>In my spare time (ha ha) I have been pondering a joint venture with our
>local library and the local newspaper. Like most newspapers, ours is not
>indexed at all, yet it has a lot of great information in it. It is also
>currently available only as microfilm - and not they great a quality at
>that. I would love to get the whole thing digitized and indexed for use by
>researchers. I know that the library here is interested also, and the
>newspaper folks probably would be also. I'm just not sure what the
>mechnanics of it would be.
>
>Has anyone else done a project similar to this one? How did you go about it?
>Where did you get funding? I'd be interested in picking your brain!
>
>Erica S. Maniez
>Museum Director, Issaquah Historical Society
>
==========
April 4, 2002
Back in the ca. 1975-87 period a lady named Anita Cheek Milner did
three volumes listing the location of newspaper indexes around the
country. Currently there are twelve listings for her on ABE
(www.abe.com and type in the author's name). It seems she might be a
good one of whom to ask your question. If you like I can try to dig
up her address.
Here's portions of one of the ABE writeups: "Milner, Anita Cheek -
Newspaper Indexes: A Location and Subject Guide for Researchers, Vol.
III, Metuchen, NJ: The Scarecrow Press, 1982 Brown Cloth. Fine, As
New/No Jacket Issued. First Edition. 8vo - over 7*" - 9*" tall.
ISBN:0810814935. Useful for genealogists, writers of local and state
history, journalists, teachers, students. Information compiled from
800 questionnaires; includes newspapers, dates, repositories,
address, subjects".
While I imagine you're beyond this point, I'll say in anyway: Be
sure, before you start spending the perhaps hundreds of hours
involved in the project, than no one has already done an index or a
portion of an index. Check your state, county and city libraries and
historical societies. Check with newspaper retirees and hobby
historians to be sure they know of no such thing. Any morgue the
newspaper may have likely wouldn't be complete enough, but ask anyway.
You'll pardon my belaboring the obvious, but back 25 or 30 years ago
I got involved in a similar project only to find, after I'd gotten
started on the actual indexing, that it had already been done many
years before. I remember the mixed feelings I had: I was glad it
was done and glad I didn't have to spend any more time on it, but a
bit resentful (at myself, of course) that I hadn't better done my
homework.
Good luck.
-Jim
--
-Jim Lyons
[log in to unmask]
http://www.jimlyons.com
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