Facilitating information access: interaction between system components (the data library and the traditional library)

During the last twenty years, social scientists involved with the establishment and administration of data archives have been making overtures to traditional libraries. But until recently, there has been almost no response. In 1957, York Lucci and Stein Rokkan proposed a "library center of survey research data." [1] In 1965, Ithiel de Sola-Pool argued cogently that "the storing of basic data... [is] a library function." [2] In 1967, Ralph Bisco addressed the question, "Why should university libraries undertake data services...?" [3] That same year, a report prepared for the National Academy of Sciences examined some of the factors which seemed to vitiate against a merger of data archives and traditional libraries. [4] In 1969, at the last conference of the Council of Social Science Data Archives, David Elesh, then director of Wisconsin's Social Science Data and Program Library Service, and Erwin Welsch, Wisconsin's Social Studies Librarian, addressed an audience composed of data archivists and librarians on "The Library of the Future." [5] In 1970, Jack Dennis, present director of the Data and Program Library Service, addressed a conference of librarians where he spoke of the need for "closer integration of the local archive into existing local university information services--particularly those provided by the traditional university library." [6] By 1971, when David Nasitir summarized the history of the data archive movement's attempts to establish a rapprochement with the traditional library [7], there was little positive activity to report. However, in commenting on a paper delivered by Constance Citro in 1968, which was concerned with the desire on the part of the Bureau of the Census to allow libraries to manage the summary tapes of the 1970 census [8], his words proved prophetic. Nasitir said, "This is the one area in which the data archive movement is converging with academic libraries....If the census tapes form the thin end of the wedge, a large number of sample survey data tapes now held in archives may follow." [9] The wedge is now in the door and the remainder of this discussion will look briefly at the evidence of its presence.