Collecting and Using Archival Data

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Collecting and Using Archival Data
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What is archival data?

• Archival data is data that already exists in
  someone elses files as a result of
  administrative procedures or past studies or
  evaluations.

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• Sources of Archival Data
• Public records
• Think tanks
• Health and human service organizations
• Schools and education departments
• Academic and similar institutions
• Business and industry

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• Possible types of data available
• Demographics
• Behavior characteristics
• Health characteristics
• Attitudes racial, political, social, etc.
• Knowledge and awareness in certain areas
• Environmental conditions or factors affecting
  the population and/or your work

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• Why collect and use archival data?
• Its easier and less time-consuming than
  collecting all the data yourself.
• Archival data may have already been processed by
  people with more statistical expertise than you,
  making it easier to use in analysis.
• Even with raw data, the basic organization and
  preparation (transcription of interviews, entry
  of numbers into a spreadsheet or specific
  software, etc.) may have already been done, again
  saving time and resources.
• Its quite possible that you can find more
  information than youd be able to gather if you
  did it yourself.

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• Archival data could touch on important areas you
  might not have thought of, or identify patterns
  or relationships you wouldnt have looked for.
• It may eliminate the need to correct for such
  problems as lack of inter-rater reliability or
  observer bias.
• Archival data allows the possibility of looking
  at the effects of your work over time.
• Archival data can make it possible for small
  organizations with limited resources to
  nonetheless conduct thorough evaluation studies.

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• When should you collect and use archival data?
• When its available.
• When its relevant.
• When you dont have the time and/or resources to
  collect the data yourself.
• When it can truly inform your evaluation.

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• How do you collect and use archival data?
• 1. Determine what information youre looking for
  and why.
• Data on past participants.
• General information on the population and/or the
  community youre working with.
• Specific information on appropriate
  characteristics of the population youre working
  with.
• Cultural information.
• Data on a similar group that can be used as a
  control or
• comparison.
• Results of previous studies.

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• Determine who is likely to have collected that
  information.
• Government departments and agencies, the census,
  and other entities whose data is likely to be
  available in public records.
• Research organizations.
• Academia.
• News media.
• Foundations and other private funders.
• Hospitals and other health care providers.
• Mental health providers.
• Human service and other community-based
  organizations.
• Advocates and watchdog organizations.

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• 3. Decide where you should look for archival
  data.
• Your own archives
• The Internet
• The original source
• Libraries

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• 4. Decide how you plan to use the data once you
  have it.
• To better understand the context of your
  evaluation.
• To identify areas to address.
• To establish a baseline against which to measure
  your results.
• To identify already-existing trends that may
  affect the results of your evaluation study.
• To establish a standard of comparison against
  which to measure your efforts.
• To act as a control group.
• To provide data for a longitudinal study.