Talk:Maryland Newspapers

Sources Researched Not Referenced

 * Google Search of maryland newspapers online. Search yielded diminishing returns by the second page of results, so links after the second page were ignored.
 * Cyndi's List -- Maryland Newspapers.
 * RootsWeb.org
 * USGenWeb Maryland.
 * Learning Center search at Ancestry.com. Keyword "newspaper."
 * Neil, Michael John. "Ethnic Newspapers." Internet article at http://learn.ancestry.com/LearnMore/Article.aspx?id=11282 Orem, Utah: Ancestry.com, 2 June 2006.
 * [author]. "Newspapers." The Source [get the rest of the title]. [get editors]. Orem, Utah: Ancestry Inc., [year].
 * Hansen, James L. "Newspapers." The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy. Rev. Ed. Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, Eds. Salt Lake City: Ancestry Inc., 1997.

Items Yet to Add

 * Image example
 * Reliability of newspapers
 * What to do next

Notes from our group meeting on 12 Dec 2008

 * 1) Blaine Bake: I'm in journalism. I've learned that an article needs a hook. It needs to present information in a way where the user is engaged within the first line or two.
 * 2) David Dilts says a genealogist is a different animal. He may not need a hook.
 * 3) Blaine: splash of color as in portal pages could be useful. What if we used a pale green background for text that is for beginners?
 * 4) Anne Roach: Recommend university libraries first. They have the best collections and ILL their collections only to other universities. They also can offer more guidance than public libraries on which papers a patron should search and how to get them.
 * 5) Blaine: public libraries and university libraries are digitizing the local papers.
 * Tip: To locate newspapers in an area, find the county seat. That's often where a newspaper is.
 * 1) Obits: Almost everybody had an obituary in the 1880s. That was the peak.
 * 2) U.S. Newspapers program is the way to find
 * 3) Tip on how to read print that's way too small on the screen for a digitized newspaper.

Generic data
From a quick look, it seems to me that a fair amount of this information is pretty generic. I wonder if the generic information can be put in a separate article and refer to it. I believe this may help keep information from having duplicated over and over again. It would be nice to have the information in one place rather than click all over the place. However, I think people will read less and less if it all sounds familiar. . . they will want to get to specific information. Thomas Lerman 21:15, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

As discussed in the meeting and alluded to above, a fine line exists on when to duplicate and when not to. In the above, one comment I was suggesting was possibly having the information on a generic article and then a link to it in each of the specific articles. This would allow access to those that want to read it, but those that have read it can skip the information. The advantage of having it in-line though would be less clicks. The biggest disadvantages would include the length of the article and updating the information on all of the articles. Updating common information in multiple specific articles may be easier if the common information is "included" from a single source? Thomas Lerman 21:30, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

I agree very much with Thomas on this point. Much of what is in this article would apply to newspapers in any state. What is the intent? Are we going to duplicate all that descriptive information for each state? Or do we put in a sentence or two in each state to direct the attention of the reader to an article onthe whole generac subject or lijnks to specific topics within the larger subject? See Indians of Idaho as example of short paragraphs, with a "read more" link to a larger article and links to specific offices and research facilities.

Jbparker 01:00, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

Historical Societies
Some of the largest collections of newspapers are in historical societies, especially at the state level -- see Idaho, Kansas, Utah as examples. Don't forget to reference them where they apply.

Jbparker 23:46, 19 December 2008 (UTC)

Standardized Headings and Records Search
Would there be an advantage to use the same headings used on all the records being placed in Records Search to describe the content and use of the records there? They use the following headings:


 * How to Use This Record
 * Why the Record was Created
 * Record History
 * Record Description
 * Record Coverage
 * Record Content
 * Record Reliability

The Wiki would no doubt need more detail than is currently being placed in Records Search, but having the same headings present for each record type may give the user a sense of familiarity that different products in the same family of products "look and feel the same." (What a unique thought!). I know, I know. It's too close to Christmas to get cynical!

I also realize that the Wiki may need additional headings, explanations, references, links, etc. But I think I could take the headings above and use them, even for Indian Agency Records, Indian School Records, Idaho Probate Records, etc., etc. and make them work. What does everyone think?

Jbparker 23:36, 23 December 2008 (UTC)