By Leah Naess
Several years ago, Cynthia Jennings and I began an effort to document the lives and work of the 52 artists
who formed the Denver Artists Guild in 1928. In doing so, we learned a great deal about where to look for information.
We shared what we’ve learned at the 2008 Expo, and handed out a list of suggested locations and URLs.
While this is not an all-encompassing reference, it may be helpful to you if you are
beginning to research and write an historical nonfiction book.
Where to begin:
- Denver Public Library, 5th floor (Western History/Genealogy Department)
card catalog, online search http://www.denverlibrary.org, research requests, special collections,
and extended Prospector searches for old documents available through college archives. They
have microfilm of old Denver newspapers.
- Colorado Historical Society Library, 2nd floor (need research permit),
card catalog, online search http://www.coloradohistory.org/, Denver Municipal Facts & Index
(news/photos of the time), and special research requests that they perform.
- All universities have archives, a special part of the library system.
(You usually need permission in advance to use them.)
- Colorado State Archives and Libraries (1313 Sherman, IB20 in Denver)
http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/
- Vital statistics:
http://coloradoclues.com/Vitals%20Statistics%20K-M%201890.htm
- Social Security Death Index:
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/fto_ssdisearch.html
- Military Burial Records: http://www.cem.va.gov/
- BRC's Collaborative Digitization Program (CDP) is digitizing old newspapers and other documents:
http://www.bcr.org/cdp/. BCR (Bibliographical
Center for Research) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit headquartered in Aurora, Colorado.
- All museums have libraries, e.g., Denver Art Museum, Denver Museum of Nature and Science,
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, and Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum: Starsmores Center for Local History.
Some provide online catalogs; others will conduct a search of their resources upon request.
- Search the following libraries; they have extensive online catalogs with a wealth of
information: Smithsonian Library,
Library of Congress,
New York Public Library,
National Trust for Historic Preservation Library (U. of Maryland),
Repositories of Primary Sources
and
Getty Research Institute Research Library Catalog.
- Online search organizations: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
(http://www.familysearch.org),
RootsWeb (http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com),
and tools in your field of research. For instance, in the art world, there is a repository
of information contained in Ask Art (http://www.askart.com).
- Ellis Island: http://www.ellisisland.org
With a little information, you can identify when someone immigrated into the U.S.
- A Google search for topics and names can provide quick references. For
example, the search, Colorado history reaped a chronology: http://www.ghostseekers.com/Timeline.htm
Get support:
- Attend lectures and meet with speakers. Take someone to lunch and ask questions.
Get other contacts. Get on mailing lists. Go to conferences and seminars. Talk with people
you meet who share your interest.
- Visit colleges and approach professors who may have expertise in your subject.
Look for departments, classes in similar areas, and journal authors.
Propose hiring a graduate student or have your project be part of a class assignment.
- Ask professionals in your field for direction, guidance, and help in collecting information and
reviewing your work.
About the author:
Leah Naess holds an M.A. in Communications from the University
of Houston and has worked as a technical writer and instructional designer for
twenty-eight years. Contact her through her Web site at
http://www.naessventures.com.
Currently she is researching and writing Memories of the Denver Artists Guild along with
Cynthia Jennings, Historian of the Colorado Artists Guild.
|
