Advances in Data Preservation: The Roper Center Archive Approach

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Advances in Data Preservation The Roper Center
Archive Approach

• Cynthia Teixeira
• The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
• University of Connecticut
• IASSIST Conference 2003, Ottawa, Canada

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Overview

• Introduction to Center
• Challenges to the Archive
• Pilot Project
• Multi-Track Approach
• Current Status of the Archive
• Future

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The Roper Center

• Introduction to the Roper Center
• Founded just after World War II
• Largest archives of public opinion data
• 8000 US studies
• 7000 Foreign studies

• Purpose
• To acquire and preserve public opinion data and
  relevant documentation
• To make available the data for secondary analysis
  
• To provide support in the use of these data

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Archive Challenges

• Mainframe computing
• Quality of documentation and the variety of
  formats (Microsoft Word, Word Perfect, ASCII
  text, OSIRIS codebooks, paper)
• Various data formats (Column binary, flat ASCII,
  SPSS)
• Identity items included in the data files
• Incomplete catalog records

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Pilot Project

• Fortune Magazine Collection
• Begin in Spring 2000
• 75 studies from 1938-1949
• Reasons for choosing the collection
• Column binary data
• Condition of the documentation
• Number of studies

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Multi-Track Approach

• Conversion of all documentation to electronic
  files
• Addressing concerns about data confidentiality
  and responsible use
• Converting older data format files to more
  standard formats
• Improving catalog records for each study

www.RoperCenter.uconn.edu
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Completed Data Collections

• ABC/Washington Post
• American Soldier Surveys
• Associated Press
• CBS News/New York Times
• Gallup/Cable News Network/USA Today

• Gallup News Service
• NBC News/Wall Street Journal
• Princeton Survey Research Associates (PSRA)
• Fortune Magazine
• Roper Reports
• Yankelovich Partners

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Status of the US Archives,January 2003
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Future Archival Developments

• Standardization of all studies within the Archive
• IP authentication
• DDI implementation
• Implementation of Express data set download
• Acquisitions

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