Free ICPSR Webinar: Enhancing Analysis of Racially & Ethnically Underrepresented Populations in the US

Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST

ICPSR’s Minority Data Resource Center offers streamlined access to data that are relevant to the study of immigration, place of origin, ancestry, ethnicity, and race in the United Sates.

The topics available for analysis are vast. Here are just a few intriguing findings from data featured in the MDRC:

• Female slaves in the state of South Carolina were valued at nearly twice the dollar value as males.
• The Crow and Chippewa Tribe Family Size Suffered the Largest Decrease from 1885 to 1930.
• Non-Hispanic Black Children Most Likely to be Diagnosed with Asthma (2004).
• Hispanic Voters Experienced Difficulty Casting Votes (2002 mid-term elections).
• Hospital Admissions Vary by Race (2004).

This webinar will serve as an orientation to the Minority Data Resource Center, its content, and its online analytic tools!

This webinar is open to the public - please forward this invitation to all with interest in these topics!

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista

Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4 (Tiger®) or newer

GIS Week Nov. 17-21, 2008

The Boston College Libraries have partnered with ITS Research Services for over 10 years to support the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in both teaching and research across campus. Mapping data is a part of our daily lives with more people using Google Earth and Google Maps everyday and interactive mapping such as we experienced throughout Election Day.


Learn more about GIS at our workshops offered to both faculty and students every semester. These hands on sessions highlight our GIS data collection and demonstrate how GIS is used on campus and throughout the world. For more information about our collection and software go to our research guide: Finding Spatial Data for Mapping

For local and nationwide events this week go to GIS Day website. Click on "find an event near you".

Ask us about GIS!

If you are interested in more information or a GIS demonstration please contact Barbara Mento, Data/GIS Manager or Constantin Andronache, ITS Research Services

New OECD Interface and Expanded Content!

The new OECD interface, OECD.Stat Extracts, makes it easier to download large amounts of international data into Excel! This database now includes most of the OECD data in one data warehouse, including OECD Health Data, previously provided by the library on CD ROM.

Search by keyword or topics such as demographics, economic indicators, education, environment, health, industry and services, prices and purchasing parity, social and welfare, and more. You can also request regional and country statistical profiles.

OECD Spotlight on Statistics

A new feature of OECD news spotlights timely statistics of topical interest:

Rich man, poor man
posted Wednesday, October 22, 2008 5:09 PM

"Income inequality grew in most OECD countries between the mid 1980s and the mid 2000s. On average the income of the richest 10 percent of the population is now almost nine times higher than the poorest 10 percent. In Denmark and Sweden the gap is narrower with the richest 10% earning on average less than five times the poorest.

Only a few countries bucked the trend: France, Greece and Spain moved towards greater equality of incomes over the past 20 years.

The United States has one of the highest levels of inequality with the average earnings of the richest 10 % of the population 16 times higher than the poorest 10 percent. The gap between rich and poor in the US has also widened more rapidly than in most other countries over the past 20 years."

Secondary Research Data Resources at BC

October 23, 2008 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm, Gasson 9 Boston College offers many sources and repositories of data for secondary research in the social sciences, education, nursing, economics, business and other disciplines. This workshop is particularly geared to researchers who need to access, analyze and manipulate data from BC's subscription data repositories. This tutorial will help you: find the data you need for your research or class project; learn about the Boston College collection of data resources in the Statistical Data Catalog; and how to download the data onto your desktop, including how to import into quantitative analytical tools such as SPSS. Get a tour of the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research, a data archive that includes over 5,000 datasets. We will also discuss the library’s guides to key Business, Economics, Education, Health, and General U.S. and cross-national data sources. Topics may be customized based on attendees’ research interests.

Co-instructors: Rani Dalgin, ITS Research Services and Barbara Mento, Data/GIS Librarian To sign up for a tutorial, please send email to researchservices@bc.edu with the name of the tutorial.

