ESDS QualidataLibby Bishop,

ESDS QualidataEconomic and Social Data Service

UK Data Archive

ESDS Awareness Day Friday 5 December

2003Royal Statistical Society

ESDS Qualidata

• specialist function of the new UK Economic and Social Data Service (ESDS)

• hosted by the UK Data Archive

• provides access to, and support for, a range of qualitative datasets

• the work builds on Qualidata's expertise and international reputation in this area, developed over the past eight years

Qualidata: old remit

• originally an independent unit within Dept Sociology

• UK national service for acquisition, dissemination and re-use of social science qualitative research data

• used network of UK archives for deposit

• worked closely with the UK Research Council (ESRC) to operate its Datasets Policy

• outreach activities and support for creating and depositing data, resource discovery

Types of qualitative data

• diverse data types: in-depth interviews ; semi-structured interviews; focus groups; oral histories; mixed methods data; open-ended survey questions; case notes/records of meetings; diaries/ research diaries

• multi-media: audio, video, photos and text (most common is interview transcriptions)

• formats: digital, paper, analogue audio-visual

• data structures - differ across different ‘document types’

Qualitative data collections

• data from National Research Council (ESRC) individual and programme research grant awards

• data from ‘classic’ social science studies

• other funders/sources

• focus on DIGITAL Collections, but also facilitate paper-based archiving

Classic datasets

• Peter Townsend – Poverty, old ageand Katherine Buildings

• Paul Thompson – oral history and Edwardians

• Ray Pahl –Hertfordshire Villages studies

• National Social Policy and Social Change Archive

Facilitate greater usage

encouraging:• researchers to consult existing data sources• Teachers to use real data for teaching and

learning• Students to explore original data sources

• make obtaining data more straightforward

• promotion… exploit existing and new networks

ESDS Qualidata:key activities

• enhanced user guides and digital samplers

• exemplars and case studies of re-use

• online access to qualitative data

• user support and training activities to support secondary analysis of qualitative data

Enhanced user guides and digital samplers

providing a better understanding of the study and research methods

• enhanced users guides – detailed notes on study methodology and re-use; ‘behind the scenes’ interviews with depositors; FAQs

• thematic pages – combining interviews

• digital samplers of classic sociology collections

Exemplars and case studies of re-use

providing guidance on data resources and how to re-use them

• overview of ways of re-using data

• case studies of re-use including reflections and commentary

• full bibliography of re-use articles

• online ‘packaged’ training resources

• user support and training programme

Online access to qualitative data

• new emphasis on providing direct access to collection content– supports more powerful resource discovery

– greater scope for searching and browsing content of data (supplementary to higher level study-related metadata)

– since users can search and explore content directly… can retrieve data immediately

• providing access to qualitative data via common interface (Edwardians Online)

• supporting tools for searching, retrieval, and analysis across different datasets

Towards a standard format for qualitative data resources

• data needs to be preserved in a uniform resource format

• easier for provider (maintenance, tools, interchange)

• easier for user (consistency across data sets)

• DDI provides an XML framework for survey content (variables) but currently no suitable standard format for the content of qualitative data

• need a comprehensive application that will enable:

• data interchange

• sophisticated on-line searching

• retrieval from encoded texts

The Edwardians Online Pilot

Basic search and retrieve functionality

• developed online querying function based on annotation of texts and themes in XML

• keyword search interview summaries database

• keyword search interview full transcripts

• search or browse by themes from list - retrieve extracts of text in particular documents coded by that theme

• jump from extract to view in full document

• filter searchers on subsets of interviewees e.g., age, gender

Qualidata Online: Edwardians Online – Phase I

Creation of a digital multimedia resource that integrates a wealth of existing primary and secondary materials:

• a catalogue of 444 interview summaries • 5 full electronic interview transcripts • thematic browsing of interview transcripts • a collection of digital sound clips • a set of contextual images of Edwardian life • background information and press reviews on the

original Paul Thompson study • details of publications based upon secondary studies

of the collection • an account of the digitization methodology

Qualidata Online