Funds from this grant support efforts by an international team of researchers including Kristin Eschenfelder and Greg Downey of the University of Wisconsin, Madison School of Library and Information Studies and Kalpana Shankar at the University College Dublin School of Information and Library Studies to develop a set of case studies of social science data archives. Beginning with a pilot case study already underway of the University of Michigan’s Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research, the team will select a cohort of up to five data archives for study that meet specific criteria, including longevity, collections that are contributed by others, and funding models that do not rely on direct government support.  The researchers will draw on interviews and archival research to develop detailed histories of these archives with a particular focus on how they evolved their current access policies and business models.  The ensuing case studies will help provide a more robust foundation for discussions about how data archives might be made sustainable over the long term.