The University of Iowa is now an institutional member of QDR (Qualitative Data Repository) . The QDR membership gives faculty and other researchers  a platform to store and share their qualitative data and enhances campus efforts for providing Research Data Services.

“QDR is a dedicated archive for storing and sharing digital data (and accompanying documentation) generated or collected through qualitative and multi-method research in the social sciences,” according to the Syracuse University based organization. “QDR provides search tools to facilitate the  discovery of data, and also serves as a portal to material beyond its own holdings, with links to U.S. and international archives.”

“The main benefit of membership is curation and preservation of data projects deposited by affiliates – faculty, students, and research staff – of member institutions”.  

Most data repositories focus on quantitative data. QDR offers an advantage for curating qualitative data. Alternatives include having researchers manage data on their own, which would mean more time and expense.

QDR is being funded at the University of Iowa by the University Libraries and the Iowa Social Science Research Center. The University of Iowa Libraries has been working closely with the Office of the Vice President of Research and Economic Development, Information Technology Services, and campus offices to support  data management. Brett Cloyd (brett-cloyd@uiowa.edu | (319)335-5743) from the UI Libraries is the QDR Institutional Representative and serves as liaison with QDR. Please contact Brett with questions for help in getting started. More information is available at the UI Libraries’ QDR Guide.   

Funding for QDR is provided by the National Science Foundation, and hosted by the Center for Qualitative and Multi-Method Inquiry, a unit of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.