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A Brief History of Data in Canada and Canadian Academic Libraries

A Brief History of Data in Canada and Canadian Academic Libraries. Presentation to Maynooth University Librarians and Friends Wendy Watkins wendy.watkins@carleton.ca Carleton University March, 2014. Outline. A brief history of data in Canada Data Liberation as a catalyst

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A Brief History of Data in Canada and Canadian Academic Libraries

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  1. A Brief History of Data in Canada and Canadian Academic Libraries Presentation to Maynooth University Librarians and Friends Wendy Watkins wendy.watkins@carleton.ca Carleton University March, 2014

  2. Outline • A brief history of data in Canada • Data Liberation as a catalyst • Carleton University’s Library Data Centre • Abracadabra--the birth of MADGIC in the Library • The broader picture • Canada’s shameful record • Research Data Management and Open Data • Where in the world are the leaders? • Questions?

  3. In the Beginning There was the Machine-Readable Archives of the Public Archives of Canada (MRAD-PAC)

  4. What Happened?

  5. Wandering in the Wilderness • No national leadership • No international voice • Handful of data services in university computing centres and research units • Statistics Canada data priced out of reach

  6. Changing of the Guard – New Government • Statistics Canada data had always been expensive • Licences forbade sharing; researchers needed grants or cash • 1986 Census cancelled and reinstated under cost-recovery • Statistics Canada’s prices increased up to 1000% • Universities priced out of the picture (many not in the frame in the first place)

  7. Home-grown measures • Universities formed purchasing consortia for Statistics Canada Data • Involved separate negotiations for every research file (there were about 250) • Not everyone could afford to play • Needed another solution

  8. Bring on the Liberators • 1992 – Paper “Liberating the Data” • Proposed affordable access for Canadian universities • 1996 – Data Liberation Inititative (DLI) launched • Annual subscription for post-secondary institutions for • All STC’s public microdata, aggregate data and geographic files • 50 universities in year 1 • 75 now; nearly 100% coverage • Carleton’s DLI home is in the Library Data Centre

  9. Carleton University’s Library Data Centre (est. 1965)

  10. Data Rescues and the <odesi> project • Involved in several major data rescues • Canadian Gallup Polls (1945-2000) • The Centre for Research and Information on Canada • Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation • Listening to Canadians • Major instigator in the development of a web-based data documentation and extraction service

  11. ABRACADABRA, the Birth of MADGIC(Maps, Data and Government Information Centre)

  12. MADGIC – View from the Desk

  13. Maps in MADGIC

  14. GIS in MADGIC

  15. Gov Docs in MADGIC

  16. Canada – Data Collection in Jeopardy • Successive budget cuts have crippled the world’s number 1 statistical agency

  17. Datalibre.caUrging governments to make data free and easlily accessible for Canadians • Tracey Lauriault is a fearless fighter for open data and evidence-based policy • Great place to keep abreast of Canadian data news

  18. Research Data Management and Open Data: Calling all Librarians • Open data without management will remain locked • Librarians have the skills to organize open data

  19. Where are the Experts? Try Scotland • University of Edinburgh has • and the Digital Curation Centre in cooperation with the Universities of Glasgow and Bath

  20. Where Else Are the Experts? Try CESSDA

  21. Questions?

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