Paper research and the tenets of solid information

When I was a student, about a million years ago, the Internet had not yet been invented. When I think about that, it is hard to comprehend because Internet research has become such a vital part of what I do. Internet research, however, is based on sound research practices developed when our only option was papers and books.
The first tenet of good research is to decide what you need to know, and where the best places are to find that information. Record your finds, and record enough information to be able to find it again. This last and very important process is called “citing your sources”; you need to record the title, author, publisher, publication date, and pages used. Of course, if you are online it is critical to carefully record the web address correctly, using uppercase, lowercase and special symbols exactly as they are shown on the address bar. We do this, not just because it is sound research practice, but also because it is so helpful to have that info. For example, there have been times when I found a good source, copied some facts, and then later realized I needed more from that source again.
Source information also comes in handy in cases of conflicting facts. Say Aunt Jenny tells you her mother was born on July 19th. A year later, you interview her sister from California and her sister says they always celebrated on the 20th. Two years later, a cousin shows you an entry in the family Bible, written by their grandmother, which indicates the daughter was born the 19th. Now you have three sources and two dates. One source is called a “primary source” because it came from someone present at the time of the event. Because you have all the source information cited, you can evaluate the reliability and decide that it was most likely that the woman was born on the 19th. (Sometimes having a good source is the only way to convince a relative when there is a conflict.)
I don’t know how many “paper research” strategies are being taught in schools today, or will be taught in the future. But the skills needed are easy enough to learn and put into practice. Last week I spoke at an assisted living facility where the elderly residents had only ever used paper, and were reluctant to use the Internet. The skills they needed were more about where to look for information.
In any new facility speak to the librarian or docent to learn what is unique there and how the facility is organized. There may be microfilm or microfiche and the special machines needed to read them. Focus on local resources that are not likely to be available anywhere else, such as privately printed books and pamphlets, manuscripts and family histories. If there are small newspapers, check those for the dates your family lived there. Inquire about records from local clubs, organizations, schools, churches, and businesses. There may also be town government maps and records that could be helpful in your searching.
Family history research makes sense. Your ancestors left the same kinds of records you are leaving behind today.
  Columnist Nina Brawn of Dover-Foxcroft is a longtime genealogy researcher, speaker and teacher. Reader emails are welcome at ninabrawn@gmail.com. Her semimonthly column is sponsored by the Aroostook County Genealogical Society which meets the fourth Monday of the month except in July and December at Cary Medical Center’s Chan Education Center at 6:30 p.m. Guests are always welcome. FMI contact Edwin “J” Bullard at 492-5501.