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Archive of 2001 Announcements

Summer program 2002 schedule available...

As seen in the Winter 2002 ICPSR Bulletin, the Summer Program 2002 Schedule (PDF 8K) is now available online. You may also wish to visit our Summer Program Web site.

2001-12-10

ICPSR in the news...

The November/December issue (PDF 504K) of Higher Learning carries an article on ICPSR Direct and its advantages for ICPSR members. Read all about it on page 5.

2001-12-07

Public opinion polls on terrorist attacks now available...

ICPSR has recently released several ABC News/Washington Post polls focusing on the terrorist attacks of September 11:

For more information on these polls and their contents, please view the study descriptions and electronic codebooks.

2001-10-31

ICPSR establishes Election 2000 site...

ICPSR has created a Web site focusing on data and information related to the United States federal election held on November 7, 2000. All relevant ICPSR data and documentation files will be available directly from pages on the site. Users will also find links to additional Web sites and resources, as well as information on depositing data with ICPSR.

Users are invited to comment on the new site by sending mail to: election2000@icpsr.umich.edu.

The site can be found at http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/ELECTION/2000/index.html

2001-10-03

Successful 2001 Summer Training Program ends; dates set for 2002...

The 2001 Summer Program ended in August and was by all measures a big success. 2001 was a banner year in terms of the sheer number of scholars attending the Program. A record 599 people passed participated in the Program, staying anywhere from three days to eight weeks. These 599 individuals represented 194 institutions in 25 countries and were drawn from more than 25 disciplines.

Syllabi and reading lists from the 2001 courses are posted in the Summer Program area of this Web site.

In 2002, the two four-week sessions will be held from June 24 - July 19 and July 22 - August 16. Dates and topics for the three-to-five day workshops will be determined by January.

2001-10-01

2001 OR Meeting Web Site Now Online

The meeting is scheduled to take place in Ann Arbor, MI, from Thursday, October 25 through Sunday, October 28. All information about the meeting, including links to registration, programs, hotel accommodations, and travel arrangements are available on the Web site.

2001-07-18

American National Election Study for 2000 Available

American National Election Study, 2000: Pre- and Post-Election Survey (ICPSR 3131) is now available along with a PDF codebook, PDF questionnaire, and SAS and SPSS data definition statements. A SAS transport file and an SPSS export file may also be downloaded. For mor information about this study, please consult the abstract. To download the data, click here.

2001-07-09

2000 General Social Survey Data Now Available

The cumulative General Social Survey file, covering the years 1972-2000, is now available from ICPSR along with a hardcopy codebook. To learn more about this study, please consult the abstract. To download the data, click here.

2001-07-03

Files of Lee Lillard Available

Lee A. Lillard, Director of the Retirement Research Center at the University of Michigan, senior research scientist at its Institute for Social Research, and Professor of Economics developed a unique method for analyzing the rich compendium of data collected by the Panel Study of Income Dynamics since its inception in 1968. His colleagues at PSID are eager to provide the fruits of his work to the research community so others might benefit from an exploration of his techniques and methodologies for analyzing data. A general description of these materials provides more information about the processes Lee used in his research.

The complete collection is ICPSR Study 1239: Dynamics of Economic and Demographic Behavior: 'Clean Processes' From the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID).

2001-05-17

ICPSR Creates Census 2000 Web Site

ICPSR has established a Web site devoted to Census 2000 data products and other Census-related research resources. Site visitors will find links to the latest Census data releases from ICPSR as well as information on aggregate data and microdata, descriptions of training opportunities, announcements concerning Census 2000, and links to other Census sites.

Please visit the new site at:

http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/CENSUS2000

2001-04-20

ICPSR Collection Development Policy Available Online

Since its inception in 1962, ICPSR has pursued a variety of practices and strategies for developing its collection and has acquired and received data from numerous sources. The Archival Development Committee of the ICPSR Council has written a collection development policy to codify the principles that have guided collection development decisions over the years and to establish a framework for making future data acquisition decisions.

