meet your needs. Whether you're a faculty member starting a digital research project, an undergraduate working on a creative assignment, or a grad student developing a digital thesis, we can guide you toward resources and strategies that align with your research goals. Visit us to get matched with the support you need!
The Digital Research and Inquiry Lab, on the first floor of the University Library, serves as AU’s centralized source of expertise and technology for digital research. The Lab offers flexible seating, whiteboards, and projection capabilities for collaborative work and visualization. We also have four high-powered computer workstations equipped with specialized software for digital projects.
Beyond physical space, we offer expert guidance via one-on-one consultations, programming, and class tours in support of fostering new modes of scholarly exploration for the entire AU community. Visit us today!
What is Digital Research at AU?
Digital Research involves using modern digital technologies to enhance or supplement traditional scholarly work. The application of technology to scholarly exploration introduces new forms of analysis, enables novel research questions, and allows for innovative ways to publish and collaborate at any stage of the research process.
Contact Us
Contact us with questions or to schedule a consultation about your digital project idea.
DRI Lab Hours
| Event | Description | Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Webinar: Creating Interactive Digital Narratives with Free Tools | Explore free, easy to use digital storytelling tools, and learn how to create interactive multimedia elements, such as maps, timelines, and images, that complement your research and elevate your final projects. | Tuesday, April 14, 2026 | ||
| Software Discover Workshop Series: GitHub for Absolute Beginners | Learn the fundamentals of GitHub and version control by exploring key concepts such as repositories, commits, and basic project management workflows. | Tuesday, April 7, 2026 | ||
| Software Discover Workshop Series: Intro to R Studio (in Partnership with Girls Who Code) | Learn how to get started with R Studio, load helpful packages that will help you work with your data, and use basic commands to explore datasets. | Tuesday, March 31, 2026 | ||
| Library AI Think Tank | This is an informal listening and experimentation space for Library faculty and staff to share ideas, get new perspectives, and recognize creative uses of AI. | Tuesday, March 31, 2026 | ||
| Software Discovery Workshop Series: NVivo 101 | This session will serve as an introduction to qualitative data analysis with NVivo. You will learn the fundamentals of project setup, qualitative coding, and data exploration using the software. | Tuesday, March 24, 2026 | ||
| Webinar: Creating an Academic Website | Learn how to create a scholarly website to showcase your research using AU’s EdSpace resource. | Thursday, February 26, 2026 | 3:00pm - 3:30pm | Online |
| Library AI Think Tank | This is an informal listening and experimentation space for Library faculty and staff to share ideas, get new perspectives, and recognize creative uses of AI. | Tuesday, February 24, 2026 | 2:00pm - 3:00pm | DRI Lab |
| DRI Lab Guest Speaker Series - Benjamin Stokes | Join us for a guest talk by Benjamin Stokes, a leading AU scholar at the intersection of multimedia, games, and community engagement. His research explores how digital media can foster social impact, preserve culture, and connect neighbors. Highlighting projects that have engaged over 50 cities through libraries, museums, and community organizations, Stokes will share how creative technologies can drive equity, inclusion, and innovation. | Monday, November 3, 2025 | 3:30pm - 4:30pm | Butler Board Room |
| AI Tools in Research Series: AI-Assisted Strategies for Cleaning and Preparing Research Data | This workshop introduces strategies for using AI to write code in R that will clean and prepare your messy research datasets for analysis, visualization, or sharing. | Wednesday, October 29, 2025 | 3:00pm - 4:00pm | DRI Lab |
| AI Tools in Research Series: Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) AI for Research | Learn how to leverage a category of GenAI tools called Retrieval Augmented Generative (RAG-AI) for research. | Wednesday, October 15, 2025 | 3:00pm - 4:00pm | DRI Lab |
| AI Tools in Research Series: Using AI to Get Started with Lit Reviews | This session offers practical, research-focused strategies for using AI-supported tools to build an intentional, well-scoped literature review. | Wednesday, October 1, 2025 | 3:00pm - 4:00pm | DRI Lab |
| Scrolling Through the Past: Exploring AU History with the Digital Archives | In honor of The Eagle’s 100th birthday, join us for a presentation on researching AU History. Discover how to navigate AU’s history through our online archives to uncover valuable historical sources for your research. | Tuesday, April 15, 2025 | 3:00pm - 3:00pm | DRI Lab |
| Data Essentials Workshop Series: Manage Your Data | This session covers the qualities of a solid data management solution that keeps your research data secure, accessible, and (re)useable! | Tuesday, April 8, 2025 | 11:30am - 12:15pm | Online |
| Data Essentials Workshop Series: Clean Your Data | Discover how to bring order and clarity to your data using Marie Kondo-inspired principles in Excel! This workshop will guide you through removing duplicates, tidying columns, and transforming cluttered datasets into meaningful insights. | Tuesday, April 1, 2025 | 3:00pm - 4:00pm | DRI Lab |
| Presidential Inauguration Transcribe-a-thon | Step into the past and help bring AU’s founding documents to life at our Transcribe-a-thon. Preserve and expand access to historic university artifacts by transcribing handwritten documents from the 1890s to 1920. | Friday, March 28, 2025 | 1:00pm - 3:00pm | DRI Lab |
| Presidential Inauguration Transcribe-a-thon | Step into the past and help bring AU’s founding documents to life at our Transcribe-a-thon. Preserve and expand access to historic university artifacts by transcribing handwritten documents from the 1890s to 1920. | Thursday, March 27, 2025 | 10:00am - 12:00pm | DRI Lab |
| Data Essentials Workshop Series: Find Your Data | This introductory session shows you how to locate existing datasets within the library collections and how to evaluate their suitability for your research. | Tuesday, March 25, 2025 | 11:30am - 12:15pm | Online |