50 Years of Social Science Data Services: A Case Study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Abstract

The Data and Information Services Center (DISC), formerly known as the Data and Program Library Services (DPLS) has provided learning, teaching and research support to students, staff and faculty in social sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for 50 years.  What changes have our organization, collections, and services experienced? How has DISC evolved with the advancement of technology? What role does DISC play in the current and future landscape of social science data services on our campus and beyond?  This paper gives answers to these questions and recommends a few simple steps in adding social science data services in academic libraries.