PART ONE/METHODS How Were the Data Collected?

Try to use data that were collected in a systematic manner by impartial persons who would not be directly affected by the findings. Why Were the Data Collected? Seek data that are collected regularly for a legitimate recognized purpose. Hastily collected data gathered to address a need during a crisis should be scrutinized before being used When Were the Data Collected? Current data are to be preferred, but this preference for data collected as part of a well-planned, fully conceptualized process .Not only may crisis data contain errors because of the haste with which they were collected ,but they may also reflect an aberration in the long-run trend. Who Collected the Data? Was the person or organization trained in data collection and well versed in the area? Did the person have the ability to command resources that would assure a quality study? Are the data presented clearly? The lack of clear labels, footnotes, and so on should cast doubt on their accuracy. Is the source highly regarded fir other work in the area? Analysts must be creative in order to locate and obtain data. Since many possible sources exist ,it is important to identify the most appropriate source quickly and to evaluate the quality of the data. The checklists in figures 3-2 and 3-3 are intended to guide your thinking about possible data sources and your evaluation of the data you discover .Later sections of this chapter provide guidance in undertaking a library search, conducting specialized interviews and preparing basic analyses.

LIBRARY SEARCH METHODS12 During the past few years, major libraries have made important changes in the way that they conduct searches. Instead of searching by hand for topics in a card catalogue, computer-based information system permit us to request works by author, subject, or key words for specified years of publication. In some system, AND/OR/NOT commands permit a search to be more specifically focused. For example, if you were searching for information about water pollution , you could ask for information about water pollution, you could ask for all document with pollution in their titles. This would produce an enormous list. You could also limit your search to only those documents with U.S in their title, by searching for pollution AND water AND United States. This may be und `y restrictive, though, since the word United States.

 Libraries Local libraries University libraries State libraries Agency libraries Interlibrary loans Federal agencies U.S. Census Bureau U.S. Department of Agriculture U.S. Department of Labor Statistics Other federal agencies State agencies State planning agencies State budget bureau State archive State reference library Local agencies Local and regional planning agencies Departments of public works Community development departments City and country assessors` offices School districts Housing authority Other public and quasi-public bodies Water and sanitary districts

Transit district Park and recreation districts Public health districts Survey research organizations University-affiliated organizations Private firms Radio and television stations Newspaper Private organizations Chamber of commerce F.W. Dodge Division of McGraw-Hill Information System Company Sanborn Map Company Donnelly directories News media Conference Board