At the beginning of the week, it was quite frustrating in my research on James Riley because I couldn't find a direct connection to Lake James no matter what sources I looked at. Then I felt that maybe I was looking at the wrong link or maybe I had lost sight of the original purpose of what Jim wanted for the surveyor. It helped me to talk with Jim and to see just what he had in mind for the research on Riley. It would be nice to find that connection with Riley and Lake James, but if it is not found, that isn't so crucial. Jim is more interested in some background on Riley, his connection to Indiana, and possible leads to further sources for that specific connection.
It seems that when researching, I look through so much material that I start to forget the original purpose of what I am looking for. That is why it is important to stop once in awhile and refocus on the original quest. I had this same problem with the family project. It must be the nature of research itself and because of the large amount of material that a person has to go through that causes this problem.
There are definitely some similarities between the family project and the service learning project. I just mentioned the problem about the amount of material and forgetting sometimes the original quest. There is also the rabbit trails and getting off on some tangent. I did have that problem with the family project, but not so much with James Riley. I think since I was looking for such a specific item with James Riley, I was not so tempted to get sidetracked on something else. I am using some of the same resources in the genealogy department for both projects.
The family project helped me prepare for the service learning project. I was able to become familiar with the genealogy department at the Allen County Public Library. This saved time when I needed to find sources for Riley. I had an idea of more sources to check for information on Riley because of ideas I had while researching the family project. I will have trouble with writing and having the amount of information for the service learning project compared to the family project. With the family project, I had too much information. With the service learning project, I will not have enough information to feel satisfied with what I wanted to find as put forth in my proposal.
I still have a couple of weeks though to research and put together my deliverable. Perhaps I will be surprised at how much I am able to collect by the end of the semester.
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You wrote: “It seems that when researching, I look through so much material that I start to forget the original purpose of what I am looking for. That is why it is important to stop once in awhile and refocus on the original quest. I had this same problem with the family project. It must be the nature of research itself and because of the large amount of material that a person has to go through that causes this problem.”
ReplyDeleteYou are really helping me to think through the nature of genealogical research! I’m learning a lot because this blog is excellent. It seems like with research it is feast or famine: either there is more than you know what to do with, or not enough. Also, the bit about stopping every now and again to refocus is a good point. I see major connections here to your thoughts on *writing down* that first draft of your family history project. I think that *writing* must be a key component to do this work well. This, of course, is a good thing, given that I’m in Writing Studies… : )