iAiiiJiST Newsletter, Vol. c", No. i (bummer lyYb)

BUUK Ht;ViEW3

Social Science Data Archives: 6. "Social Science Arcnives
Applications and Potential - and Confidentiality."
Special issue ot American Kicnard l. Hol'ferbert

.

behavioral Scientist. Volume
ly (Marcn-April ly/'b). tdited This special issue of the Ameri-
by Richard 1. Hofferbert and can Behaviroal Scientist is devoted
Jerome M. Clubb. Information to the developments, problems, and
about availaoility of issue implications lor research and
may be obtained from: Uavlin instruction resulting from the
Publications, INC., Ijb^l growth and diversification of data
Alondra Boulevard, Santa Fe archives since the late 19iOs. The
Springs, California yUbYU. archives examined are multiple ser-
inquiries from the U.K., vice organizations devoted basi-
turope , the Middle tast, and cally to acquisition of data from
Africa should be sent to Sage diverse sources, organization and
Publications Ltd., St. documentation of data for use by
George's House, 44 Hatton Gar- persons other than those responsi-
den , London ECINdKH. ble for original data collection,

and dissemination of these data in

Ttie contents include: machine-readable form to users not
physically proximate to the archive

1. "Machine-readable Data itself, rather than local, single
Production by the Federal university-based services.
Government: Access to
and Utility for social Michael w. Traugott and Jerome
Kesearch." Michael w. M. Clubb consider some of the major
Traugott and Jerome M. categories of federally produced
Clubb. data resources, means of access,

difficulties confronted in tnier
t! . "I'lne Less Ubvious t-unc- use, and developments that may

tions of Archiving Survey eventually provide more effective
Research Data." Warren access to the resources of the fed-
i. . Miller. eral government by social scien-

tists. In his analysis of the his-
i. "I'he Historian and Social torian's relation to social science

Science Uata Archives in data, Allan G. Bogue complements
the United States." Traugott and Clubb by outlining the
Allan G. Bogue. development of academic archives as

well as efforts by public agencies.
4. "Uata Services in Western

Europe: Heflections on Stein Po;<kan reviews the situa-
Variations in the Condi- tion in the seventeen political
tions of Academic insti- systems of Western Europe keeping
tution-Building ." Stein in mind the need to begin with an

Kokkan. elementary analysis of the "insti-
tutional landscape" of eacn coun-

"2. "instructional Appiica- try. He perceives the data service
tions of Uata Archive as a response to the intellectual
Resources." Betty A. challenge of quantitative methods
Nesvold. and statistical techniques in the

social sciences and to the techno-



iAiiSiST Newsletter, Vol. 2, No. 3 (Summer 1978)

logical challenge of newly research. Because of their cen-
developed computer systems. Hokkan traility in providing machine-read-
presents a schema that graphically able files of social science data,
depicts the developments of data Hofferbert calls upon the major
archives as well as a portrayal of archives to assume a leadership
the Norwegian situation and eluci- role in implementing procedures to

dates the strategies necessary to prevent problems involving the con-
systematize the storage of informa- fidentiality ol' data,
tion

.

'Ihis issue of the American beha-
Wniie the three essays treated vioral Scientist should stand as a

above delineate the state of the major critical and evaluative
art of data archives and the statement on the role of social
mechanisms for access to them, the science data archives in the mid-
remaining three pieces in the ABS seventies. It is unique in its

special issue present topics that contribution to the data archive
run accross the boundaries of time literature because it is authored
and nation. Warren K. Miller's mainly by users of data archives
discussion of the "less obvious rather than by archivists them-
functions" of archiving survey data selves. It, in tandem with the

considers tne effect of the data Drexel Library Quarterly special
archive on the sociology of the issue on data archives (reviewed in

social sciences. He views the lASSIST Newsletter 1 ; 4: :iY-iti ; ,
pro-

"invisible college" of scholars as vides a dual perspective on tne

being replaced by a collectivity of role ol data archives in the infor-
scholars who are joined together by mation system of the social scien-
virtue of shared access to archived tist. Highly recommended as an

bodies of data central to their important set of statements by

common intellectual endeavors. active social scientists.

Betty A. Nesvold's argument that
social science instruction should Luedke, James A., Jr.; Kovacs,
include training in research meth- Gabor J.; and Fried, John B.

ods and experiences with machine- "Numeric Data Bases and Sys-
readaole data much in the same way terns." In Annual Heview ot

as beginning chemistry students are Information Science and lech-
trained in a laboratory is based on nology, volume ^2, pp.
the supposition that modes of liy-lttl. t.dited by Martha t.

.

learning should be matched with Williams. White Plains, New
modes of discovery. She surveys York: Knowledge Industry
tne few available packages for tne Publications, Inc. (for the

teaching of statistical methods and American Society for Informa-
offers examples of custom construe- tion Science), 1977. ISSN:

tion of data based instructional OObb-i^^UL). ISNB:

materials. U-9 T4^ib-1 1 - j . CUUtN:
AHlSBc. LC Catalog Card Num-

The final essay by Kichard 1. ber : bfa-^b09D . Price: *35.00.
Hofferoert confronts the problein of
confidentiality and data archives. This first Annual Keview of
Hofferbert states that the poten- Information Science and Technology
tial noncooperation that could (APIST) to include a chapter
result from public breaches of con- devoted to numeric data bases and

fidentiality could destroy social systems ranges across data bases
science credibility and cripple

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iAii:ii:il' Newsletter, Vol. c", No. i caummer lyya;

lor science, technology, the social
sciences, economics, and business.
Ihe review addresses issues rele-
vant to the development and use ol

computerized scientific, technical,
social, economic, and linanacial
numeric data bases and systems
empnasizing on-going rather than
historical activities.

Stuttgart: Klett-Cotta, lyYY.
ISBN: 3-1i^-9no^U-B. Price;

Ha
Chara
Numer
sioii

;

Bases
bases
eting
n yin s

raphy
to as
types
data
ably
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data
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topics su
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Initial isin

While this
numeric d

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the social
e IS a se

bases wh
e nature o
then cite
discipl in

tGlS, KLSt:

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are mentio
the end

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rveyed inc
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velopment

,

e huture;
s; and Bib

survey in
ata bases o

ctions focu
sc iences

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ction on av
ich first
f social sc
s available
e: educa
UlS; demogr
UUALabs.

ned in one
of this se

lude :

Data;
scus-
Uata
Data

Mark-
Acro-
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Paul Mull
of critical
topic of
wliicn emerge
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ings of th
Association
has discusse
in an early
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as "all data
lected lor
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surveys) , b

ducts or tra
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lASSlST
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eric term
not col-

r scien-
nsuses or
d by-pro-
ily rout-
organiza-
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ude

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1. "Die
basis d

InteraK
Theor ie
IKnglis
Changin
Sociolo
between
icisum

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Scheuch
trates
ical re
ing the
the "c
researc
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view of
process
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search
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wechselnd
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und
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on the me
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Mullt", Paul J., ed . Die Analyse
prozeB-produzier ter Daten
tEnlgish trans.: The Analysis
of Process-Produced DataJ.

"Die Buchfuhrung der Ver-
waltungen als sozialwis-
senschaftliche Datenba-
sis." ^Knglish trans.:
"Administrative Bookkeep-
ing as a Social Science
Data Base,") by wolfgang
Bick and Paul J. Muller.



lA^iiiiST Newsletter, Vol. ^, No. i (Summer 197b)

Presented in a snortened
form at the yUANTUM/iiSHA-
Uonterence, "Wuantitica-
tion and Methods in
Social Science Research:
Possibilities and Prob-
lems with the Use of His-
torical and Process-Pro-
duced Data," University
of Cologne, August lU-li',

1977- The essay focuses
upon the need to study
the representational
nature of administrative
bookkeeping, ana to work
out the kinds of
approaches that seem most
promising with the use of
these kinas of data.

:5. "vjrenzen und Mogiich-
keiten der Verwendung von
Strafakten als Urundlage
Kr iminologischer For-
schung." (English
trans.: "Possibilities
and Problems with the Use
of Punishment Pecords as
a Data Base for Criminol-
ogy,") by ul Wiebke Stef-
fen. Examines the use-
fulness of thse data not
for the analysis of
clients' behavior, but
for propositions about
the data generating
organizations .

4. "VerKnupfung und Gener-
ierung von Mikrodaten."
CEnblish trans.: "Link-
age and Generating of
Microdata,") Dy Klaus
Kortmann and Hans-Jurgen
Krupp. Reports on the
record linkage procedures
employed in linking up
the various West German
censuses

.

5. "Prozeti-produzier te Uaten
in der Rechtssozologie .

"

(Englisli trans.: Pro-

cess-Produced Data within
the Sociology of the
Law,") by Volkmar Gess-
ner, Barbara Rhode, Ger-
hard Strate and Klaus A.

