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Archiver > GENBOX > 2004-09 > 1094247298


From: Don Zochert <>
Subject: Re: [GENBOX] Research targets
Date: Fri, 03 Sep 2004 16:34:58 -0500
References: <CHEMKKAJHOKJPIEOPLKDCEDFFIAA.clcasper@sprynet.com> <41389FB8.2070806@worldnet.att.net>
In-Reply-To: <41389FB8.2070806@worldnet.att.net>


Listers,

This is a little like listening to a conversation in the next room, but
here's a note Kathy Lenerz recently sent me on Research Target reports
in response to a note I sent her on the same topic. Kathy asked that I
forward this to the list.

--Don

---

I think we're on the same path with respect to Research Target reports. I
may be a couple of steps ahead of you, but I'm probably not at the
destination yet. I'm trying to get the same kind of reports you want and
I've managed to get something I like, but I'm not sure it's the last word.

I started by looking at the 40-odd research targets I had entered, all
somewhat differently, and seeing how they came out on the default report.
My goal was not only to get tasks sorted the way I wanted, but also to have
formatting I could read-- minimizing ultra-thin columns and line wrapping.
So it seems I had to think about what should go in the columns (fields)
and what should go in the rows (sorting).

First I learned that, although I wanted the particular event of interest
printed out, I didn't like the way events output. Example: Census 1 June
1900 Janesville, Rock County, Wisconsin "age 81, married for 62 years,
retired, born in Ireland"

Genbox seems to create some sort of hardwired event description that was
always much too long for my taste. So I decided not to use Individual and
Event as columns in my output, as I had originally planned. Instead, I
decided to put a shortened version of them in the Target Description, and
print out the Target Description. Example: CHURCHILL, Joseph: Census
1 Jun 1900.

Now I needed to know the citation for the above event. One of my questions
to the list was to figure out how to link a research target to a citation.
No one responded, and I didn't see a way to do it. So I decided to cut
and paste an abbreviated citation in the Search Description. Example:
Janesville, ED 173, SD 1, sheet 5A (stamped 241), dwelling 75, family 82
(Joseph Churchill).

I then added my tasks to the Search Description:
Decipher year of immigration
Determine Ward no.

I then added source, repository, and location.

Note that the above is for sources I've already used and need to recheck.

> if you specify a source on a research target record, that
> source is added to your list of source records. That doesn't
> make much sense to me. I want my source records to represent
> sources I've actually consulted and for which I have all
> needed biblio info. Also, my sources are internally named in a
> way to facilitate sorting in View Sources (i.e., book names begin
> with the word BOOK:, census records begin with the word CEN:,
> etc.). The way "sources" are used on research target records
> appears to screw this up.

I agree with you entirely about how sources are used in Research Targets.
So I decided to put unused sources in the Search Description.
Interestingly, repositories don't have that limitation, so you can give
them novel names.

Next I had to figure out how to sort the targets/searches for each location
I visit. My most complicated one was for my trips to Wisconsin. I wanted
the report to look like:

Edgerton
Public Library
Fassett Cemetery
Janesville
Courthouse
Oakhill/Mount Olivet Cemetery
Public Library
Rock County Historical Society
Madison
Bureau of Vital Records
Courthouse
Memorial Library
Wisconsin Historical Society

I learned first that you can sort research targets, but not searches. So
if you have a target with searches in multiple locations or repositories,
there is a limited way to sort by location/repository. Since some sources
are available at multiple repositories, I had made multiple searches for
them. Example:

Research Target: WI 1900 Rock County Census
Search: Decipher year of immigration
Repository: National Archives
Location: Pittsfield
Search: Decipher year of immigration
Repository: Wisconsin Historical Society
Location: Madison

Since these two repositories are two different destinations for me, I had
to figure out how to sort to get each to show in the appropriate report.
The key had to do with: Content Tab-Multiple Searches-1. I still haven't
figured out the underlying principle of using the "1," in particular, which
field(s) it needs to be attached to, but it seems it can be used to select
the particular search repository/location of interest.

After playing around with the various search and sorting options, I finally
came up with reports that met my needs, so I saved them, one for each
destination (location). Here are my searches and what they produce, with
numbered explanations:

1. Research in Wisconsin
Content:
Search Location [WI*]* (1,2)
Search Repository "Repository" (3)
Description "Event"
Search Source "Source"
Search Description "Task" (1) (4)

(1) Since I wanted 3 different locations to appear in the same report, I
entered the location data as: WI: Edgerton, WI: Janesville, WI: Madison.
This allowed me to filter on WI*.

(2) I didn't want to waste space in the report with a column for location,
since the location was inherent in the repository, so I excluded the field
from printing-- Report Field Properties(the "document" icon)-Exclude

(3) The quotation marks indicate that I renamed the column headers-- Report
Field Properties(the "document" icon)-Label

(4) The "(1)" indicates that I checked "1" in Multiple Searches before
adding that field to the Selected Fields list.

