Finding primary sources online
When you have found the online primary source material you are looking for, you need to devise some strategies for how you will read, record and work with the material.
- Keep a search diary or Excel spreadsheet recording your progress. Which pages have you viewed? Which pages have you skimmed for content and which pages have you read?
- Are you able to bookmark content or create folders within the online archive?
- Are there viewers to enable you to read the image more closely or handwriting recognition tools to help you decipher text? How will you record undecipherable material? Can you keyword search the text?
- Does the archive allow you to download material for research purposes or are there copyright restrictions?
- Make sure that you create meaningful folder names so that you can locate your downloads and that you record the full citation so that you know where you found the item. You may wish to devise your own file names e.g. Times 03-08-1880 Smith’s marriage, Times 05-12-1881 Smith’s voyage to NZ, but remember to be consistent. Alternatively, you might create your own inventory with keywords using Excel.
- Are there facilities to download data sets to enable you to work with a subset of material? Do you have to request permission to do this?