Skip to Main Content
“Brandeis

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)


GIS Services at Brandeis Library


Brandeis Library provides research and instructional support for students, faculty, and staff who're interested in integrating geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, digital storytelling tools (e.g., ArcGIS StoryMaps), and maps into their research.

 
How We Can Help 

  • We can assist you with issues you may experience in regard to finding, evaluating, and preparing data for use in GIS projects. 
  • We provide basic support for adding/creating, editing, symbolizing, analyzing, and presenting data in our supported software packages (ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS StoryMaps, ArcGIS Experience, Esri Field Apps, Google Earth, QGIS, R, Social Explorer, etc.)
  • We can help you interpret geospatial file types, extensions, and common error messages.
  • We can guide you toward documentation and other help resources if you need assistance conducting advanced or discipline-specific analyses in GIS.
  • We regularly work with faculty who are interested in integrating GIS, remote sensing, and digital storytelling assignments / modules into their courses. We can provide recommendations for sample lesson plans, best practices, readings, etc.


Whom We Can Help 

Our GIS support services are limited to current Brandeis students, faculty, and staff.
 

Methods of Support

  • Individual and group consultations (via Zoom or email)
  • In-class instruction or online instruction via Zoom
  • Topic or software-specific workshops (regularly scheduled and by request)
  • Drop-in support during Digital Scholarship Collab Lab hours


Types of Support Not Provided  

  • Solutions to GIS course assignments.
  • Conducting analyses and/or evaluating the accuracy of research methodologies used within researchers' GIS projects. We can provide general guidance with using GIS software, but it is the responsibility of individual researchers to construct and evaluate the methodologies used within their GIS projects.  
     

Content adapted from NYU Libraries GIS guide.


Brandeis Library GIS Workshops


Brandeis Library offers free workshops for members of the Brandeis community. We currently offer workshops on ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS StoryMaps, Esri field apps, QGIS, R and ggplot, Social Explorer, and Google My Maps.

If you are a current Brandeis community member, you can also:

  • Book an appointment with our GIS Librarian or Digital Literacy Instruction Librarian to discuss how GIS can be used to support your research.
  • Visit our library's weekly GIS drop-in hours. Check our library's workshop calendar to confirm drop-in hours for that week.
  • Contact us to see if we have a recording of a past GIS workshop that we can share with you.
  • Submit a request for a GIS workshop. We can tailor the workshop to your discipline(s) or teach a general workshop. We just ask that there are 3 or more people interested in attending the session.

GIS & Mapping Guides


Check out some of our related guides for more information about specific GIS software, finding data, maps, and more.