E-LEARNING: Using WRDS Effectively: Research and Teaching

This notice appeared in the WRDS September Newsletter with an elearning opportunity for BC faculty and students:

WRDS is pleased to announce 4 upcoming training sessions.
Please note: All presentations will cover the same content
Topic: Using WRDS Effectively: Research and Teaching
Duration: 1 hour
Location: Online (WebEx)
Description: Provides an overview of the WRDS system and describes the various ways a faculty member, researcher, librarian or student can obtain and analyze data easily and efficiently.
Objectives: Understand the various Web features of the WRDS system.
Learn how to use SAS on your PC to obtain and analyze data.
Learn how to connect to the WRDS system and use SAS on Unix.
Schedule: Every 3rd Friday, via WebEx: September through December 2008.
Date/Time:

October 17, 2008 10:00am EDT hosted by: Mireia Gine and Luis Palacios
November 21, 2008 3:00pm EDT hosted by: Luis Palacios and Mark Keintz
December 19, 2008 10:00am EDT hosted by: Mireia Gine and Yuxing Yan
We tried to take into consideration the need for convenient training times for our international subscribers.

Please let us know if you need additional assistance by emailing Rnuss@wharton.upenn.edu.

To participate in a training session:
Please register at http://wrds.wharton.upenn.edu/elearning/calendar.html

Important Notice: TAQ Downtime: On Thursday, September 25

Important Notice: TAQ Downtime: On Thursday, September 25, TAQ data for months February through May of 2008 will be unavailable. This will affect both web and Unix users. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Demographic Analysis with ArcGIS: Geostatistics

September 25, 2008 10:00 am - 11:30 am, O’Neill 245


GIS is an analysis tool which complements other quantitative methods used to analyze population data. The session will highlight GIS data available for research and include demonstrations of ArcGIS using cases based on Census and related data. The focus of this workshop will be on the use of ArcGIS to analyze demographic data.

Census data and GIS applications are used by community planners, marketers, managers, scientists and researchers in education, economists, sociologists, social workers, health care managers, librarians, and data administrators. International population data will also be highlighted. At Boston College GIS is used by Geology, Economics Social Work, Sociology, Nursing, History and other departments.

Co-instructors: Barbara Mento, Data/GIS Librarian and Constantin Andronache, ITS Research Services.

To register, please send email to researchservices@bc.edu with the name of this tutorial.

Introduction to ArcGIS September 18th, 2008 at 10:00 a.m.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used today to analyze and represent data with geographical reference on maps. Such applications are widely used in academia, private industry and government agencies and the number of applications is increasing. ArcGIS Desktop software products from the Environmental Research Systems Institute (ESRI).

ArcGIS Desktop is an integrated suite of advanced GIS applications and interfaces, including ArcMap, ArcCatalog, ArcGlobe, ArcScene, ArcToolbox, and ModelBuilder. Using these applications and interfaces, you can perform any GIS task, from simple to advanced, including mapping; geographic analysis; data editing, compilation, and management; visualization; and geoprocessing. ArcGIS Desktop is scalable to meet the needs of many types of users.

This session will introduce users to: 1) GIS software, data and technical support at Boston College; 2) License options; 3) Main ArcGIS features and capabilities (ArcMap, ArcCatalog, ArcTool, ArcGlobe); 4) Present available extensions and capabilities (Spatial Analyst, Geostatistical Analyst, etc); 5) Demos using Census data; Demos using Environmental data. Options to get data and training will be also discussed. No prior knowledge of ArcGIS is required.

September 18, 2008 10:00 am - 11:30 am, O’Neill 245

Instructors: Barbara Mento and Constantin Andronache

To register, please send email to researchservices@bc.edu with the names of the tutorials that you are interested in attending.

New U.N. Industrial statistics database 2008

The new INDSTAT4 CD ROM for 2008 has arrived.

