A Data-Driven Approach to Appraisal and Selection at a Domain Data Repository

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Data Curation
• Information Science

Background:

• Growing volume of social science data presents challenges for data appraisal and selection for reuse.
• Finite resources necessitate strategic allocation for processing and curating research data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze user search activity in a social science data repository to understand data demand.
• To guide collection development and ensure curation resources are used effectively.
• To improve data findability, understandability, accessibility, and usability.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of user search activity data from a social science domain repository (over 500,000 annual searches in 2014-2015).
• Application of a novel search-to-study ratio technique to identify repository holdings gaps.
• Data-driven approach to inform collection development and curation policies.

Main Results:

• Identified trends in user search behavior within the social science data repository.
• The search-to-study ratio technique revealed specific gaps in the repository's data holdings.
• Analysis provided actionable insights for collection and curation practices.

Conclusions:

• The proposed evaluative technique serves as a baseline for future trend analysis in user demand.
• Findings have broader implications for collection development and curation policies in other data repositories.
• A data-driven approach enhances the value and accessibility of social science data.