Constitution and Citizenship Day Workshops

White text on blue background that reads Constitution Day Events at Yale Library
September 12, 2022

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