Demand:
- There should be broad curricular and/or research interest in the data to be acquired. In order to maximize impact, we strive to build a data collection useful to the largest number of people, and preference will be given to data requests that meet that requirement.
- Whenever possible, access should not be restricted by school or department if purchased by Boston College Library.
- “Single user” datasets will not be purchased (e.g., iTunes model). That is, if only a single user (or project team) can use the dataset based on restrictive license terms or technical requirements, we cannot purchase the data.
Scope:
- Numeric, spatial, and textual data will all be considered.
- To be included in our collections, data can be purchased, licensed, or open.
- Purchased data are data that the Library owns outright (although there may be terms of use in a contract).
- Licensed data are data that the Library essentially rents for a period of time, which may be predetermined or on-going.
- Open data are data that are openly available to the public.
- Data should be relevant to research and/or curricular needs of Boston College.
- Any time period, geography, or language will be considered.
- Out of Scope: any data posing confidentiality concerns.
Reference: University of Virginia Library. Data Collection Development Policy. Last accessed on May, 2020: https://www.library.virginia.edu/services/data-purchase-program/data-collection-development-policy/.
