The archives on the NDAD web site are structured using Finding Aids - a generic term which describes catalogues, indexes and other
tools which allow you to locate information within an archive.
The Help section explains in more detail how to use them, but a basic description of the structure
of the archive is as follows:
All of the datasets within NDAD belong to a series. A series is a set of instances of a particular dataset; for example, a set of
surveys conducted over a number of years. The series-level catalogue for that dataset therefore describes information relating to the
whole series, and from it you can navigate down to more detailed levels of description. Also available are the administrative history
for the government department that created the series, and the associated catalogue of archived documentation.
The next level down is the dataset-level catalogue. This contains information about the specific dataset you have selected from the
series-level catalogue. From here you can access more detailed information about the data tables and fields. Registered users can also
access the data in the tables themselves. The data can be displayed record by record, or queried according to your chosen
critieria.
Help
