My husband is researching his father’s WWII paratrooper activities. Since his father was interviewed by Cornelius Ryan for his book The Longest Day, we visited the Cornelius Ryan Archives at the Mahn Center in the Alden Library, at the Ohio University in Athens, Ohio (left). For his book, Mr. Ryan placed an ad in newspapers and magazines, seeking people who had been involved in the D-Day operation. He received 1,150 replies, and then he or his assistants interviewed 172 people. Mr Ryan cataloged each response, the subsequent questionnaires, and the records of the interviews. He collected articles, photographs, audio recordings, and memorabilia. The amount of data is astonishing. There are 165 boxes of information for all of his works; 38 just for this one book. Additionally all the information within the boxes are listed, making it easy to find or file information. For an example of how he cataloged the collection, see theCornelius Ryan Collection of World War II Papers.Upon his death, Mr. Ryan donated his collection to the Mahn Center, making his documents accessible to other researchers.
The curator, Doug McCabe, confirmed that the filing system was Mr. Ryan’s (not the university’s). He or his assistants organized all the data into folders. and then into boxes. Within the boxes, Mr. Ryan used colored paper clips to indicate additional information. Though the rationale for the various colors is lost, Mr. McCabe noted that each file with a clip is a story included in the book.
Seeing this collection made me realize how crucial it is for writers, especially nonfiction writers, to keep records. Nowadays, this means keeping both digital and physical data. For my first book, most of my information is digitized; but I have a hand-written journal, the Compostela (certificate of completion presented by the Pilgrim’s Office), and other collectibles.
I store the digital information in several places on my computer, on a back-up file, and on Google Drive, a “cloud” storage site. Redundancy in storing the digital files minimizes the chances for losing the information. On the other hand, the tangible keepsakes are kept in my office, where they are at risk for fire, theft, and gradual damage resulting from poorly controlled storage conditions, such as excessive light, dust and dirt, dampness or heat. To reduce the risk of environmental damage, I keep them in a protective storage container.
Why is retaining records necessary?
- Having records helps develop credibility and makes it easy for fact checking.
- The research material could lead to another story, whether that is a magazine article, a blog post, or another book.
- It can help establish ownership or rights to the material. Your notebook, with your thoughts, assumptions, and source information can prove that the conclusions are yours.
- It could eventually have historical significance.
- It could be useful to other researchers many years later, as was the case with our researching Cornelius Ryan’s archives.
Best Record Keeping Practices
- Be organized: label, index, and catalog well; cross referencing is good.
- Be accurate and complete: include all original data and details.
- Notate and date all alterations.
- Clarify ownership and access rights: retain information for permission to use copyrighted materials or give credit.
- Backup digital files and store items properly both for the short- and long-term.
References
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Organizing Research Resources: How to keep track of links, references, and webpages when doing research
- What is the Cloud
- How to keep track of your research
How do you retain your records? Has archiving proved helpful to you? Please comment.
