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Strategies to Get the Most Out of Your Time in the Archives
- Skim materials first and then go back for an in-depth review.
- Be open-minded and let sources speak to you. If you try to find evidence to prove a specific point, you may draw conclusions not supported by sources, waste time looking for something that is not in the collection, or miss more important or more interesting information.
- Ask a lot of questions. Who, What, When, Where, Why? What are the motives of the creator of the document? What's at stake? Is there any reason s/he would distort or dissemble? Be sure to interrogate the structure of the document and unpack assumptions embedded within it.
- Practice good time management skills. One single document is very rarely going to tell the whole story.
- Take careful notes so you can locate the source later. (This means write down the record series number, the box number, and folder title, if applicable.)
Subject Guide
Emily Pearson
she/her
Subjects: Art,
Art History,
Classics,
English,
Foreign Languages and Literatures,
French and Francophone Studies,
Hispanic Studies,
History,
Library,
Music,
Philosophy,
Religion,
Theatre and Dance
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