ABSTRACT

This chapter uses the Mass Observation Archive (MOA), a vast collection of qualitative data on many subject themes, as a case study to examine how the availability of new technologies and tools for research has changed the way in which information professionals can support the use of data of this nature in the humanities and social sciences. It explores the different ways in which research in these disciplines can be supported through digitization, and outlines how important it is to ensure that there is a ‘curatorial voice’ for the researcher in digital material, showing how this adds value to the resource. The chapter also details the various projects with which Mass Observation has been involved to open up and enhance the usability of the Archive. These include the JISC-funded Observing the 1980s Open Educational Resource project, which offers opportunities for the reuse of newly digitized material under a Creative Commons licence, and the SALDA project which produced sets of openly available Linked Data extracted from the records of the MOA Catalogue. By working closely with academics and information professionals on projects such as these, the authors of this chapter argue, they have been able to offer many new ways for researchers in the social sciences and the humanities and other disciplines to use and manipulate the collection.

Introduction

The availability of new technologies and tools for research in humanities and social sciences has changed the ways in which information professionals can support the use of qualitative data in humanities and social sciences. Recent years have seen a large increase in the number of digitization and metadata creation projects undertaken by libraries and archives across the world, underpinned by a firm acknowledgement from the research community that these resources are required in order to enhance and support work in various subject areas. Researchers are encouraged to use technologies to create cross-disciplinary and crossinstitutional collaborations in their work; and by easing accessibility to qualitative data resources, we can support these initiatives, as well as encourage the use of our unique and valuable resources.