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Certifying CISER! A Data Seal of Approval Case Study

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EDINA, University of Edinburgh
EDINA, University of Edinburgh

Stuart Macdonald served a 6-month secondment as CISER Data Services Librarian (Oct. 2013 – April 2014). Here he records his co-ordination of the CISER Data Archive application through self-assessment for Data Seal of Approval accreditation. Presented at IASSIST 2015, Minneapolis MN, USA, 3 June 2015.

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Certifying CISER! A Data Seal of Approval Case Study Stuart Macdonald Cornell Institute for Economic and Social Research (CISER) / University of Edinburgh stuart.macdonald@ed.ac.uk
6-month secondment as CISER Data Services Librarian (Oct. 2013 – April 2014) Co-ordination of the CISER Data Archive application through self-assessment for Data Seal of Approval accreditation • CISER • Stages and approaches • Lessons, observations, benefits
Cornell Institute for Economic and Social Research (CISER) Established in 1981 CISER is home to one of the oldest university-based social science data archives in the United States. CISER’s mission is to anticipate and support the evolving computational and data needs of Cornell social scientists and economists throughout the entire research process and data life cycle.
Collection of public and restricted-use numeric datasets to support quantitative research • c. 27,000 online files in addition to thousands of studies on CD/DVD Emphasis on studies that match the interests of Cornell researchers including: • demography (state/federal censuses), economics, health, labor, election studies, attitudinal and behavioral studies • family life etc. Reference and consultation service to match user needs with appropriate data: finding, accessing, using data Cornell researchers can download Winzipped data files from online catalog in formats conversant with statistical analysic software
Let’s start at the very beginning …. Gain familiarity with: DSA Guidelines (applicants & reviewers, statements of compliance ) Five fundamental criteria (online, accessible, usable, reliable, citeable) Three stakeholders (producer, repository, consumer)
Identify a cross-section of successful DSA applications and gain familiarity with content • ICPSR, Odum Institute, 3TU.DataCentrum, UKDA, ADS Assemble draft spreadsheets containing statements from successful applications pertinent to CISER Data Archive Couple with requirements from the Applicant Manual for each statement Iteration 1 Iteration 2
Weekly meetings with CISER staff (1 – 2 hours) Statements were assigned to members of staff with particular expertise (storage, security, formatting, restricted data, catalogue, metadata) Separate meetings held to discuss individual assignments Separate meetings held to update policies and craft new policies where they didn’t already exist In total 12 person weeks (principally my time plus colleagues) Submission March 2014, Award July 2014
Identified ‘quick wins’ e.g. existing policies, agreements, terms of use, guideline 0 Knowledge, workflows and procedures existed: • In people’s heads • Technical documentation • Legacy printed material (incl. policies) • Internal and external online links However information gathering and evaluation was an iterative process Easy to underestimate time required to assemble and craft new policies (such as Preservation and storage, Security, Versioning, Data Collection), mission statement , and other public facing documentation Proofreading, consistency of language, terminology, and narrative was also time consuming (‘different voices’)
Organisational and community benefits Entire exercise invaluable for clarifying and articulating organisation’s archival practices Promoting trust and confidence between the three stakeholders in the data supply chain • all are working to a common set of standards or principles Easier to conduct systematic review of technical / human processes and procedures in future As/when new compliant tools, technologies, standards emerge the archive will be better equipped to respond to necessary changes in data stewardship workflows
The application process helped to identify service gaps and areas for improvement/modernisation in archival process and procedure Raise the profile of the archive and preservation with Cornell senior managers Useful for new archive staff to obtain holistic perspective on the mechanics of a mature data archive Sound foundation for further institutional TDR exercises such as DIN 31644 (34 metrics) & ISO 16363 certificate or TDR Checklist (107 metrics)
Highlights areas of interworking and interaction between archival colleagues for purposes of streamlining of operations Contributes to the social science data archival community and the data stewardship profession by openly sharing archival processes and procedures In summary the process of applying for Data Seal of Approval was a positive learning experience for archival staff and the organisation as a whole. But more importantly it is a public pronouncement of archival intent: to demonstrate reliable and trusted access to managed research data for its academic community, both now and into the future.
Thank You. Acknowledgements: Bill Block Warren Brown Florio Arguillas Jeremy Williams Janet Heslop Irene Hawes Lynn Martin Ben Perry