The policy builds upon the work of Committee Chair Libbie Stephenson, University of California, Los Angeles, who served on the Committee during her 1996-2000 term on Council. Current members of the Committee include Charles Betsey, Howard University (Co-Chair); Diane Geraci, Binghamton University, State University of New York (Co-Chair); Ann Green, Yale University; Steve Ruggles, University of Minnesota; Peter Granda, ICPSR; and Mary Vardigan, ICPSR.

The policy was recently ratified by the full ICPSR Council and can be viewed at: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/ICPSR/org/policies/colldev.html.

2001-04-20

Web Site Revisions

We made some changes to the search pages on Friday, April 6, 2001. We received a number of suggestions/comments from ICPSR members and implemented those changes that improve the search apparatus. The changes are as follows:

  • Instructional text for the search pages has been moved to the bottom of the page so that users do not need to scroll down in order to enter search terms.
  • The links to the help pages regarding the search engine have been made more prominent.
  • The basic search pages now give the user the option of choosing the number of hits to display on the search results pages.
  • Search terms are now highlighted in search results.
  • "See Also" links for search pages have been standardized.
  • Relevency rankings are no longer displayed, as the numerical score was misleading.
  • A shortcut to search by study number has been added to the basic search pages.
  • The advanced search page has been revised to make searching options more obvious.
  • The "search within these results" function has been added to search results pages.
  • There is now an option for phrase vs. word searching to front page.
  • A clear button has been added for the search form on the front page.
  • The "find similar" function has been removed.
  • Revised the search documentation.

2001-04-09

ICPSR Launches Redesigned Web Site

On February 27, ICPSR rolled out a redesigned version of its Web site. The new site was designed in consultation with Argus Associates, a Web site development company specializing in information architecture.

Notable features of the new site are a new search engine -- the Ultraseek search engine from Inktomi -- and additional searchable fields in the ICPSR study descriptions, which are now marked up in XML. There is also a separate site for ICPSR's Official Representatives, the local support people at member institutions. To read more about these and other features of the new site, please see About the Web Site.

The Web site will of course continue to evolve and change. We would like to hear from you about suggestions for improvements and for new Web services. Also, if you discover pages or links that are not working properly, please report these errors to us at web-support@icpsr.umich.edu so that we can correct them.

We look forward to hearing from you!

2001-02-27

Photo of Myron GutmannMyron Gutmann Becomes ICPSR Director

ICPSR is pleased to announce that Myron P. Gutmann has accepted the position of ICPSR Director and will begin a five-year term effective August 1, 2001. Prior to August, Myron will make periodic trips to Ann Arbor to meet with staff and Council and to transition into this new capacity. During the transition period Erik Austin, ICPSR's Director of Archival Development, will serve as Acting Director.

"The ICPSR is one of the great institutions of social science in the U.S. and the world, and I look forward to becoming part of it," states Gutmann. "We have the opportunity in the twenty-first century to continue the scientific and technological leadership of the ICPSR, and to take it further along the cutting edge of changes in training and data distribution."

Gutmann, who earned his master's and doctoral degrees from Princeton University, is currently Director of the Population Research Center and Professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin. He has been a leader in the interdisciplinary study of history for the past 25 years. His general areas of interest are the economic, social, environmental, and demographic histories of Europe and the Americas. Most of his research in recent years has been about the history of the population of the Southwestern U.S., the history of the Hispanic population of the U.S., and the relationships among population, land use, and environment in the United States. He has also published extensively about the demographic, social, and economic history of Belgium and the Netherlands in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Gutmann has two ongoing research projects supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. In "Population and Environment on the U.S. Great Plains," he and his colleagues study the ways that people have used the land of the Great Plains since the 1870s, and employ that knowledge to understand the dynamic relationships that connect the human population with the environment in which they live. In "Assimilation Trajectories for Mexican-American Families," Gutmann, together with his Co-Investigator, Brian Gratton of Arizona State University, is examining the history of Mexican origin families in the U.S., and the ways in which their structure and experiences have and have not resembled those of other groups in the U.S. population.

