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Re: Please excuse this rant, raving, thing that I have going on t oday, but I'm very tired and cranky, BU



It's true that newspaper clippings are not primary sources...

BUT

they are an organic part of many files; they are often enclosures in
correspondence, which refers to them; they are often important components of
research files, which are used to develop policy.

MOREOVER

they are often valuable research tools. While a researcher could find many
of the same newspaper and magazine articles on a subject by using indexes
and pulling out old microfilm, a good clipping collection can be a goldmine
of difficult-to-find sources, all conveniently assembled in one place.

I don't feel fuzzly and cuddly about clipping files, besides the fact that
they're often valuable and useful research sources.



Thomas J. Wood
Archivist
Archives/Special Collections LIB 144
University of Illinois at Springfield
P.O. Box 19243
Springfield IL 62794-9243
217-206-6520 | wood@uis.edu | http://www.uis.edu/library/lib-arch


-----Original Message-----
From: Geri E. Solomon [mailto:Geri.E.Solomon@HOFSTRA.EDU]
Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2001 3:34 PM
To: ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
Subject: Please excuse this rant, raving, thing that I have going on
today, but I'm very tired and cranky, BU


Please excuse this rant, raving, thing that I have going on today, but I'm
very tired and cranky, BUT....

Is it me, or do people not understand that printed materials (including
newspapers) are not primary sources?????
Unless it's one of a kind, unique, etc. it's secondary????
I must be missing something, but, the point of a newspaper is to reach A LOT
of people at once, it's printed, it's secondary???? Yes???

I understand that people seem all fuzzy and cuddley towards newspaper
clippings (why, i can't figure out!) but if you ask me, if you're that fuzzy
and happy with clippings, what do you feel about original manuscripts and
unique documents????  Come see our original photos, correspondence, diaries,
scrapbooks, and memorabilia, then get all gushy, leave the newsclips out of
the picture as far as I'm concerned!!!!!

--Geri Solomon

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