Description from U.N.:

"Employs the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities. Information is presented by country, year and industry, and covers: output, value-added, wages and salaries, gross fixed capital formation, production indexes, number of establishments, employment, and females employed."

Available: O’Neill Media Center Stacks HD2329 .I53

Trial for International Financial Statistics and DOTS interface

The library has set up a trial for the International Monetary Fund interface to the
International Financial Statistics and Direction of Trade Statistics databases. We currently offer these databases via a local interface.

Please let us know what you think. To see the trial go to:

Library Database Trial Page

Send comments to: Barbara Mento

Thank you.

New book: Religious congregations & membership

The library recently purchased:
Religious congregations & membership in the United States 2000 : an enumeration by region, state and county based on data reported for 149 religious bodies. Call No: O'Neill Stacks BL2525 .R4689 2002

It is a rich compilation of statistics and maps at several geographic levels.
Catalog Record

It complements the online resource ARDA from the Association of Religion Data Archives

Statistical Data Catalog Restored

All links in the Statistical Data Catalog are now back in operation. Please notify me if you have any further problems. Barbara Mento Data/GIS Librarian

Statistical Data Catalog Link Problems

The Statistical Data Catalog is still experiencing some problems with links. Our systems group is working on the problem. Thank you for your patience.

General Social Survey- Supplement Opportunities

Can the General Social Survey contribute to your research area?
Note the following opportunity announced by ICPSR from NORC (National Opinion Research Center):

For the 2010 General Social Survey (GSS) funds are expected from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support added supplements. Proposals for topics for these NSF-funded modules are solicited from the social science community. The program is described at:

"Call for Proposals to Add Questions to the 2010 GSS"

http://www.norc.org/NR/rdonlyres/2E75FB22-4D36-474F-AA28-97D9A2C04B6C/998/CallforProposalstoAddQuestionstothe2010GSS.pdf

Please note the submission deadline of October 1, 2009.

In addition, the GSS expects to have space available on the survey for modules not funded by NSF. Those who want to fund a paid supplement on the 2010 GSS should consult the document at

"Guidelines for Paid Supplements to the GSS."

http://www.norc.org/NR/rdonlyres/2E75FB22-4D36-474F-AA28-97D9A2C04B6C/997/GuidelinesforPaidSupplementstotheGSS.pdf

If you have any questions about either program, please contact Tom W. Smith, GSS Director, smitht@norc.uchicago.edu

Statistical Data Catalog Restored

The Statistical Data Catalog is currently available. Please note that the keyword links are not yet working. We appreciate your patience.

Statistical Data Catalog temporarily unavailable

Due to maintenance work the Statistical Data Catalog is unavailable. It will hopefully be up by the end of today or tomorrow. Thank you for your patience.

WRDS Maintenance Successful

WRDS Scheduled Downtime —Saturday, June 21

WRDS Scheduled Downtime —Saturday, June 21

WRDS users please note this information regarding the WRDS system:

The WRDS server will be undergoing maintenance from 10am – 6pm (EDT) on Saturday, June 21.

The WRDS web site will be unavailable between 10:00-10:15 AM and 5:45-6:00PM (EDT). Interactive (UNIX) logins and PC SAS sessions will be unavailable during the entire maintenance window.

Demographic Analysis with ArcGIS: Geostatistics Workshop

2:00 - 4:00 pm, June 18, 2008 Gasson 9

The focus of this workshop will be on the use of ArcGIS to analyze demographic data. The session will highlight GIS data available for research and include demonstrations of ArcGIS using cases based on Census and related data. Most Census data are available for many levels of geography, including states, counties, cities and towns, ZIP codes, census tracts and blocks.

Census data and GIS applications are used by community planners, marketing, managers, scientists and researchers in education, economists, sociologists, social workers, health care managers, librarians, and data administrators.

International population data are available also to address demographic issues in a specific country, at regional or at global scale. We will discuss these resources with those interested. No prior knowledge of ArcGIS is required.

