13 February 2009 ESDS – what’s in it for librarians?Royal Statistical Society

The strange case of the local data librarian -

a peculiarly Edinburgh perspective!

Stuart Macdonald (stuart.macdonald@ed.ac.uk)

EDINA National Data Centre - http://edina.ac.uk/Edinburgh University Data Library - http://datalib.ed.ac.uk/

13 February 2009 ESDS – what’s in it for librarians?Royal Statistical Society

Overview

• Definition• EDINA National Data Centre• Edinburgh University Data Library• Data Library Services• ESDS Expertise• DISC-UK • International Perspective

13 February 2009 ESDS – what’s in it for librarians?Royal Statistical Society

A A data librarydata library refers to both the content and refers to both the content and the services that foster use of collections of the services that foster use of collections of numeric and/or geospatial data sets for numeric and/or geospatial data sets for secondary use in research. A data library is secondary use in research. A data library is normally part of a larger institution (academic, normally part of a larger institution (academic, corporate, scientific, medical, governmental, corporate, scientific, medical, governmental, etc.) established to serve the data users of etc.) established to serve the data users of that organisation. that organisation.

The data library tends to house local data The data library tends to house local data collections and provides access to them collections and provides access to them through various means (CD-ROMS/DVDs or through various means (CD-ROMS/DVDs or central server for download). A data library central server for download). A data library may also maintain subscriptions to licensed may also maintain subscriptions to licensed data resources for its users to access. data resources for its users to access.

A Data Library defined by:

13 February 2009 ESDS – what’s in it for librarians?Royal Statistical Society

EDINA & University Data Library (EUDL)

• EDINA and University Data Library (EUDL) together are a division within Information Services of the University of Edinburgh.

• EDINA is a JISC-funded National Data Centre providing national online resources for education and research.

• The Data Library assists Edinburgh University users in the discovery, access, use and management of research datasets.

13 February 2009 ESDS – what’s in it for librarians?Royal Statistical Society

• Mission statement: “..to enhance the productivity of research, learning and teaching in UK higher and further education..”

• Networked access to a range of online resources for UK FE and HE

• Services free at the point of use for use by staff and students in learning, teaching and research through institutional subscription

• Focus is on service but also undertake R&D (projects services)

• delivers about 20 online services • has about 10 major projects (including services in development)• employs about 75 staff (Edinburgh & St Helens)

EDINA National Data Centre

13 February 2009 ESDS – what’s in it for librarians?Royal Statistical Society

Edinburgh University Data Library

- first such service in the UK, started in 1983

• Primarily within social sciences

• Data Collection covering:Large scale government surveys Macro-economic time series Financial time series Population census dataGeospatial data

• Specialised in data for Scotland and GIS

• Teaching and (JISC-funded) projects

• Institutional representative for national data services

13 February 2009 ESDS – what’s in it for librarians?Royal Statistical Society

Finding…Finding…

Match research topic to data resources such as surveys, Match research topic to data resources such as surveys, censuses, databases and provide information on other censuses, databases and provide information on other libraries, archives, government agencieslibraries, archives, government agencies

Accessing …Accessing …

Assist with registration and acquisition of data from national Assist with registration and acquisition of data from national data services such as ESDS. Demonstrate custom interfaces data services such as ESDS. Demonstrate custom interfaces to download data or provide files online / on disk.to download data or provide files online / on disk.

Data Library Services

13 February 2009 ESDS – what’s in it for librarians?Royal Statistical Society

Using …Using …

Interpret codebooks and online documentation, help choose Interpret codebooks and online documentation, help choose variables to use in analysis, or customise users’ data in e.g. Excel, variables to use in analysis, or customise users’ data in e.g. Excel, SPSS . Assist with importing of spatial data into GIS for thematic SPSS . Assist with importing of spatial data into GIS for thematic mapping. Merge and match users data with recognised mapping. Merge and match users data with recognised Sources such as NSPD, deprivation scores.Sources such as NSPD, deprivation scores.

Managing …Managing …

Advise on storing, versioning, documenting, anonymising and Advise on storing, versioning, documenting, anonymising and formattingformattingresearchers’ data so that it can be shared or preserved for future use in researchers’ data so that it can be shared or preserved for future use in an archive or repository (e.g. Edinburgh DataShare)an archive or repository (e.g. Edinburgh DataShare)

13 February 2009 ESDS – what’s in it for librarians?Royal Statistical Society

ESDS Expertise

ESDS User Guides • Accessing IMF International Financial Statistics via Beyond 20/20 WDS• Guide to British Household Panel Survey

Analysis and methods guides• How to use statistical analysis guides

Online Data Services guides• Exploring data online using the ESDS Nesstar Catalogue

Preservation & sharing guidelines• RELU data management plan• New UKDA manage and share data section• Good practice in data documentation

13 February 2009 ESDS – what’s in it for librarians?Royal Statistical Society

DISC-UK (Data Information Specialists Committee – UK) - http://www.disc-uk.org/

“a forum for data professionals working in UK Higher Education who specialise in supporting their institution's staff and students in the use of numeric and geo-spatial data”

• Edinburgh University Data Library• Oxford Data Library (Nuffield College)• LSE Data Library & Research Laboratory Data Service• Southampton University Library

JISC-funded DISC-UK DataShare project

Investigate the legal, cultural and technical issues surrounding research data sharing within UK tertiary education community

13 February 2009 ESDS – what’s in it for librarians?Royal Statistical Society

International Perspective

• IASSIST – International Association for Social Science information Service and Technology - http://www.iassistdata.org/

• CESSDA - Council of European Social Science Data Archive - http://www.cessda.org/ - gateway to European social science data

• ICPSR – Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research - http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/

• IFDO - International Federation of Data Organizations - http://www.ifdo.org/

13 February 2009 ESDS – what’s in it for librarians?Royal Statistical Society

THANK YOU!

Washed out Images: Daniel Kohn’s Photostream from Flickr