lASSIST NEWSLETTER vol. 4 nos.3&4

PRESIDENT'S REPORT ON 1981

IASSIST—IFDO CONFERENCE
Alice Robbin

This is a report on a planning meeting for the 1981

lASSIST—IFDO Conference that I attended in my capacity

as President of lASSIST. The report summarizes agreements

on the objectives of the Conference, its contents, audiences,

and lASSlST's role and responsibilities

On October 6lh and 7th, 1 attended the meeting in Paris,

France My trip was funded by the National Science

Foundation as part of its program to help international

organizations sponsor and plan professional society meetings

The interests of lASSIST correspond rather well with the

objectives of the Foundation's travel grants and, in particular,

with the French-American program of the International

Program Division In attendance was the Executive Planning

Committee, composed of French members, F. BON and B.

BOUET of the University of Grenoble, J -P GREM Y of the

University Descartes (and also a member of lASSIST), and

myself. G. MARTINOTTI, President of IFDO, was unable to

attend The meeting was a delight, and we worked steadily

with few interruptions for hours on end, all of us committed

to completing a long agenda of items and each recognizing

that we had very little time to exchange information. I am
most grateful for the careful pre-meeting planning and

enthusiasm that the French members of the Executive

Committee demonstrated and the good humor that reigned

throughout the long days.

Here are the particulars:

TITLE:

The Impact of Computerization on Social Science Research:

Data Services and Technological Developments/ L'impact de

rinformatique sur les recherches en science sociales: les

banqucs de donnees et les developpements technologiques

DATE:

September 14-18, 1981

PLACE:

University of Grenoble, Grenoble, France

CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS:

lASSIST, IFDO, Laboratoire d'lnformalique pour les

Sciences de I' Homme (LISH)/ Centre National de la

Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and the University of

Grenoble

WORKING LANGUAGES:

English and French (Sessions will have both French and

English speaking professionals who will act as infonnal

intermediaries.)

REGISTRATION FEE:

$.^5 US. or 150 FF.

PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE:

• End of October: 'Call for Papers' (By this time all

lASSIST members should have received a copy.)

• Middle of February 1981: Intention to submit a paper

should be submitted to the French Planning Commitee.
• Beginning of April 1981: Abstract of paper submitted to

the French Planning Committee (no more than 500

words).

Begirning of May 1981: Notification of acceptance of

papei

• End of June—Beginning of July 1981: Preliminary

Agenda for the Conference

This schedule should allow ample time for lASSIST members
to decide whether they want to attend the Grenoble meetings

and to apply for institutional and/or extramural funding

support. (And also to review our French)

CONFERENCE AGENDA:

Plenary Session: Title: Computers and Information: Their

Societal Impact

New Types of Research will include the processing of

large ecological files and survey, textual, historical, and

biographical data, complex data (historical, biographical,

time series, genealogical, topological, and textual): their

creation, structure, administration, and preservation, and

problems ansing from their exchange; secondary

analysis; computer mapping, and problems of

aggregation and disaggregation

New Institutions will include development of data banks

and their perspectives; politics of creating and

disseminating data, longterm storage, sociological

approaches to the data worid (producers, users, services);

information systems about data and machine readable

Files.

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lASSIST NEWSLETTER vol. 4 nos.3&4

New Tools will include networks, shared and distributed

data bases, on-line data bases; micro- and mini-

computers; data base management systems for complex

data bases and perspectives on the application of artificial

intelligence and knowledge representation; compatibility

(through translation. Pivots languages), and scienlific

information retrieval

-

' Relations between data producers and researchers

will include data description and documentation, user

needs for information and data, economics of data

services; information on organisational sources for public

and commercial data; political, organizational, and

technical problems associated with process-produced data

(public/administrative records), public opinion polls;

their quality, effects on political decision-making, access

conditions; anonymization of data (and deductive

disclosure).

As you can see this is a broad methodological, technical,

research and policy agenda for the Conference. It permits

wide participation by members of lASSIST, who can define

their own contributions within the proposed topics The

breadth of subjects is indicative of the wide range of interests

by members of lASSIST. IFDO, and the French social

scientific community

cartographic, and the forth on satellite data)

Topic 2: The Organization and Management of Data
Services. This is viewed as a working session, lasting

either a half or a whole day (in conjunction with

Topic ?i). during which time at least one individual

will discuss the political, economic, and
administrative problems associated with the

organization and management of data services;

budgeting; personnel recruitment and training (but

not to be confused with the next topic); building a

collection; user services; relationships of personnel to

users, software and computer; maintenance and

perservalion; user needs, linkages to other

information services, etc.

Topic 3: The Formation or a Professional Data Archivist

and Librarian. This is viewed as a working session,

lasting either a half or a whole day (in conjunction

with Topic 2). during which time at least one

individual will discuss problems in recruitment and

training of data services' personnel, based on

previous experience, and knowledge necessary to

provide data services Hands-on experience in the

various aspects of understanding data and providing

data services will be provided.

WORKSHOP AGENDA:

A one-day series of workshops devoted to three topics of

substantial interest to lASSIST members and the French

social research community and government agencies has been

proposed The workshops will be the responsibility of

lASSIST and its members lASSIST members should

immediately signal their interest in participating in a

workshop, submit an abstract of the objectives of their

contribution, and as extensive as possible an outline of the

proposed discussion (including the estimated length of time

required for the presentation) Copies of the abstract and

outline should be sent to lASSIST 1481 workshop chair.

