The Reference Guide to Data Sources

Reference questions seeking the raw data that lies behind statistics is a service that has been mostly handled by academic research libraries. Yet with the growth of the Internet and the rise of relatively easy to use statistical software packages, these queries have increased at public and even high school libraries. Many of these same libraries, however, do not purchase access to subscription databases. Thus this book provides the service of directing reference librarians at these institutions to freely available online sources of micro- and aggregate data, data from surveys, censuses and administrative records, and cross-sectional, longitudinal and time-series data. The types of data that might be sought are broken in 24 categories, such as crime, earth sciences, economics, or health care. Each chapter provides some sources specific to the US, some international sources, and some minor sources of specialized data. Although Appendix A notes that there is currently no specification for citing data sets in the latest editions of the Chicago, APA or MLS style manuals, it recommends the International Association for Social Science Information Services and Technology's Quick Guide to Data Citation, and provides a brief example. The second appendix provides guidance in using the open-source Survey Documentation and Analysis (SDA) software. Annotation c2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)