The Kalmanovitz Library and
The Center for Knowledge Management
University of California, San Francisco
January 29, 2004
Providing Access to Data
Sets for Public Health
Professionals: Service
Development, Outreach,
and Use Patterns
Min
-
Lin E. Fang, Information Services Librarian;
Peggy Tahir, Information Services Librarian
The Kalmanovitz Library and the
Center for Knowledge Management
January 29, 2004
Data Sets Access Problem
Public Health professionals at UCSF
campus need access to data sets
Initial project began mid
-
2000
Prior to project, no coordinated program
available to assist them with finding and
accessing data sets
The Kalmanovitz Library and the
Center for Knowledge Management
January 29, 2004
Needs Assessment on Health
Sciences Data Sets
Assessed the availability of data sets and
tools in the library’s collections and on the
UCSF campus
Determined needs of UCSF researchers for
health data sets resources and services
Used Facilitate.com for online survey, a
web
-
based conferencing software
The Kalmanovitz Library and the
Center for Knowledge Management
January 29, 2004
Multi
-
disciplinary Collaboration
Reference Department
Data Management Services
Technical Services
Information Technology
The Kalmanovitz Library and the
Center for Knowledge Management
January 29, 2004
Percentage of respondents
who said services would be helpful
UCSF resource on Web
Non-UCSF on Web
Reference services
Data Mgt Services
Tech help with data
Percentage
100
90
80
70
60
50
95
92
90
88
87
The Kalmanovitz Library and the
Center for Knowledge Management
January 29, 2004
ICPSR Service
Library Administration approved additional
funding for ICPSR membership
Inter
-
university Consortium for Political and
Social Research: a membership
-
based digital
archive of social science data sets at the
University of Michigan
Allows UCSF affiliates to borrow raw data sets
and documentation from ICPSR
Coordinated by Data Management Services
Started September 2001
The Kalmanovitz Library and the
Center for Knowledge Management
January 29, 2004
Evaluation of ICPSR Service
End of Year 1: before ICPSR Direct
Increasing use of service
Well
-
attended orientations
Objection to usage fee for selected
studies
Desire for free and direct access
The Kalmanovitz Library and the
Center for Knowledge Management
January 29, 2004
New ICPSR Direct Service
Library changed terms of ICPSR
subscription to ICPSR Direct
Started in July 2002
Provides direct access to the ICPSR data
holdings for all students, faculty, and
staff at UCSF
Users with authorized IP address from
UCSF may download data from ICPSR,
without going through a local campus
representative
The Kalmanovitz Library and the
Center for Knowledge Management
January 29, 2004
ICPSR Direct: Total Usage
Significant increase in data sets usage
since library moved to ICPSR Direct
Year 1: before ICPSR Direct (9/2001
-
6/2002)
79 data sets downloaded
Year 2: ICPSR Direct (7/2002
-
6/2003)
493 data sets downloaded
Data sets downloads in this period was
more than six times the number of
downloads vs. the period before ICPSR
Direct
The Kalmanovitz Library and the
Center for Knowledge Management
January 29, 2004
ICPSR Direct: Mean Usage
Comparison with similar sized
institutions
Year 1: before ICPSR Direct (9/2001
-
6/2002)
Average use = 176
UCSF use = 23
Year 2: ICPSR Direct (7/2002
-
6/2003)
Average use = 384
UCSF use = 493 data sets
downloaded
The Kalmanovitz Library and the
Center for Knowledge Management
January 29, 2004
Commonly Used Data Sets
National health interview survey
National medical expenditure survey
National hospital discharge survey
National household survey on drug
abuse
Community tracking study household
survey
Alcohol and drug services study
National hospital discharge survey
The Kalmanovitz Library and the
Center for Knowledge Management
January 29, 2004
Outcomes
Reference staff developed web page with
links to data sets resources
Reference staff and Data Manager
regularly collaborate to assist patrons
Reference staff is main contact person
for ICPSR assistance
Reference staff currently collects usage
data for analysis
The Kalmanovitz Library and the
Center for Knowledge Management
January 29, 2004
Conclusions
Patrons want to be able to access data
sets on their own
Even small costs are barriers to access
Project provided excellent venue for
outreach to public health professionals
and other data sets users on campus
Successful collaborative project between
library units
Reference staff gained increased
knowledge of data sets and patron
access issues
The Kalmanovitz Library and the
Center for Knowledge Management
January 29, 2004
Additional Resources
California Office of Statewide Health
Planning and Development’s (OSHPD)
Data Sets
Bureau of Health Professions’ Area
Resources File
Counting California
RAND California
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