Social Science Data Archive has joined the Data Preservation Alliance for Social Sciences (DataPASS)

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We are thrilled to announce that the Social Science Data Archive has joined the Data Preservation Alliance for Social Sciences (DataPASS).

Here’s some background:
The Data Archive has successfully ensured the accessibility and usability of data collected in surveys conducted by UCLA social science faculty since the 1960’s. Now there is an opportunity to strengthen and enlarge on this work through membership in the Data Preservation Alliance for Social Sciences (DataPASS). UCLA was invited in recognition of the long term high standards used in the Social Science Data Archive to maintain data collected by survey researchers. This is an exciting opportunity and honor.

What is DataPASS? http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/DATAPASS/
Partnership of organizations created to archive, catalog and preserve data used for social science research. The Data-PASS partnership works to:
• Archive social science data collections at-risk of being lost
• Catalog and promote access to archived collections in the Data-PASS shared catalog
• Replicated preservation of archived collections
• Advocate best practices in digital preservation

The Data Archive has been invited to join DataPASS with current members from:

Library of Congress
National Archives
Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
Harvard University
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Outcome of participation:
Joining DataPASS is in line with the goals set forth in the campus IT strategic plan; “enabling scholarly interaction among communities and collaborators.”
• Research data produced at UCLA will have more visibility; will provide more access to more scholars, and will have the support of the DataPASS partners to ensure the data are available and useable into the future.
• Scholarship generated at UCLA will be more impactful and will further inform our understanding of social, economic, and political behaviors and attitudes among populations worldwide.
• Data produced at UCLA will have multi-institutional support in preservation and curation to better ensure the long term usability of these materials. In particular, ICPSR has undergone a self-assessment towards becoming TRAC certified, and has recently received the Data Seal of Approval (http://www.datasealofapproval.org/). Participation in the Alliance will also satisfy requirements set forth in the Data Archive Policy on Acquisitions and Archiving, and the Archive Disaster Recovery Plan.

Please stay tuned for updates and news as we move forward with this exciting new opportunity.

Libbie Stephenson
Distinguished Librarian
Director, UCLA Social Science Data Archive
University of California, Los Angeles
Box 951484
Los Angeles, CA. 90095-1484
310-825-0716
Skype: libbie.stephenson
libbie@ucla.edu
Web: http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/issr/da
Mobile: http://dataarchives.ss.ucla.edu/mobile/