IASSIST 2025: IASSIST at 50! Bridging oceans, harbouring data & anchoring the future


The European Language Social Science Thesaurus (ELSST): Keeping it FAIR

The European Language Social Science Thesaurus (ELSST) is a comprehensive multilingual thesaurus designed for the social sciences. ELSST is available in 15 languages, and facilitates research discovery worldwide, supporting access to social science data regardless of language or domain. ELSST is owned and developed by the Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives (CESSDA). This presentation will focus on the collaborative nature of ELSST, demonstrating how CESSDA partners work together to ensure ELSST reflects the changing nature of international, multilingual, social science research. It will also cover new ELSST developments that increase its profile and value as an easy-to-use, FAIR social science metadata vocabulary tool, such as the versioning of concepts, searchable linkage between ELSST and other CESSDA services, and updates to subject coverage of changing areas such as working patterns, education, family structure, and digital technology.

Sharon Bolton
UK Data Service
United Kingdom

Jeannine Beeken
UK Data Service
United Kingdom

Lorna Balkan
UK Data Service
United Kingdom

Ami Katherine Saji
PROGEDO
France

Róza Vajda
TK KDK
Hungary