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Re: Newspapers as primary sources



Isn't the basic point to all this that newspapers and clippings are a
nightmare from a preservation standpoint - they are, by all accounts,
detrimental to the items around them, but the evidence/information they
contain is worth keeping from several standpoints.  One - they tell us
something about the interests and concerns of the person who collected them.
Two - they provide evidence and information about the time period, about the
politics of the paper as an institution, etc.  It's the info, whether you
see it as primary or secondary source material, that is important - and as
long as you preserve the information adequately, this is what counts.
I think that's where people tend to diverge - in whether they see the paper
itself in its original form as valuable, or whether they understand that
it's the information contained within (barring any exceptions to very old
nice, runs of now defunct papers - though I would argue these are few and
far between) that holds the real value for most researchers.

It has been an interesting conversation, though, hasn't it?
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bunker, Kevin" <kbunker@SS.CA.GOV>
To: <ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2001 7:28 PM
Subject: Re: Newspapers as primary sources


> Colleagues:
>
> When I found that the major lumber company (upon which I'm basing my own
> book on railroad logging in Mendocino County, CA) had destroyed all but a
> random handful of its 85 years + corporate record trail -- in 1969, no
less!
> -- I had to resort to newspapers as my almost-primary source research
> material.
>
> Therein lay a gold mine, esp from the tiny weekly community paper (the
Fort
> Bragg Advocate-News). The only copies (N. Baker, eat your heart out) were
> tattered and torn, but sorta' bound originals -- 95% complete circa 1880
to
> the present, and held in the A-N's break room on wood and steel shelving.
> The employees mined these editions regularly (hence the shot bindings,
wear
> and tear) to put together contemporary "Pages of the Past" columns. The
> paper eventually was convinced (not by me, but I sure prodded) to pay for
> microfilms before only dust was left of the specimen originals. Sadly, the
> only microfil copies are in the Fort Bragg City Library, and no duplicates
> at California State Library!
>
>  [Holly Hodges -- I "sense" your sensibility!]
>
> Kevin (with apologies to the late, great Henry James) Bunker
> Student Assistant
> California State Archives
>
> > ----------
> > From:         Holly Hodges[SMTP:FHHodges@AOL.COM]
> > Reply To:     FHHodges@AOL.COM
> > Sent:         Wednesday, May 16, 2001 3:12 PM
> > To:   ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
> > Subject:      Newspapers as primary sources
> >
> > According to Lee Miller:
> >
> > <<Since the subject here is newspapers, however, a newspaper would be a
> > secondary source for anyone researching the subjects covered in the
> > articles,
> > but a primary source for persons studying the history of the paper, the
> > paper's publisher or editors, the history of printing, journalism
trends,
> > newspaper ink stability, editorial reactions to events, etc. >>
> >
> > Thanks, Lee!  At one time newspapers were not very high on my list of
> > stuff
> > to consider "primary sources" but in the x number of years since that
time
> > I've encountered quite a few journalism historians and my perception is
> > much
> > different.  I'll probably always have this thing about holographic
> > material
> > and iron gall ink, but yes, it all comes down to what it is you're
> > studying.
> >
> > Holly Hodges
> > (trying to regain a sense of sensibility after that Volkswagon thing
> > earlier
> > today!)
> >
> > A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!
> >
> > To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
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> >
> > 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>
> >
>
> 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
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> 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
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>
> Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>
>

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

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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>