Event box
Finding the Data: Web Scraping with Python to Find the Best Valentine's Day Gift
This workshop is offered as part of International Love Data Week 2026 “Where’s the Data?”-themed programming.
Note: This is a hands-on workshop, so please bring your laptop computer. Set up instructions to download and install Python and the necessary libraries will be sent prior to the workshop.
Where is the data and how do you find it? For something even as simple as buying a product online, there is an overwhelming amount of information to parse. With the wealth of information on the internet, how do you get just the data you need to make an informed decision on what to buy? One solution is web scraping, an automated technique used to collect, parse, and store data and information from web pages. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn how to build a web scraper using Python and the BeautifulSoup library to analyze online product reviews. By the end of the workshops, participants will use their new skills to crawl the web in search of the best Valentine’s Day gift for their loved one.
Specifically, participants will:
- Build a web scraper using Python and the BeautifulSoup library
- Understand how web data is stored in HTML
- Discuss the ethical implications of data ownership and the related limitations of web scraping
- Build a personalized dataset of product data and reviews
This workshop provides a basic, introductory overview of web scraping. Basic familiarity with Python and/or simple coding concepts is recommended. Basic understanding of HTML is recommended, but not necessary.
- Date:
- Monday, February 9, 2026
- Time:
- 12:00pm - 1:00pm
- Time Zone:
- Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
- Location:
- Sorrells Library, Den
- Campus:
- Sorrells Library
- Audience:
- Alumni Faculty Pittsburgh community Staff Students
- Categories:
- Open Science Working With Data and Code
In-Person Workshop Information:
Directions for getting to the Den of Sorrells Library:
Sorrells Library is on the 4th Floor of Wean Hall, shown on the map here. If you enter in the front of Wean Hall, take the elevator down one floor. When you exit the elevator, the library will be on your left. The Den is in the back of the library.
Automated notetaking tools and recordings not initiated by the instructor are generally not permitted in workshops. However, participants may request permission to use approved tools, such as Zoom AI Companion, for accommodation purposes. To ensure appropriate arrangements, please submit these requests to instructors at least 24 hours prior to the workshop.
Workshops and events for Carnegie Mellon University Libraries are open to all, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, ancestry, belief, veteran status or genetic information. All participants are required to follow the Code of Conduct.
If you require accessibility accommodations, please contact the event organizer.
