It's the subject matter that makes research tedious? I
hope that was just a misstatement.
I take back the "awful" microfilm statement, because
I
agree there are benefits to using
microfilm. But to suggest that microfilm is some kind
of wunder medium that doesn't sometimes present unnecessary
challenges to patrons, is overstating the case for
microfilm. I do agree with Judy
that microfilming isn't necessarily the easy course. Easy
was not the right word.
Last time this topic came up, there was discussion
of the artifactual value of documents and the "meaning" of
the medium. There was also a discussion about the
importance of newspapers in American history, and the value of
original newspapers (which I think are just as important as original
memoirs - newspapers reached thousands of Americans, shaped
cultural morays and bolstered American consumerism, many are full of photos and
illustrations, etc, etc.). Similarly, I mentioned in an earlier post about
the importance of historiography in understanding the value of our
collections and in helping us determine whether certain preservation
formats are appropriate or not. I think all of things should
be factored in when we are contemplating microfilming, and
I am not sure, as I tried to suggest in an earlier post, that they
are.
We are not perfect. There is no harm
in examining our practices and theories based on Baker's
complaints. I think we will find he is not completely wrong, nor are
we.
If you like to read Baker's defense against
some of the criticisms many of you have put forth, see
You can also read an excerpt from his book.
This is my last post on the topic (a sigh of relief - I'm
sure).
Heather Willever-Farr
Electronic Records Archivist American College of Physicians - American Society of Internal Medicine 190 N. Independence Mall West Philadelphia, PA 19106-1572 hwillever-farr@mail.acponline.org (w) 215-351-2470 (h) 215-481-0962 >>> Christine Crawford-Oppenheimer <c_crawfo@CULINARY.EDU>
04/19/01 04:59PM >>>
I agree with Tom (and others who have posted on this topic). The subject matter is what makes the research tedious, not the medium. Some microfilms are in better condition that others, and some readers work better than others (at my library, we have an exceedingly high-tech reader that always gives me error messages when I turn it on; I'd much rather have an old-fashioned hand-cranked one). In my personal genealogical research, I have worked with heavy ledgers that always seem to be on shelves above my head and are crumbling with red-rot; microfilm is a lot lighter to lift and cleaner. I read recently, either on this list or in some genealogical publication, that computer users are having some problems with CD and online census records that are making some of them nostalgic for microfilm! I am (again, personally) currently having a major problem getting a CD of the American Biographical and Genealogical Index to perform correctly, even though I technically have more than the recommended computer capability. Every medium can have problems. Christine Crawford-Oppenheimer Special Collections Librarian/Archivist Culinary Institute of America 1946 Campus Drive Hyde Park, NY 12538 (845) 451-1757 c_crawfo@culinary.edu >>> Tom Anderson < tanderson@AMSE.ORG > 04/19/01 03:20PM >>> I can't say as I find microfilm research any more tedious than online research, or pouring through piles of books, and I must say it's certainly easier to handle than oversized, fragile newsprint. Not to mention it's easier to get a copy of the article I want compared to trying to photocopy the pertinent articles out of a paper. And you're right, it *is* better to have microfilm than nothing at all. A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List! To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu In body of message: SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname *or*: UNSUB ARCHIVES To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html Problems? Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt < rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu > |