Data Archiving: Preserving Information for Future Use

1. Data Archiving: Preserving Information for Future Use Chris Miller KUSP

2. Library of Alexandria

3. Library of Alexandria Today

4. Preserving knowledge

5. How much ancient research and writing has been preserved? About this much

6. Data Preservation Today The amount of preserved data

7. How much SSHRC-funded data has been preserved? “[M]ore than 97% of the research data produced by SSHRC-funded projects between 1978 and 1981 cannot be located today.” – Chuck Humprey, “Preserving Research Data: A time for Action” 2003 (p. 87)

8. So what? Archiving research data is not cheap or simple. Why bother saving research data at all?

9. Secondary analysis • “Research data have analysis value beyond their initial use. They are also important in fueling new discoveries through secondary analyses and through the creation of new data by combining existing data.” – Humphrey, 85.

10. Greater economization of research money • “The production costs of data tend to be very expensive. To receive a greater return on this investment, funding agencies often require research data to be preserved for secondary use and analysis. Furthermore, when the costs of data are paid through the public purse, an additional obligation exists to ensure the proper protection of the public’s investment.” – Humphrey, 86

11. Failure to archive = Insert Grant Money Here

12. Instructional use • Archived data “may be used for comparisons of different techniques of interviews, courses for interview or for the practical application of different processes of text analysis for methodological training…” – Opitz & Witzel, 3

13. Avoids duplication • “Survey duplication … can be avoided if existing datasets that contain the required information for another researcher can be identified.” – Breusch and Holloway, 2004 (p. 224)

14. Helps prevent over-burdening respondents • “As a safeguard against over-interviewing and burdening these populations, data that are collected should be conditionally shared among researchers working with special populations.” – Humphrey 86

15. Creates an historical research record • “[I]n some cases the existence of historical data collections in an accessible form can become a valuable resource for research. There is a growing interest in studies that link and compare different datasets to learn about changes in social and economic conditions over time.” – Breusch & Holloway, 224.

16. Allows others to validate research • “Preservation is necessary so other researchers can use the data to replicate the original results, perhaps as a first step in extending the original analysis, or to challenge or confirm the original findings, or to test the robustness of these findings by applying different analytical methods.” – Breusch & Holloway, 223.

17. Without data preservation, sharing and validation… Insert Ph.D here

18. How do we preserve data? • Metadata • DDI • NESSTAR Image courtesy of scriptorium.com. Used with permission

19. Metadata • Describes books, artworks, AV materials, research data, etc. • Permits searching

20. An example of metadata • A library catalogue record: Personal Author: Phillips, Nancymarie Fortunato. Title: Berry & Kohn's operating room technique. Edition: 10th ed. / Nancymarie Fortunato Phillips. Publication info: St. Louis, MO : Mosby, c2004. Portion of title: Operating room technique Subject term: Operating room nursing. Subject term: Operating Room Nursing. Subject term: Operating Room Technicians. Added author: Berry, Edna Cornelia. Added author: Kohn, Mary Louise. ISBN: 0323019803

21. An example of “data”

22. DDI • Data Documentation Initiative • A set of “metadata rules” for archiving research data • International, updated regularly

23. DDI Tag Library: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/DDI/dtd/version2-1-tree.html

24. An example of Nesstar metadata

25. An example of Nesstar data

26. How do we archive data? • Two options: • Do it for yourselves: • Learn Data Documentation Initiative tags • Create metadata • Set guidelines for secondary use • Act as first contact for requests for secondary use

27. Or… • Let me do that stuff!  • I like doing it • I did a degree in LIS • I’ve got the haircut for it! Image courtesy of scriptorium.com. Used with permission

28. Your job…. • Fill out a rather intricate form that requires all kinds of difficult and hard-to-locate information such as: • Your name • The name of your study • The granting agency • The place you work / study (i.e., KUSP) • The topic of your study • Variables • Et cetera…

29. The Alternative:

30. Questions?