Social Science Data Archives: Case Studies in Data Sustainability

There has been a sizeable investment in the development of large-scale data and appropriate infrastructures in the physical and biological sciences and increasingly in the social sciences and humanities. Concerns about data sustainability have attracted a great deal of attention as research project data collection represents a significant investment, and loss of subsequent use of that data represents a loss of potential value.  In this poster, we focus on of the most long-lived examples of data archives: Social Science Data Archives (SSDAs).  SSDAs provide a long view on these topics as they predate both computers and the Internet. They also provide a unique opportunity to examine perceptions about what makes an archive sustainable over long periods of time, through the ups and downs of funding cycles and massive changes in technical and organizational infrastructure.  In this study, we report on preliminary research on the historical, institutional, and operational dimensions over SSDAs over time.  Drawing upon analyses of institutional and policy documents and interviews with staff, depositors, and administrators, this poster briefly discusses current challenges to SSDA longevity and implications for We describe initial findings with respect to these two SSDAs and detail next steps in expanding the study both theoretically and methodologically.