Computers in Survey Analysis Collection

This collection is believed to have been part of the donation accessioned largely under NAHC/ICL. It consists of documents relating to the production and use of software for survey analysis in public and private institutions, nationally and internationally. Presumably these were collected by ICL with a view to harnessing information on survey analysis programming and software. The material covers a range of programs developed in the 1960s and 1970s and should serve as an important tool for reconstructing the history of computing software in social sciences and statistical research.

The collection is arranged alphabetically. Each item covers one system (often an individual software program). Alongside documents such as reports and user manuals, it may include one or both of the following:

• The ICL Questionnaire presumably developed directly by ICL in 1974. For each program, the information collected is organised under the headings: 1. Implementation; 2. Data Input; 3. Record Structure; 4. Values of Variables; 5. Format of User Specification; 6. File Handling; 7. Checking and Editing; 8. Transformation of Variables within Cases; 9. Tabulation and Data Presentation; 10. Statistical Analysis; 11. Graphical Output; 12. Access from Terminals; 13. General.
• Social Science Software Questionnaire produced as part of the Social Science Software Survey ’79 and designed by the Informationszentrum Sozialwissenschaften (IZ) of Bonn (Germany) and the Study Group on Computers in Survey Analysis (SGCSA) of London (UK). This questionnaire collects information on: Identification and implementation; Primary data input; Record structure; Internal format of data; File handling; Checking and editing; Operation on variables; Tabulation; Statistical analysis; Graphics output; Fieldwork support; Interface with the user; General.

See Scope and Content note.

Arranged alphabetically by system manufacturer/user. The Collection uses the standard NAHC categorisations - as the contents of this collection include unpublished manuals, reports, and working papers, the 'C' category is used.

The collection is open to any accredited reader.

Assumed to have been transferred by ICL Ltd. to the NAHC at some date in the 1990s.

Copies of literature in this collection may exist elsewhere

Photocopies and photographic copies of material in the archive can be supplied for private study purposes only, depending on the condition of the documents.

A number of items within the archive remain within copyright under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988; it is the responsibility of users to obtain the copyright holder's permission for reproduction of copyright material for purposes other than research or private study.

Prior written permission must be obtained from the Library for publication or reproduction of any material within the archive. Please contact the Head of Special Collections, John Rylands Library, 150 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3EH.

None expected.

Several other collections in the History of Computing group include computer manuals (ICL, Ferranti, Leo, Manuals Collection), although these do not specifically relate to social science computing applications.