Museums & Libraries Closed
Vol. 1, Issue 2
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Oh no! Your writing is flowing exceptionally well. But you stop to accurately fact-check an important spelling of an historic name or essential birth/death dates. Your area Reference Librarian or museum director are amazing help in finding the answer to your questions. However, they aren’t in the office due to the virus. Writers in almost every genre—fiction or nonfiction—can by effected by the limited avenues for credible research.
Of course, online resources are available on the web. Libraries often have a Research tab on their website covering a host of broad areas of information. Many states (see sidebar for a sampling) and historical societies offer a compiled encyclopedia of their history with well- checked information on history and other topics.
Information found in a general check of the web should be double-checked against a primary source or other credible material.
Personally, I love to immerse myself in the file room of a local museum or historical society. I want to read the actual letters, newspaper clippings, personal interviews and quotes, diaries of folks living at the time I’m covering. I find pictures that may not be available through other sources.
I make copies of the actual documents, when possible. Even though I jot down a quote that I hope to use later—an unanticipated question about the same person or event may come up later as I write. If I copy the entire newspaper article, letter, or whatever—I have valuable collateral information. I won’t want to travel two states away to revisit the information.
My standing rule is to choose and follow an accepted format for documenting information—I use The Chicago Manual of Style (your publisher may designate their own style manual). I make note of all relevant information on my chosen style while I have the source in front of me. This saves so much time later. Some publishers (including a few magazines) require a Source Document along with your submission. For this, you supply the regular submission along with a duplicate copy citing sources beside each fact mentioned.
In my workshops, I suggest that, if as you write, you need to check a name/date/event/place that you just leave a blank and continue writing. Don’t hold up your writing while the muse is on your shoulder. When the coast is clear again, you can find or double-check the information later.
Love what you do,
Marilyn
Examples of reliable state research sources:
Arkansas Encyclopedia of History and Culture
www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net
Oklahoma
www.okhistory.org/publications/encyclopediaonline
Missouri
www.shsmo.org/missouri-encyclopedia
Need help with writing family or town history, check these book for practical how-to steps: You Can Write a Book about Your Family, The Art & Business of Writing Local & Regional History (CHS Publishing)
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