Ziergert describes the
project design for a mul-
ti-level and multi-file
analysis of the insol-
vency situation of vari-
ous business and concen-
trates on the dillerent
"images" insolvency has
in various record-keeping
systems

.

b. "Datenverarbeitung als
guellenkritik.'" by fcrd-

mann Weyrauch reports on
the use of sampling tech-
niques for the analysis
ol' medieval tax lists.

7. "Mobilitat und soziale
der wurttembergischen
Fabrikarbeiterschaft im
19. Jahrhunder t ," by
Peter Borscheid and Heil-
wig Schomerus discusses
the analyses of various
19th century records,
especially the potential-
ities of records kept at
the end or beginning of a

marriage (Teilungen or
Inventuren) to construct
quantitative life histo-
ries of earning, life
style and consumption,
oriented to the expecta-
tion of income (a la M.

hriedraan's "permanent
income hypotheses.")

This volume is a substantial
contribution to an expanding com-
prehension of what constitutes
relevant material for research.
Data archivists should obtain this
Item and pass it on to their clien-
tele. Highly recommended.

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lAiJSioT Newsletter, Vol. 2, Wo. j tSummer l^/ttj

White, Howard U. ed . deader in "Archive-Library Helations," A
ilachine-HeadaDle ijocial Data. critical issue for information pro-
Englewood , Colorado: Informa- fessionals, is the third section
tion handling Services, 1977. which considers a spectrum of
lAddress: Information Han- organizational structures to encom-
dling Services, Library and pass the overlapping missions of
t.ducation Division, Box 1154, tnese two institutions. Intellec-
b.nglewooa , Lolorado dUllUK tually archives are a coherent com-
Liorary ol Congress Catalog ponent in the social science infor-
Card Number: I ( -id'i i2 . ISBN: mation model, but practically
U-91 uyy^'-YO-^' . Price: ^ly.UU neither archives nor libraries have

been able to integrate their ser-
ine treatment of social data as vices for maximum benefit to the

a topic for the Headers in Librari- user,
anship and Information Science ser-
ies IS formal recognition by the Bibliographic control is exa-
information community that the mined in section four, "Indexing
field of data archiving is a major and Cataloging Social Science
component ot the social science Uata." Various strategies of docu-
information system. Howard D. mentation as well as actual pro-
»Jhite, who edited the Drexel gress made in the cataloging of
Library Quarterly issue on machine-readable records are
Machine-Headable Social science treated by leading planners, libra-
Data tsee lASSlST NEWSLETTER: rians, and archivists.
1;'^:i7-Jtt) and who did his doctoral
thesis on library/data archive The final section, "The World of
relations (see lASSlST Newsletter the Data Specialist," examines the
1;3:'^9-il), tias compiled an anthol- management ot data archives as the
ogy ot major formative articles on frontier ot librar ianship. 'I'he

the history, rationale, and struc- special skills and wide range of
ture of data archives. technological and subject expertise

needed to organize and run archives
the Header is divided into five on a daily basis are articulated

sections. The first, "Numerical and discussed.
Data in the Social Sciences,"
introduces key problems of social The Header is a basic sourcebook
science data in machine-readable for the practicing and beginning
torm. Articles locus on the poten- data archivist. The former will
tial of archives for research and find codifaction of practice and
archive under-util ization due to some of the philosophical bases on
lacK of users' knowledge about winch the field is built. The lat-
their holdings. The second sec- ter will obtain a preliminary sur-
tion, "Major Data Suppliers," pro- vey of the range of skills and
vides descriptions of major files resources needed for effective data
such as the U.S. Census Data of archiving,
machine-readable records in the
U.S. National Archives; and cen- White has pulled together writ-
ters such as the Inter-University ings by prominent data archivists
Consortium for Political and Social and social scientists which provide
Research, The Hoper Public Opinion a multifaceted approach to this
Center, the National upinion emerging tield. Working archivists
Research Center, and the Project will want the book as a reference
TALENT Data Bank. and intellectual rationale tor

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lAii^iar Newsletter, Vol. 2, No. i (Summer 19/b)

their daily work; students of
liDrary and information science
will turn to the Feader as the
tirst collection ol widely scat-
tered materials to be made conven-
iently available; and social scien-

tists will find the Header a

coherent introduction to the
expanding array of resourcesand
services to facilitate extended
analysis. The Reader is highly
recommended to all three groups.

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