Among Gutmann's recent articles are the following:

  • Gutmann, M.P., and S. Pullum. 1999. "From a Local to a National Political Culture: Social Capital and Civic Organization in the Great Plains." Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 29: 725-762.
  • Gutmann, M.P., and G. Cunfer. 1999. A New Look at the Causes of the Dust Bowl. Lubbock: The International Center for Arid and Semiarid Land Studies, Texas Tech University, Publication 99-1.
  • Gutmann, M.P., M. Haines, W.P. Frisbie, and K.S. Blanchard. 2000. "Intra-Ethnic Diversity in Hispanic Child Mortality, 1890-1910." Demography 27: 467-475.
  • Gutmann, M.P. 2000. "Scaling and Demographic Issues in Global Change Research." Climatic Change, 44: 377-391.
  • Gratton, B., and M.P. Gutmann. 2000. "Hispanics in the United States, 1850-1990: Estimates of Population Size and National Origin." Historical Methods 33: 137-153.

Gutmann is currently the Treasurer of the Social Science History Association (SSHA) and has served on the editorial boards of several scholarly journals and on various committees for professional associations, for the National Institutes of Health, and for the National Research Council/National Academy of Sciences.

2001-02-19

Photo of Erik W. AustinErik Austin Named as ICPSR Acting Director

On September 1, 2000, Erik W. Austin became Acting Director of ICPSR. Erik will serve in this capacity until Myron Gutmann, ICPSR's Director designate, officially begins his appointment on August 1, 2001.

During this leadership transition, Erik intends to maintain ICPSR's momentum on a number of archival initiatives begun in the last several years. He notes that "the Consortium staff is talented, dedicated, and extremely professional. I know I can count on them to continue the high level of productivity and service that has been ICPSR's hallmark for nearly forty years."

Erik brings to this role over 30 years of experience as an archivist and an historian. A graduate of Dartmouth College (A.B. in History) and the University of Michigan (M.A. and Ph.D. coursework, also in History), Erik was instrumental in shaping ICPSR into the world-renowned institution it is today. He has played a prominent role, throughout his career, in building and extending the holdings of the ICPSR Archive, particularly in the areas of political science, history, and demography.

Erik has served as Executive Director of the Social Science History Association since 1993 and is the author of Political Facts of the United States Since 1789 (New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 1986); co-author (with Jerome M. Clubb and Gordon W. Kirk Jr.) of The Process of Historical Inquiry: Everyday Lives of Working Americans (New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 1989); and numerous articles on historical and data archival topics.

Erik replaces Hal Winsborough, who served as Interim Director for the six-month period March-August 2000, after the departure of Richard Rockwell to the Roper Center.

2001-02-19

ICPSR Begins Experiment in Individual Access to Data

ICPSR data are currently distributed to students and staff at member institutions through the Official Representatives (ORs). This method of distribution was designed and developed in an era when transmitting a dataset meant copying a set of files onto a reel of tape and mailing that tape to someone with access to the equipment and expertise necessary to read it.

To an increasing extent, transmitting a dataset these days involves not much more than clicking a mouse.

While ICPSR remains convinced of the important role of the OR in providing local consulting and expertise, it is no longer the case that ORs need to get involved in the routine transmission of data via FTP.

With that in mind, ICPSR Council has authorized ICPSR to experiment with opening up access to the data holdings to anyone on a member campus. This means that ICPSR will allow anyone from member institutions to FTP data directly to their own machines. This does not mean that ICPSR will be able to supply meaningful local user support, and the role of the OR will become increasingly important in this respect.

Users will still be free, as far as ICPSR is concerned, to order data through their ORs. Opening up access to data is envisioned as an additional service to members -- not as a replacement. Documentation that is available in hard copy only will be available for order (for a fee) by individual users, and will continue to be made available to ORs under the same conditions as it is today.

