Editing Help:Researching early baseball
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== What are the most useful data sources on early local ballplaying? == | == What are the most useful data sources on early local ballplaying? == | ||
- | It seems likely that period newspapers will tell you most about when and how modern baseball arrived in a particular locality. Such newspapers may be housed in local historical associations or in local libraries. Some, but by no means all, papers may have been digitized and can thus be searched electronically | + | It seems likely that period newspapers will tell you most about when and how modern baseball arrived in a particular locality. Such newspapers may be housed in local historical associations or in local libraries. Some, but by no means all, papers may have been digitized and can thus be searched electronically. The rest may be inspected on microfilm or microfiche (usually attached to nearby printers) or, more rarely, in collections of the original issues themselves. |
When base ball was new, US cities -- and even towns of modest size -- typically had more than one newspaper. Baseball coverage could vary greatly among papers. Often a ball club had an affiliation with a particular paper and was given more space there. Don’t give up if the first newspaper you examine seems to ignore baseball. | When base ball was new, US cities -- and even towns of modest size -- typically had more than one newspaper. Baseball coverage could vary greatly among papers. Often a ball club had an affiliation with a particular paper and was given more space there. Don’t give up if the first newspaper you examine seems to ignore baseball. | ||
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Another possible resource is a town or city historian, if one has been appointed. | Another possible resource is a town or city historian, if one has been appointed. | ||
- | == | + | == Where can I find period newspapers? == |
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+ | Historical newspaper collections are typically housed in state or local historical societies, local public libraries, and state-level libraries or archives. The easiest way to locate old newspaper coverage of ballplaying is through an internet search. Many of the organizations have websites, and many have put their catalogs online. Microfilm collections are often catalogued separately, so it isn’t obvious what an organization’s total holdings are. Some libraries also have a separate local history collection, which may have its own catalog. An advance letter or phone call can usually clarify matters, if the organization is not nearby. | ||
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+ | == What else can historical societies and libraries provide? == | ||
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+ | It is often possible to find librarians or historical society members with considerable local expertise – many not themselves knowledgeable about ballplaying – who are eager to share their insights about finding what you need. Enlist their aid in finding material such as historic maps to locate ball fields, local regimental histories and rosters, etc. They may be able to help reveal the occupations and community standing of early ballplayers. And they are the ones who will know about any special collections, like diaries, letters, and photographs. | ||
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+ | == Can online sources also provide useful information? == | ||
It may be useful to try some online searches before approaching local sources: | It may be useful to try some online searches before approaching local sources: | ||
* A broad web search may yield a lucky hit at very low cost | * A broad web search may yield a lucky hit at very low cost | ||
- | * | + | * "Google Books" searches may lead you to publications you wouldn’t otherwise know about – and many of the older ones show full text that can be searched electronically and downloaded. Go to google.com and open the “more” menu at the top, and then select "Books." And search away! |
* One list of digitized newspapers is the University of Pennsylvania's [http://gethelp.library.upenn.edu/guides/hist/onlinenewspapers.html list of Historical Newspapers Online]. | * One list of digitized newspapers is the University of Pennsylvania's [http://gethelp.library.upenn.edu/guides/hist/onlinenewspapers.html list of Historical Newspapers Online]. | ||
- | * Other newspapers and other historical documents can be found on genealogical and other websites that charge subscriptions fees | + | * Other newspapers and other historical documents can be found on genealogical and other websites that charge subscriptions fees. |
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== Online search tactics == | == Online search tactics == | ||
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* Also worth a try: play ball, play at ball, prohibit ball, ball ground, cat. | * Also worth a try: play ball, play at ball, prohibit ball, ball ground, cat. | ||
* We maintain a list of names on this page: [[Games that preceded baseball]]. | * We maintain a list of names on this page: [[Games that preceded baseball]]. | ||
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== I've found information, now how do I submit it? == | == I've found information, now how do I submit it? == | ||
See the Encyclopedia's help page on [[Help:Submitting_early_baseball_research|submitting research to the spread project]]! | See the Encyclopedia's help page on [[Help:Submitting_early_baseball_research|submitting research to the spread project]]! |