Large Languages Models can be used to extract structured data from unstructured text, or to refine the structure of existing data. As with any application of LLMs in research there are dangers in this approach, of course. This workshop will explore some methods and applications of approach.

Objectives: You will gain a basic understanding of how LLMs may be used to process data for research purposes, and you will be introduced to some tools and techniques for applying this approach to your own data.

Completion of this workshop can contribute to a partial requirement of the University of Alberta Professional Development program by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. Information on how attendance will be recorded will be discussed in the workshop.

About the Instructor: Peter Binkley is the Digital Scholarship Technologies Librarian, and has been a librarian at the U of A for 24 years. His focus is on helping students and researchers apply digital techniques to their scholarship (broadly defined). This includes areas like the sharing of research online using durable static websites, the use of core digital tools like git and python, and most recently the use of local Large Language Models to apply AI techniques to research problems safely and securely. He has an MLIS and a Ph.D. (in Medieval Studies, working on 13th- and 14th-century Latin texts and manuscripts). Any questions about the workshop can be directed to peter.binkley@ualberta.ca.