Barbara Mento and Constantin Andronache

To register, please send email to researchservices@bc.edu with the names of the tutorials that you are interested in attending.

LexisNexis Statistical DataSets Trial -Take it for a Spin!

The library is reviewing a new product from LexisNexis called LexisNexis Statistical DataSets.

This new resource would complement our current LexisNexis Statistical Universe subscription and contains 750 million data points. Basic comparison and analysis tools are unique features of this database .

Go to: Database Trial Page and take if for a spin!

New OECD Statistics Interface - Let us know what you think!

OECD Statistics has a new in interface with a more extensive topic based drill down menu and advanced search features. There are also some nice features for customizing the table output to explore.

Access: http://stats.oecd.org/wbos/Default.aspx?usercontext=sourceoecd


These monthly, quarterly or annual time series cover the OECD's main areas of coverage: Agriculture and Food - Development and Aid - General Economic Problems - Economic Indicators - National Accounts - Employment - Energy - Financial and Fiscal Affairs - Industry, Science and Technology - Foreign Trade. Data back to 1960 where available.

OECD COUNTRIES: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States.


Free access through August 31, 2008


Please send feedback to: Barbara Mento (mento@bc.edu)

ICPSR Summer Program Deadlines

The deadline for applying for this year's ICPSR Summer Program workshop "Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (CPES): Investigating Cultural and Ethnic Influences on Mental Health" is April 28.

If students or faculty are interested, please go to the following Web page for information about applying to this 3-day workshop: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/sumprog/course/0044.xml.

A four-week course "Methodological Issues in Quantitative Research on Race and Ethnicity" is also offered this summer, and has an April 28 deadline for applying, as well. See the following Web page for more information about this course: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/sumprog/course/0039.xml.

ICPSR Summer Program 2008

ICPSR Summer Program Web Site

Noteworthy and new courses in the 2008 Summer Program curriculum include:
* Quantitative Research on Race and Ethnicity
* Analyzing Multilevel and Mixed Models Using Stata
* Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods
* Introduction to Applied Bayesian Modeling
* Advanced Bayesian Models
* Integrating Biomarkers into Population-Based Research
* Panel Data Analysis Using Stata
* Confidentiality and Disclosure Issues in Data Collection
* Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys
* Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three-City Study
* Using Secondary Data for Analysis of Marriage and the Family

For more information contact B.C. ICPSR representative Barbara Mento

International Data Resource Center (IDRC) from ICPSR

International Data Resource Center (IDRC)

From ICPRS web site:

"As the international community is drawn closer together through the phenomenon of globalization, access to international data has become critical for scholars and researchers around the world. Finding reliable data sources that reflect international dimensions can be difficult. In an effort to meet the growing demands for international data, the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) has created the International Data Resource Center (IDRC). The IDRC acts as a clearinghouse for international data housed at ICPSR."

The site also includes an interactive map feature that allows you to Browse data by country.

Roper new U.S. Elections section

The Roper Center has added a new section to their website--US Elections!

Find data from the 1976 election to the current run for Presidency. Find out public opinion during each election year, along with the primary and election day exit poll results. Review opinions on the economy, the Iraq war, gender and race, homeland security and immigration among other topics.

IRRC Data Name Changed to RiskMetrics

Our library subscriptions to the IRRC Governance and Director data are now listed under the new name RiskMetrics.

RiskMetrics Directors Data and RiskMetrics Historical Governance Data are available via the WRDS interface with a WRDS account. For more information about this data go to the Statistical Data Catalog.

Locating and Using Data for Secondary Research at Boston College 2:00 - 3:30 Feb 6, 2008 Gasson 9

Boston College offers many sources and repositories of data for secondary research in the social sciences, education, nursing, economics, business and other disciplines. This workshop is particularly geared to researchers who need to access, analyze and manipulate data from BC's subscription data repositories. This tutorial will help you: find the data you need for your research or class project; learn about the Boston College collection of data resources in the Statistical Data Catalog; and how to download the data onto your desktop, including how to import into quantitative analytical tools such as SPSS. Get a tour of the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research, a data archive that includes over 5,000 datasets. We will also discuss the library’s guides to key Business, Economics, Education, Health, and General U.S. and cross-national data sources. Topics may be customized based on attendees’ research interests.

