If you were able to attend the 2020 BitCurator User Forum, you may recall that participants expressed keen interest in the possibility of a study group to support archivists and digital preservation practitioners learning Python. This lively discussion emerged during the session “Jargon of/and pedagogy: BitCuratorEdu project update and brainstorming activity”, and since then, a small working group has been developing the idea. We are excited to announce that the BCC will launch a pilot Python Study Group initiative in the early summer of this year.

Our goal is to create a welcoming study space that focuses specifically on the cultivation of Python skills in order to support library and archives’ tasks and workflows, empowering practitioners to use Python in their everyday work. Many of us have attempted to learn coding languages independently using online resources, and, during conversations at BUF, many reported that a lack of confidence and time has often derailed these efforts. This group aims to help overcome these obstacles, by establishing an open and non-judgmental space that supports accountability for practitioners as they learn and implement Python together.

The response to this idea from BUF attendees was overwhelmingly positive and initially we’ll be launching a pilot project to further refine a learning model that will support this work. Thank you to the 70+ eager learners and mentors who expressed interest at BUF and signed on to pilot this BCC initiative! Following our pilot phase, we look forward to opening up participation to a much broader audience of archivists, librarians, and digital preservation practitioners–we hope you will join us!

Python Study Group Startup Coordinators

Elvia Arroyo-Ramírez

David Cirella

Jess Farrell

Shira Peltzman

Dorothy Waugh