NICAR Database Library

Hello and welcome to the new site for the IRE and NICAR Database Library. Here you can browse our collection of government datasets and buy them if you are an IRE member. In addition, we hope to offer even more member services on this site, including discussion forums, wiki's, blogs -- even screencasts for some of our training exercises.

Those of you who have already visited the site may simply want to get to the data collection. To do that, you should see a link to your left labeled "Database Library". You can always click there, or here is another link to the main collection.

Since we launched this part of our Web site, many people have asked about the username/password system. We have this in place, rather than the old system of simply using your last name and IRE Member ID, for several reasons:

• Using an all-numbers ID for your password is bad for security. There are lots of reasons for this, but the basic gist is that it's easier for a malware program to crack an all-numerical code than one with a mix of letters, numbers and special characters.
• Not all of the services we offer on our site are for IRE members, and in some cases it makes sense to have people register for the site for those services. Examples include the Uplink newsletter -- which we'll be reviving soon (on edit: we did). Not all IRE members are subscribers, and subscriptions are held by non-members, too, so we need multiple types of users.
• IRE pursues two major goals in its support of investigative journalism: training and networking. Particularly when it comes to the latter, we want to allow our members to communicate more freely and effectively. We're building a community here. And there are exciting things coming up.

One more reminder: when creating an account for this site, make sure to come up with a password you'll remember. Also, if you are an IRE Member, make sure you fill in your member ID when registering.