This experiment to provide campuswide access to data began in fall 2000 and involves a limited number of institutions of varied sizes and types that have volunteered to participate. ICPSR hopes to use this relatively small group to learn what works and what doesn't, to get a better feel for security issues, and to measure any increase (or decrease!) in workload that results from opening access. ICPSR staff will work with the participants in the experiment to develop reporting formats and procedures to help ORs in their work.

Participants in the experiment have supplied ICPSR with:

  • A set of IP addresses that define machines on the campus network
  • A technical contact person at the institution who can help with network problems (keeping the set of IP addresses up-to-date, dealing with other campus authentication systems)
  • A local support contact (not necessarily the OR) to whom ICPSR will refer users for technical support and questions about the data

This experiment will continue through the 2000-2001 academic year; it is hoped that representatives from the participating schools will report on their experiences at the 2001 Biennial Meeting of ORs.

2001-02-19

New Members Join ICPSR

ICPSR has recently welcomed several new member institutions into ICPSR membership. All faculty and students on these campuses now have access to ICPSR's data resources and educational opportunities. ICPSR staff, Council, and Consortium members extend a sincere welcome to the new member schools and ORs and look forward to working with them in the future.

  • Oakland University
    Rochester, MI
    Category B
    OR: Professor Michael Ponder, Sociology and Anthropology

  • Skidmore College
    Saratoga Springs, NY
    Category S
    OR: Mr. Robert Jones, Economics

  • University of Windsor (rejoining)
    Windsor, Ontario CANADA
    Category B
    College and University Libraries Federation
    OR: Ms. Katharine Ball, Leddy Library

  • Oklahoma State University (rejoining)
    Stillwater, OK
    Category A
    OR: Mr. John Dobson, College of Arts and Sciences

  • Haverford College (rejoining)
    Haverford, PA
    Category S
    OR: Professor Richard Ball, Economics

  • East Stroudsburg University
    East Stroudsburg, PA
    Category B
    OR: Mr. Robert D'Aversa, Academic Computing

  • Andrews University
    Berrien Springs, MI
    Category B
    OR: Dr. John F. Stout, Dean for Scholarly Research

  • Millikin University
    Decatur, IL
    Category S
    OR: Professor Robert C. McIntire, Political Science

  • Instituto Superior das Ciencias do Trabalho e da Empresa ISCTE
    Lisboa, Portugal
    Category C
    OR: Professor Andre Freire, Sociology

  • Middle Tennessee State University (rejoining)
    Murfreesboro, TN
    Category B
    OR: Mr. Tyson King-Meadows, Political Science

  • University of Winnipeg
    Winnipeg, Manitoba CANADA
    Category B
    ACCOLEDS Federation
    OR: Mr. Mark Leggott, Library Administration

  • Universita degli Studi di Bologna
    Bologna, ITALY
    Italian Federation
    OR: Professor Roberto Cartocci, Dipartimento di organizzazione e sistema politico

  • Universita degli Studi di Torino
    Torino, ITALY
    Italian Federation
    OR: Professor Roberto Albano, Dipartimento di Studi Sociali

  • North Carolina A&T State University
    Greensboro, NC
    Category S
    OR: Dr. Claude Barnes, Political Science

  • Regent University
    Virginia Beach, VA
    Category B
    OR: Dean Albert C. Liu, University Library

  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,
    Office of Applied Studies
    Rockville, MD
    Associate Membership
    OR: Dr. Donald Goldstone, Director

  • Susquehanna University
    Selinsgrove, PA
    Category S
    OR: Ms. Andrea M. Lopez, Political Science

  • Centro de Estudios Publicos, Chile
    Providencia Santiago, Chile
    Category C
    OR: Dr. Harald Beyer

  • Fundacion Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA)
    Madrid, Spain
    Associate Member
    OR: Sr. Rafael Pardo, General Director

  • Orebro Universitet
    Orebro, Sweden
    Swedish National Membership

  • Vaxjo Universitet
    Vaxjo, Sweden
    Swedish National Membership

  • The College of Management
    Rishon, Israel
    Israeli National Membership

  • Emek Yezreel College
    Emek, Israel
    Israeli National Membership

2001-02-19

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