This Constitution and Citizenship Day, Yale University Library is celebrating the US Constitution as it relates to data and information. A series of workshops will highlight government information, the US Census, and text mining with the Constitution as a source for analysis.
To commemorate the signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1787, this Day celebrates America’s foundational document. As a designated U.S. federal depository since 1859, Yale Library’s government document collection spans from 1789 to the present, including print and digital materials.
Constitution and Citizenship Day Workshops
Finding and Using U.S. Government Information and Data
Friday, September 16, 11:00am
The United States Constitution formed the basis of our government, and subsequently, the offices, agencies and departments that generate hundreds of law, reports, documents and data sets each year. Most government information is openly available but is not always intuitive to find. This workshop will introduce major starting points for accessing government information, as well as options for organization and analysis once you have found information or data of interest.
Finding and Using U.S. Census Data
Wednesday, September 21, 3:00pm
Article I, Section 2 of the United States Constitution established the requirement of a census. This workshop will explore ways to access, search, and use data generated by the U.S. Census Bureau. Extending access and analysis to Excel, R and available APIs will also be discussed.
Introduction to Text Mining in R
Friday, September 30, 1:00pm
Look at the US Constitution through the lens of text mining! Using R, basic analyses will be performed on the text of the United States Constitution, including word frequencies and clustering as a way of exploring text as data.
Constitution and Citizenship Day Resources
- Yale Library Research Guide for Constitution Day, including many resources from Yale library collections, past events, links to lectures, and more.
- From the preamble to the 27th amendment, the entire text of the U.S. Constitution is available online through the Lillian Goldman Law Library.
- Mini-Constitutions are available online and printed copies will be available at Marx Library’s iDesk starting September 16 through September 30, while supplies last.