Lame Ruus. and members of the Program Committee

(Robbin. McManus. Rowe. Von Brunken. Gavrel, and

Schrik. addresses found below). lASSIST will attempt to

secure travel and lodging suppori for those individuals

selected to participate in these workshops (at the same time,

individuals should attempt to locale matching funds) The

Program Committee will develop an extensive outline of the

contents of each of the workshops, to be forwarded to various

funding agencies This outline should be completed by the

middle of December; therefore, lASSIST members wishing

to participate m these workshops should contact lASSIST
Program Committee members and the President as soon as

possible.

Topic I: The Assay/Evaluation of Survey, Ecological,

Cartographic, and Satellite Data. This is viewed as

a working session (read "technical"'). lasting an

entire day. during which lime four individuals will

present the conceplu.il and methodological activities

required to evaluate the quality of data (one person on

survey data, the second on ecological, the third on

EXPOSITION/DEMC NSTRATION DURING THE
CONFERENCE:

Three areas of interest have been identified, and others are

sought.

Build the exposition around minicomputing and social

research: display of materials created and used by

lASSIST and IFDO members, with demonstrations

during the conference

• Invite data base vendors (e.g.. VIEWDATA) to

demonstrate their wares to the social science community
Invite the network people of EURONET and regional and

international network organizations (e g . CHRONOS
Data Bank of the EEC) to demonstrate on-line access and

relneval

FUNDING

The cost of attending this conference should not be

minimized In an effort to assist social and information

scientists' pariicipation in the Grenoble conference, a variety

of funding strategies are suggested. First, as President of

lASSIST, I have made application to the U.S. National

Science Foundation for a group travel grant on behalf of US
social and information scientists If awarded, the grant would

provide I."^ U.S. scientists with air travel between their home
institution and the conference (an average grant of $884)
The award will be competed for and is open to all US
scientists. Selection criteria include a good distribution

between young scientists whose professional development

will profit by attendance and experienced scientists who are

knowledgeable abt>ut social science information



lASSIST NEWSLETTER vol. 4 nos.3&4

infras(ruclure development and can conlnbute lo cooperative

social science research activity; good geographic and

institutional distribution, and a tnix of conlnbuted papers,

invited papers, and w9rkshop organizers The Selection

Committee is composed of social and information scientists

who have long been involved in efforts to develop social

science data services and in organizing access lo machine-

readable data. The Committee is chaired by Dr Joseph W.
Duncan, Director of the US Office of Federal Statistical

Policy and Standards Should the grant be awarded, lASSIST

members and other social scientists will be immediately

informed through their professional journals Instructions will

be supplied on to whom and in what form your proposed

paper should be described The grant proposal will be

submitted by January 1 , 1981 1 hope that a decision will be

forthcoming by April Isl and that the Selection Committee

will make its final decision by the end of May You are very

much encouraged lo respond immediately to the 'Call for

Papers' (directly to Frederic Bon) I will be kept informed by

the French organizers about the lASSIST members' and other

social and information scientists' interest in participating in

the Grenoble conference. Should you have any questions,

please feel free to call me

Second, lASSlST members should make every effort to

secure institutional or extramural funding support if they wish

to attend this Conference National research funding agencies

(e.g.. Social Science Research Councils and the like) have

limited amounts of funding for individual travel grants. For

example, the U.S. National Science Foundation has a limited

budget for individual awards to individuals who have been

Invited to organize a special session or lecture at a plenary

session of an international scientific meeting Other national

funding bodies have funds for individuals who will give

papers/communications in sessions at international scientific

meetings. Since there Is ample time to make special requests

for institutional support, this strategy should be employed.

Third, an effort will be made to Interest data processing and

minicomputer manufacturers to assist in the conference. All

ideas on this front are solicited from the members of

lASSIST Please contact me if you have any thoughts on this

matter.

lASSIST IS an iniernaiional organization It was organized lo

refiecl the needs of professionals involved in providing data

services. Also included in its mandate is the objective of

providing the expertise from among Us members to assist In

developing data services in countries where this need has

been articulated. The French scholarly community has

requested our assistance in the planning and in the success of

this Conference It behooves each of us to diffuse the

knowledge and experience we have gained in providing data

services. This international Conference will allow us to do

just that. 1 look eagerly for your enthusiasm and commitment
to making this Conference a success.

lASSIST 1981 Workshop Chair

Lalne Ruus, Data Library. Computing Centre. University of

Bntish Columbia, 2075 Wesbrook Place, Vancouver, British

Columbia, Canada V6T IW5

Program Committee Members (lASSIST)

1

.

Alice Robbin. President. lASSIST. Oata and Program

Library Service. University of Wisconsin—Madison,

4452 Social Science Building, Madison, Wisconsin

53706 (tel. no.: (608) 262-7962)

2. Sue Gavrel, Machine Readable Archives, Public Archives

of Canada. 395 Wellington Street. Ottawa. Ontario KIA
0N4 Canada

3. Judith Rowe. Computer Center. Princeton University. 87

Prospect Avenue. Princeton. New Jersey 08544. USA
4. Henk Schnk. Slelnmetz Archives. Herengracht 410-412,

1017 BX Amsterdam, The Netherlands

5. Nancy McManus, Social Science Research Council, 1755

Massachusetts Ave., N.W. Washington, DC. 20036
USA

6. Erika Von Brunken, Medical Information Center,

Karollnska Institutel, S-104 01 Stockholm. Sweden

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