Archiving the Historical Demography of the U. S.

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project will archive, preserve, and disseminate historically and demographically significant data about the United States. Our focus is on longitudinal data describing life histories, especially multi-generation datasets. Recent developments in population- related sciences, such as the bio-demography of aging and the evolutionary biology of reproduction, have renewed interest in data that follow individuals throughout their lives and across generations. There is a rich heritage of such data about the U.S., but it is in grave danger of being lost forever. Many important studies were conducted at a time when data archiving was not a standard practice, and the preservation of digital objects was rarely considered. In addition to archiving and preserving these data, we will translate them into the "Intermediate Data Structure," an emerging standard for historical longitudinal data, which creates standardization and transparency in complex data management tasks and makes these data much easier to use. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This project will archive, preserve, and disseminate collections of longitudinal life histories from the United States and similar studies by U.S. scholars. Recent developments in population-related sciences, such as the bio-demography of aging, have renewed interest in data that follow individuals throughout their lives and across generations. Researchers will be able to apply new techniques to pose questions about fertility, mortality, family systems, aging, and migration.