The Electronic Data Service (EDS) is operated jointly by the Columbia University Libraries and Columbia University Information Technology (CUIT) to support instruction and research that involve numeric and geo-spatial data resources. EDS maintains a library of data and documentation that covers a wide range of topics, both national and international, including socio-demographic topics, public opinion polls, politics, health, and economics. Support services for the data library include the following: help in identifying and obtaining data, assistance with data preparation, and maintainance of a lab facility with the necessary software for data extraction. EDS provides this help in-house, on its web site, and via electronic mail.

The outline below details our collections and services. A briefer form of this outline is also available in a brochure format.

Services

EDS provides services in the following major areas:

• Data Library

EDS's core function is maintaining a large library of data files, including relevant documentation. The current inventory includes data files from well over a thousand studies, comprising thousands of data files. Much of the data is online and accessible through the web, but Census and other data from governments and international agencies are also available on CD-ROMs at EDS. You can search EDS holdings online by accessing the EDS DataGate.

• Data Consulting

EDS advises users on the extraction of data and on the use of computer programs for analysis, in particular, SAS, SPSS, Stata, and GIS software. Advice can range from helping a student extract a few numbers from a CD-ROM for a paper, through advising a doctoral candidate on how to organize their data, to helping a researcher understand how best to work with the several million records in the Census Public Use files. Refer to the Consulting Guidelines at EDS for a detailed description of these services.

• Data Access

EDS provides microcomputer workstations for extracting data from CD-ROMs, for access to the central cunix system where online data is available, for moving data across the University's network and for transferring data to removable storage ,i.e. CD, DVD, USB key, memory cards. We also support Stat/Transfer, a software program for converting data from one format to another, e.g., an SPSS portable file to a Stata dataset.

• Instructional Support

EDS helps instructors find and extract appropriate data for their classes. EDS staff conducts guided introductions to EDS and how to use its services both in EDS and in class meetings.

• Data Acquisition

Acquiring new data underlies the operation's continuing usefulness to the academic community. EDS participates in data dissemination programs from which it fills most requests for data.

• ICPSR: The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research is a cooperative of colleges and universities around the country. It provides data focused on social and political processes. EDS maintains Columbia's ICPSR membership and is the repository for the data and documentation obtained from them.

 

• National Center for Health Statistics: EDS, in conjunction with the School of Public Health, is a participant in the NCHS data dissemination program. The program gives researchers in Public Health, broadly interpreted, free access to several large datasets. There are several, ongoing projects which use data obtained through this program.

 

• Depository Library Program: The federal government's Depository Library program brings many major datasets produced by the federal government on CD-ROM.

 

• New York State Data Center: This state program is the repository for economic and demographic data and operates using a network of lead and affiliate agencies. Columbia is a Data Center affiliate.
   
  
• Roper Center Archive: Located at the University of Connecticut, the Roper Center is the largest library of public opinion data in the world. The Center's mission focuses on data preservation and access, education and research.

We also purchase data from New York City Planning Department, international organizations like the World Bank and the United Nations, and from commercial data providers like Community Cartography and Sociometrics which maintains an archive of health and social science data.
 
Individual requests for data from other sources will be considered on an ad hoc basis.

Memberships: EDS also represents Columbia University in two major organizations of data users which provide a useful network of contacts and assistance. These are The Association of Public Data Users (APDU) and the International Association for Social Science Information Service and Technology, (IASSIST), an international organization of providers of social science data services.

EDS is part of the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) working group along with GSAPP, ISERP, CIESIN, CUIT, and CCNMTL, which is working to improve GIS infrastructure at Columbia.

How to Contact EDS

To contact EDS electronically, visit our web site or send us electronic mail.

World Wide Web:	Electronic Mail:
http://www.columbia.edu/acis/eds/	eds@columbia.edu

You may also visit EDS or contact EDS via telephone or regular mail.

Physical Location:	Phone:	Mail:
215 Lehman Library School of International Affairs Building	(212) 854-6012	420 W. 118th St., 215 IAB, MC 3301 New York, NY 10027

  Hours of Operation

For the most accurate information about EDS hours, see our annual schedule.

Fall and Spring Semesters: Monday through Thursday 11-5, Friday 1-5.
Intersessions and Summer: Monday through Friday, 1-5.