Start 01.01.2003
End 01.01.2005

Goals
An institution on a nationwide scale, which systematically collects, archives, documents and provides qualitative data material for scientific secondary use does currently not exist in Germany. Responsibility for the archiving and preservation of the collected data lies in the hands of the respective researcher. Often the data is being kept in offices or at home, where it as a rule is not accessible for others and where the long-term storage is uncertain. This has been approved by the findings of the completed cooperation project of the Archive for Life Course (ALLF) and the Central Archive for Empirical Social Research (GESIS-ZA). The project, financed by the German Research Foundation (DFG) from 2003 to 2005, explored the feasibility of a service infrastructure for archiving and dissemination of qualitative research data and examined which demands the scientific community makes on such an institution. Lebenslaufarchiv

On the background of a predominantly positive feedback and of many suggestions by the interviewed project leaders of qualitative research projects the two cooperation partners are currently giving attention to setting up a service centre for qualitative data material (QualiService), which ensures provision of the scientific community with empirical qualitative data. The planned QualiService shall combine the core archival functions (data acquisition, data processing and documentation, long term preservation and a transparent data catalogue) with scientific support, i.e. consultancy and training and service oriented research and development. The special importance of the scientific component emanates from the marginal role which secondary analysis of qualitative data presently plays in Germany, which on the other hand is closely related with a missing data service institution.
The current cooperation of the two archives aims at mutual references to archived studies consisting of qualitative and quantitative parts, and deals with questions of privacy and data protection as well as long term preservation of qualitative data material.

In planning are applications for external funding to setup the infrastructure and for conducting an exemplary secondary analysis in the area of gender/partnership/family.

Project partners
Archiv für Lebenslaufforschung der Graduate School of Social Sciences (Universität Bremen)
GESIS-ZA, Zentralarchiv für Empirische Sozialforschung

Publications

• Opitz, Diane; Witzel, Andreas (2005): The Concept and Architecture of the Bremen Life Course Archive. In: In: Bergman, M.M.; Eberle, T.S. (Eds.): Qualitative Inquiry: Research, Archiving and Reuse, Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research [On-line Journal], 6(2), Art. 37.
• Witzel, Andreas (2004): Archivierung qualitativer Interviews. Möglichkeiten für Re- und Sekundäranalysen in Forschung und Lehre. In: Griese, Birgit; Griesehop, Hedwig R.; Schiebel, Martina (Hrsg.): Perspektiven qualitativer Sozialforschung: Beiträge des 1. und 2. Bremer Workshops. Werkstattberichte des Instituts für angewandte Biographie- und Lebensweltforschung (IBL) 14, Universität Bremen, 40-60
• Corti, Louise; Witzel, Andreas & Bishop, Libby (Hrsg.) (2005): Sekundäranalyse qualitativer Daten / Secondary Analysis of Qualitative Data (deutsch/englisch). In: Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum Qualitative Social Research [Online Journal]. Band/Volume 6, No. 1, Januar.
• Opitz, Diane & Mauer, Reiner (2005): Erfahrungen mit der Sekundärnutzung von qualitativem Datenmaterial – Erste Ergebnisse einer schriftlichen Befragung im Rahmen der Machbarkeitsstudie zur Archivierung und Sekundärnutzung qualitativer Interviewdaten. In: Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum Qualitative Social Research [Online Journal]. Volume 6, No. 1, Januar, Art. 43.  
• Medjedović, Irena & Witzel Andreas (2005): Sekundäranalyse von Interviews: Verwendung von Kodierungen und theoretischen Konzepten der Primärstudie. In: Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum Qualitative Social Research [Online Journal]. Volume 6, No. 1, Januar, Art. 46.
• Witzel, Andreas & Mauer, Reiner (2007): Basic Considerations about an Archive Concept for Qualitative Interview-Data. In: Brugidou M., Dargentas, M., Le-Roux, D., Salomon, A.C. (Eds.): Analyse secondaire en recherche qualitative: enjeux pour les sciences humaines et sociale. Paris: Lavoisier (in progress)
• Medjedović, Irena (2007): Secondary Analysis of Qualitative Interview Data: Objections and Experiences. Results of a Nationwide Empirical Study. In: Brugidou M., Dargentas, M., Le-Roux, D., Salomon, A.C. (Eds.): Analyse secondaire en recherche qualitative: enjeux pour les sciences humaines et sociale. Paris: Lavoisier (in progress)