ESDS Qualidata Libby Bishop, ESDS Qualidata Economic 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 age and 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