Monday, July 07, 2008

Oklahoma Paranormal News says use your library!

Ok - this was too good not to share. Perhaps in October you can get someone from this group to come present at your libraries!

OKLAHOMA PARANORMAL HOW-TO: HISTORIC RESEARCH
It is very important to learn as much as possible about the history of a location as it is to gather data of a scientific nature. It will be necessary to verify legends, rumors, and commonly held "truths" about a location and the reasons for a possible haunting. Remember, despite common mythology, not everything is on the Internet - some old school research is required to do top quality work.

Keep a notebook for your research trips, record where you found the information (name of the library and location) and the general bibliographic information (author, title, publisher, date, and call number - in case you need to re-check it). The notebook can be a simple spiral bound school notebook or a laptop.

Libraries will generally have information related to local history (old newspapers, local history books, etc.). Some libraries now offer, with a library card, access to genealogical databases to search census records, deeds, newspapers (to a limit). The link lists all Oklahoma Public Libraries. Library cards are usually free in the location to area residents since they are funded by tax dollars (property or other tax bases). Visitors from out of town or state may need to pay to access local databases, but use of other materials is usually free to visitors. Special collections (archives) may have limitations as to use or access....

1 comment:

OPD-1 said...

Thanks for the PR! The Oklahoma Paranormal Directory seeks to be a gateway of information related to all things paranormal (Bigfoot to UFO's). It is located at www.freewebs.com/paranormalok. The Oklahoma Paranormal News is a blog related to the OPD. Thanks again.