2:00 - 3:30 February 6, 2008 Gasson 9

To sign up for this tutorial, please send email to researchservices@bc.edu with the name of the tutorial.

Co-instructors Rani Dalgin, Senior Statistical Consultant and Barbara Mento, Data Librarian

Demographic Analysis with ArcGIS- 2:00 - 4:00 January 31, 2008 Gasson 9

The focus of this workshop will be on the use of ArcGIS to analyze demographic data. The session will highlight GIS data available for research and include demonstrations of ArcGIS using cases based on Census and related data. GIS is an analysis tool which complements other quantitative methods used to analyze population data. The data that the Census Bureau collects during the decennial census and other population surveys has grown extensively over the years and has become an important resource for researchers and government agencies. Besides providing the basis for congressional redistricting, Census data are used in many other ways. Since 1975, the Census Bureau has had responsibility to produce small-area population data needed to redraw state legislative and congressional districts. Other important uses of Census data include the distribution of funds for government programs; planning the right locations for schools, roads, and other public facilities; helping real estate agents and potential residents learn about a neighborhood; and identifying trends over time that can help predict future needs. Most Census data are available for many levels of geography, including states, counties, cities and towns, ZIP codes, census tracts and blocks.

Census data and GIS applications are used by community planners, marketing, managers, scientists and researchers in education, economists, sociologists, social workers, health care managers, librarians, and data administrators.

International population data are available also to address demographic issues in a specific country, at regional or at global scale. We will discuss these resources with those interested. No prior knowledge of ArcGIS is required.

To register, please send email to researchservices@bc.edu with the name of the tutorial.

Co-instructors: Constantin Andronache, ITS Research Services and Barbara Mento, GIS Librarian

Introduction to ArcGIS 2:00 - 4:00 January 24, 2008 Gasson 9

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used today to analyze and represent data with geographical references on maps. It is widely used in academia, private industry and government agencies and the number of applications is increasing.

This session will demonstrate ArcGIS Desktop, a software product from the Environmental Research Systems Institute (ESRI), which is an integrated suite of advanced GIS applications and interfaces, including ArcMap, ArcCatalog, ArcGlobe, ArcScene, ArcToolbox, and ModelBuilder. Using these applications and interfaces, you can perform any GIS task, from simple to advanced, including: mapping; geographic analysis; data editing, compilation, and management; visualization and geoprocessing.

The session will also introduce users to: 1) GIS software, data and technical support at Boston College; 2) License options; 3) ArcGIS features and capabilities such as ArcMap, ArcCatalog, ArcTool, ArcGlobe); 4) available extensions and capabilities (Spatial Analyst, Geostatistical Analyst, etc); 5) Demos using Census data; Demos using Environmental data.

2:00 - 4:00 January 24, 2008 Gasson 9

Co-instructors: Constantin Andronache, ITS Research Services and Barbara Mento, GIS Librarian

To register, please send email to researchservices@bc.edu with the name of this tutorial.

ICPSR Health and Medical Care Archive

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in conjunction with ICPSR has launched their official data archive, ICPSR Health and Medical Care Archive, which is devoted to preserving and making available research data that have “significant secondary-analytic value for expanding knowledge on, and ultimately contributing to, improvement of the health of people in the United States.” Data categories include: Health Care Providers; Cost/Access to Health Care; Substance Abuse and Health and Chronic Health Conditions. Use your ICPSR account to download data.

The site includes a searchable Bibliography of Data-related Literature database. Some data is restricted and requires application forms prior to data access. If you have any questions please contact datasuport@bc.edu