RESULT
Repository Event Source Task
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
EPL Spike, J D: Death Find Isaac Spike home
WHS 4 May 1935 (where J D died)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
BVR Lenerz, John: Death Death Cert. Get death cert. no.
WHS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHS Lenerz, Bill: Wis. State Determine yr. of death
Death 16 Jan 1970? Jrnl. (1970 vs. 1971)

Because I had created multiple searches at different repositories/locations
within one target, the result is semi-sorted by city. By row:
Edgerton/Madison; Madison; Madison.

I created all my reports in landscape to minimize the line wrapping. All
examples here show abbreviated tasks, and wrapping that doesn't exist in
the actual report.

2. Research in Pittsfield
Content:
Search Location [Pittsfield]*(1)
Search Source "Source"(1)
Search Description "Task"(1)

Because there is only one repository in Pittsfield (the Natl Archives) and
because the source indicates the event to be researched (Census), I didn't
include Search Repository or Description in the Selected Fields list.

RESULT
Source Task
IA: 1880 Mitchell Co. census Decipher dwelling, household nos., HoH for
Wm. Brooks:
Newburg twp, ED 308, SD 2, p. 18, dwelling
148?, family 149? (James? illegible)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
KS: 1900 Dickinson Co. census Decipher T. C. Maley's occupation:
Abilene, Wd 2, ED 28, SD 5, p. 18B,
dwelling 412, family 425 (Thomas C. Maley)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
WI: 1900 Rock Co. census Decipher year of immigration
Determine Ward no.:
Janesville, ED 173, SD 1, sheet 5A (stamped
241), dwelling 75, family 82 (Joseph
Churchill)

Note: these tasks are all to double check the washed-out census images I
downloaded from HeritageQuest.

3. Interlibrary Loan
Content:
Search Repository [SPL]* (1,2)
Description "Topic"
Search Description "Resource"(1) (3)

(1) I abbreviated all my repositories to save space on output. SPL =
Stratford Public Library
(2) Since all my ILL requests are with the local library I didn't need that
field to occupy a column on output, so I excluded it.
(3) I filtered on Multiple Searches=1, but I can't remember why.

RESULT
Topic Resource
Sauk City History Cushing, Myrtle W. & Goc, Michael J. Lives Lived
Here: A Walk Through the History of Sauk City
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Canada Research Wesleyan Methodist baptismal register, Peterborough
County, 1825-1896 : a transcription / [transcribed
by Kawartha Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society].
Peterborough, ON : Kawartha Branch, Ontario
Genealogical Society, 2001.
ISBN: 0777920522
At: LC, WHS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Canada Research Acton, John A.
Index of passengers who emigrated to Canada between
1817 and 1849 / compiled and edited by John A.
Acton. Toronto : Ontario Genealogical Society,
1999.
ISBN: 0777902079
At: LC, WHS

This report could probably use some more work.

I had hoped to consolidate my myriad "to do" lists in Research Targets. I
think it's possible, but it does require coming up with a master scheme for
how to enter the data. I think by designing the desired output first,
you've got a good start. None of my examples are exactly what you want,
but I hope they will help. Examples usually help me. I had sent a query
to the list asking for advice and examples on using Research Targets, but
there were no responses. More comments below:

> FHL Films
> Film Number
> Task 1
> Task 2...

If you make film no. a Research Target Description and Task a Search
Description, then sort on Description, I think you could get this.

> Morgan County (Ohio) Courthouse
> Land records
> Task 1
> Task 2...
> Probate records
> Task 1...

Location = Morgan County (Ohio) Courthouse
Research Target Description = Land records or Probate records
Search Description = Task 1, Task 2

> Crumline, History of Ohio County
> Task 1
> Task 2...

Research Target Description = History of Ohio County
Search Description = Task 1, Task 2

> I haven't given this a lot of thought--you can tell?--but I've
> wondered a little bit about how to set up research targets
> initially to get the result I'm after. I suppose I could "code"
> the beginning of each target description on a research target
> record and then sort on the description. This would produce
> Morgan County (Ohio) Courthouse. Task...
> Morgan County (Ohio) Courthouse. Task...
> etc. depending on how the description is coded.

Good idea-- I think it will work.

> Another possibility might be to have projects represent
> specific research sources (Crumline, History of Ohio County;
> FHL Films; Morgan County Courthouse; etc.) and attach
> targets to the appropriate project (something I haven't
> yet discovered how to do).

You can't attach a Research Target to a Project through the Research
Targets window. You have to create the Project first, then attach a
Research Target through the Projects window.

I created a Project for ILL. Then I tried to create a Research Target
report that listed the targets for that project. I couldn't figure out how
to do it. One can create a Project report, but all you can get is the name
of the research target, not the target description or the search
description. This seems to reduce the utility of Projects, in my mind.
Again, my query to the list included this topic, but there were no
responses.



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