There is a lot of data out there. To find and use it, ask yourself:
WHO would be interested in collecting it? Exmples include government agencies, interest groups, trade associations, think tanks, researchers studying the issue . . . If you don't know, look at sources for statistics in secondary sources such as the Statistical Abstract or in the references at the end of an article.
WHERE would it be published? Does the creator of the data set make it free online? Is it historical, so likely to be published in print?
WHEN was it published? What might have been going on in the world that would affect either how it was collected or how you might interpret it?
HOW was it gathered? Knowing what populations were included, what method was used for reaching those populations, when it was gathered and so on will help you assess the value and the limitations of the data.
WHAT will you use it for? Make sure when you include social statistics in your work that you represent the data accurately and fairly.
This list is fairly US-centered; for public opinion data from other regions of the world, visit the Researching Countries tab and consult the Statistics and Data - Worldwide and Statistics and Data - Regional boxes.
We are monitoring the disappearance of government data and websites; the removal began on 2/1/25. Many individuals and organizations have been collecting and compiling removed data. You can find links to many of those here. If you come across links that are not here, please email us to have it included.
Guides from Other Libraries: We are indebted to the work being done by libraries and other organizations to document and preserve removed data. We will link to guides and resources as we become aware of them.
General/Overall:
Environmental Data & Information:
Heath Data & Information:
Bluesky users are encouraged to follow the Data Rescue Project (@datarescueproject.org) for updates on efforts and groups who are working to preserve data. The account also provides a "starter pack" of similar accounts to follow. You can also visit their website.
Interested in contributing to data rescue? Read "Curating for Data Rescue" by the Data Curation Network. You can also consult the checklist for USA federal data backups from MIT libraries.
There are some useful tools for visualizing data. Geographic Information Systems combine data with geo-location information to create maps. Other tools can show change over time. As with any use of information, use your best judgement. Make sure you know the limitations of the data itself and make sure that it's being represented in a way that doesn't distort it. Here are just two examples; search the internet to find more.
This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
