Better TogetherPartnering to Provide Data Services

Karen Hogenboom, University LibraryMaryalice Wu, Director Applied Technologies in the Liberal Arts and Sciences

Overview• Who we are• How we got started on data services,

even with limited resources• How we built our services• Our plans for the future• Challenges in providing data

services• Questions

Background of ATLAS

•

Social Science Quantitative Lab (SSQL)

Data RepositoryInter Consortium of Political and Social Research (ICPSR)

OCCSS and CRESS

Data Services, Statistics and GIS consulting, Telephone Surveys

Campus Collaboration with Campus Information Technologies and Educational Services (CITES)

Campus Restructuring and Termination of Campus Support for the Social Science

Support

Applied Technologies for Learning in the Arts and Sciences

•

Data Services, Statistics and GIS

consulting

Data Repository Data Archivist

Graduate Students

Survey ResearchResearch Coordinator

Graduate StudentsUndergraduate Interns

Services for LAS• Open lab• Drop in consulting• Workshops• Data preparation• Survey research

Library Context 2007-2008• Little funding for new positions• No in-house expertise available to

consult with users• Government Documents Library

slated for closure at the end of the academic year

• Scholarly Commons in early planning stages

Library’s Goals• Be more relevant to the researchers

on campus• Go beyond published statistics in

providing statistical reference service

• Help researchers to use the data in our federal depository collection

• Begin helping GIS users

Phase 1• Data Services Taskforce– Provide Electronic Data Assistance to

Campus–Making Data Sources Searchable– Sharing Resources

• Personnel and Budget– Cross Training One consultant sitting at a Reading Room computer one afternoon per week

Phase 2: Training Librarians

• 300-level geography course for GIS• Shadow ATLAS consultant

Workshops on using ICPSR and Roper data, taught by ATLASMove to more private consulting space

Phase 3: Increase Visibility• Dedicated service space• Flyers • Data Purchase Program• Dedicated librarian

GIS workshop taught by library school studentService offered 4-5 afternoons weekly

Phase 4: Expand Services• Add Survey Research Lab as a partner• Permanent committee supports instruction and

data purchase program• Expanded space for Scholarly Commons

Additional workshops on finding and downloading Census data, using Census data in ArcGIS, using ICPSR for data management Service offered by librarians and partners five after- noons per week

Future Plans• Permanent GIS Specialist• Upcoming Research Data Services

initiative and staffing• Granular workshops on managing

data

Challenges

• Promotional – getting the word out!• Appropriate scope of services• Appropriate depth of services, which

leads to more challenges…– Access to expertise– Range of expertise

Questions?

• Karen Hogenboom – hogenboo@illinois.edu

• Maryalice Wu – malice@illinois.edu