SSDL Catalogue

The Social Science Data Library is in the process of creating online access to its catalogue of holdings. For now, please contact a data librarian in person or on the phone if you wish to search through our holdings.

The SSDL has a number of unique data sets that are available nowhere else. Some of these data sets are available to the public, others are available to anyone in the Temple Community, and a few are restricted by strict usage agreements.

Examples of unique data sets that are available through the SSDL include:

Community Health Data Base: a combination of demographic, survey, and housing data for the five Pennsylvania counties in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area. These data are accessible by the Temple Community only.

ES202: SSDL's Employment Security data sets present annual employment and payroll data derived from company level data collected for unemployment compensation tax collection purposes by each state. SSDL maintains these data for Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area from 1971 to present.

The American Housing Survey (AHS) provides information about the type and quality of housing available, as well as, demographic information about the inhabitants of those housing units in the United States. This survey, sponsored by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and conducted in odd numbered years, is given to the occupants of the same housing unit each time. The Social Science Data Library has the survey data for the years, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2003 in SSPS and SAS format. For those looking for ways in which AHS data can be used, the Inter–University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) web site provides a list of publications that use AHS data.

The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) provides information on the prevalence and effects of disease and disability in the U.S. civilian population that does not reside in an institution. This database contains health and demographic information obtained through a questionnaire given to a sample of households. The Social Science Data Library has 1994 and 2002 data in SSPS format. To see examples of research using NHIS data, follow this link to a list of publications that use NHIS data (from ICPSR).

International Data from the UN

The United Nations maintains a number of statistical databases:

• Statistical Database of the Economic Commission for Africa 
  Statistics of African countries.

• Statistical Database of the Economic Commission for Europe 
  Comparable data for Europe, North America and Central Asia.

• Social Indicators
  Follow-up and monitoring implementation of major United Nations conferences.

• Millennium Development Goals Indicators
  Official data, definitions, methodologies and sources for indicators to measure progress towards the MDGs.

• UN Commodity Trade Statistics Database (Comtrade)
  International trade statistics by commodities and partner countries.

• UNdata
  Statistical resources of the UN System.

• UN Population Information Network (POPIN)
  International, regional and national population information from UN sources.

Data can be found at UN organizations such as UNICEF and other international organizations including the ILO, WHO, IMF, OECD and others. To access the UN proprietary data, please make an appointment at the SSDL.