QuickSheet: The Historical Biographer’s Guide to Finding People in Databases & Indexes

QuickSheet: The Historical Biographer’s Guide to Finding People in Databases & Indexes; by Elizabeth Shown Mills; 4 pp; 2012; Laminated, folded sheet; ISBN: 9780806318936; 8.5x11; Item # GPC3869 The premise of this QuickSheet is that while databases and indexes are valuable tools for research, they can actually impede the research process. We all know that databases and indexes can shortcut the process of discovery, and many search engines offer wildcard and Boolean options, as well as phonetic indexing systems to help researchers contend with clerical carelessness and data-entry errors. But historical records involve vagaries that defy technical formulas. Databases and indexes then become obstacles that actually block discoveries. Enter Elizabeth Mills, who in this QuickSheet shows how to adopt pro-active strategies to overcome this problem and thus get the full benefit of databases and indexes. Confronting the problem head-on she first identifies a number of typical weaknesses--