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Certifying CISER! A Data Seal of Approval Case Study

  • 1. Certifying CISER! A Data Seal of Approval Case Study Stuart Macdonald Cornell Institute for Economic and Social Research (CISER) / University of Edinburgh stuart.macdonald@ed.ac.uk
  • 2. 6-month secondment as CISER Data Services Librarian (Oct. 2013 – April 2014) Co-ordination of the CISER Data Archive application through self-assessment for Data Seal of Approval accreditation • CISER • Stages and approaches • Lessons, observations, benefits
  • 3. Cornell Institute for Economic and Social Research (CISER) Established in 1981 CISER is home to one of the oldest university-based social science data archives in the United States. CISER’s mission is to anticipate and support the evolving computational and data needs of Cornell social scientists and economists throughout the entire research process and data life cycle.
  • 4. Collection of public and restricted-use numeric datasets to support quantitative research • c. 27,000 online files in addition to thousands of studies on CD/DVD Emphasis on studies that match the interests of Cornell researchers including: • demography (state/federal censuses), economics, health, labor, election studies, attitudinal and behavioral studies • family life etc. Reference and consultation service to match user needs with appropriate data: finding, accessing, using data Cornell researchers can download Winzipped data files from online catalog in formats conversant with statistical analysic software
  • 5. Let’s start at the very beginning …. Gain familiarity with: DSA Guidelines (applicants & reviewers, statements of compliance ) Five fundamental criteria (online, accessible, usable, reliable, citeable) Three stakeholders (producer, repository, consumer)
  • 6. Identify a cross-section of successful DSA applications and gain familiarity with content • ICPSR, Odum Institute, 3TU.DataCentrum, UKDA, ADS Assemble draft spreadsheets containing statements from successful applications pertinent to CISER Data Archive Couple with requirements from the Applicant Manual for each statement Iteration 1 Iteration 2
  • 7. Weekly meetings with CISER staff (1 – 2 hours) Statements were assigned to members of staff with particular expertise (storage, security, formatting, restricted data, catalogue, metadata) Separate meetings held to discuss individual assignments Separate meetings held to update policies and craft new policies where they didn’t already exist In total 12 person weeks (principally my time plus colleagues) Submission March 2014, Award July 2014
  • 8. Identified ‘quick wins’ e.g. existing policies, agreements, terms of use, guideline 0 Knowledge, workflows and procedures existed: • In people’s heads • Technical documentation • Legacy printed material (incl. policies) • Internal and external online links However information gathering and evaluation was an iterative process Easy to underestimate time required to assemble and craft new policies (such as Preservation and storage, Security, Versioning, Data Collection), mission statement , and other public facing documentation Proofreading, consistency of language, terminology, and narrative was also time consuming (‘different voices’)
  • 9. Organisational and community benefits Entire exercise invaluable for clarifying and articulating organisation’s archival practices Promoting trust and confidence between the three stakeholders in the data supply chain • all are working to a common set of standards or principles Easier to conduct systematic review of technical / human processes and procedures in future As/when new compliant tools, technologies, standards emerge the archive will be better equipped to respond to necessary changes in data stewardship workflows
  • 10. The application process helped to identify service gaps and areas for improvement/modernisation in archival process and procedure Raise the profile of the archive and preservation with Cornell senior managers Useful for new archive staff to obtain holistic perspective on the mechanics of a mature data archive Sound foundation for further institutional TDR exercises such as DIN 31644 (34 metrics) & ISO 16363 certificate or TDR Checklist (107 metrics)
  • 11. Highlights areas of interworking and interaction between archival colleagues for purposes of streamlining of operations Contributes to the social science data archival community and the data stewardship profession by openly sharing archival processes and procedures In summary the process of applying for Data Seal of Approval was a positive learning experience for archival staff and the organisation as a whole. But more importantly it is a public pronouncement of archival intent: to demonstrate reliable and trusted access to managed research data for its academic community, both now and into the future.
  • 12. Thank You. Acknowledgements: Bill Block Warren Brown Florio Arguillas Jeremy Williams Janet Heslop Irene Hawes Lynn Martin Ben Perry