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On Work in Progress: Directory of Directories

One of the major projects discussed by the IALL Board of Directors at its 1975 meeting in Oslo, was the preparation of material on regional law library directories or guides.

Survey res'ers have indicated renewed interest in utilizing telephone directories as a basis for samples. The bias that occurs in the use of telephone listings is uncovered with data on telephone possession & unlisted numbers which were generated in multi-stage cluster samples of Mo households. Those without telephones (about 10'( of the H's) tend to live in Ru areas or have a relatively low level of income. It is more appropriate to view these people as 'isolates.' They tend to be people who live alone, are non-voters, & recent arrivals in the community. About 9', of the R's had unlisted numbers. The characteristics of this group undermine the assumption that an unlisted number is the sole possession of the 'Uc'; in fact, unlisted numbers are most frequently found among those with average incomes & educ. Blacks & city dwellers in Mo are esp prominent in this group. People without telephones & those with unlisted numbers are automatically excluded from samples based on telephone directories. Telephone surveys from this source will tend to exclude blacks, service workers, & city dwellers. AA.

The telephone directory has for many yrs been regarded as among the least desirable of available frames from which to draw a survey sample, even though it is speedy & inexpensive as a source. It is asserted that the grounds for this view stem largely from the failure of the Literary Digest to predict the 1936 presidential election. Data provided by the Bureau of Census on the distribution of telephones in households have recently made it possible to specify the extent of bias introduced through use of a sample drawn from telephone directories. Should a res'er be interested for sample purposes in the % of persons with a certain characteristic who had access to telephones in 1960, he can use the Census '1 in 1,000' or '1 in 10,000' samples as a guide, comparing it with any of the other census variables to discover the % with access to telephones. In nearly all cases the result will be a conservative estimate of the % with access to telephones. It is also possible to have the results of the more recent US census surveys cross-classified by the Census Bureau for a nominal cost. In some cases this information may lead the res'er to get his sample in another way; in others he may find the telephone directory a very useful source. There is a distinct advantage in taking a sample from the telephone directory as soon as possible after it has been issued. Sanford L. Cooper's method of generating a random selection of telephone numbers ('Random Sampling by Telephone: An Improved Method,' Journal of Marketing Research, 1964, 1, 45-48) is recommended. 1 Table. M. Maxfield.

Vol. for 1995 originally issued with related directories in ring binder with title: State leadership directories. ; Vols. for 1981-82-1995 have title: State administrative officials classified by function. ; Imprint varies: Lexington, Ky. -1995. ; Mode of access: Internet. ; Supplement to: The Book of the States.