Collecting Source Material and Organization

Yesterday it snowed 10 inches here in Central Massachusetts. After a Friday and Saturday of close to spring like weather winter has returned. Over the weekend I was able to win an eBay auction for a collection of letters from a soldier in the First Maine Heavy Artillery. I probably paid too much but when things like this come up I figure I need to grab them. If the seller had only been willing to provide copies I would have been satisfied but that was not the case so I had to bid. Luckily my wife understands and since I only really go out on a limb when it comes to this regiment I was able to swing it financially. Over the years I have amassed a good collection of primary material on this regiment both in generosity of individuals who have provided photocopies, my own searching through archives and in certain cases my purchases of items for sale. The biggest expense so far where the microfilm copies of the regimental and company books from the National Archives. I figured it was cheaper to buy the copies then make multiple trips to Washington. Now if I could get a hold of an inexpensive microfilm reader or better yet come up with way to pay to have the film scanned and put on CD-ROM I will be all set.

About a year ago I purchased a copy of Citation. For those of you who don't know Citation is a bibliographic and research note organization program. It has made my collection and organization of my research notes alot easier. It has the ability to be easily integrated with Microsoft Word so the inserting of footnotes and the creation of bibliographies can be accomplished rather quickly in a wide range of academic styles. I only wish I had found this product alot sooner especially when I was doing my Master's thesis on the First Maine Heavy Artillery.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Andy,

Do you know whether there's a Mac version? I can't tell from the website. I came back from the Dark Side a couple of years ago and became a Mac user.

Interestingly, I note from the web site that this company has its offices less than five miles from my house--probably 2 or 3, as I'm not quite sure where the street is where it's located--and I have never heard of this company. Hmmm.

Eric
Andy said…
Hey Eric, I looked at teh web and in my manualand no references to a MAC version. My employer is a windows shop I am forced to the dark side.

Regards,
Andy
Anonymous said…
Thanks, Andy. I've e-mailed them--their office is just over 2 miles from my house--to ask. I will let you know if and when I get a response.

As for the Dark Side, I do understand. One of the benefits of being self-employed was that when the time came to shed the Dark Side, it was a simple process. :-)

Eric
dw said…
Responding to Eric, first, it warms my heart to know you're working on a Mac -- now if only you could get Savas to see the light (I brought my Mac with me wherever we set up shop).

I think EndNote is comparable to Citation, though I've not seen Citation. Lots of Mac users rely on EndNote for biliographic chores. It's the real workhorse in that category. http://www.endnote.com/enhome.asp

Also, Papyrus for Mac is freeware, but you have to run it in the Classic environment. I've seen "Bookends" listed for Mac, too, but have never used it.

--David
Anonymous said…
David,

Thanks very much for the tip--I will check out Endnote. Keeping my working bibliographies straight is one of the banes of my existence.

We are a multiple Mac household, thanks to my Siicon Valley brother-in-law, who's been a Mac guy since 1981. I'm writing this on my G-5 IMac, I have a 15 inch G-5 PowerBook at home, and Susan has a 12 inch G-4 Power Book. If I could avoid using Microsoft products entirely, I would. I am, however, stuck with the Office suite of products for professional applications. :-(

Thanks again.

Eric

Popular Posts