|
By appleshaw - Sunday, April 3, 2016
|
Records are text, but are derived from sources as a transcription. Until recently we had to depend on existing transcripts but original records are becoming more readily found online. These can show more information than a transcript and also reveal errors or ambiguities.
The image below shows how a baptism record has been transcribed and added to it is the original image,
Several points (apart from permission to publish such an extract)
Adding an image would probably be quicker than making a transcript in the format shown
Displaying the original allows users to check the accuracy of the data
The record shows information that is relevant on the Birth menu and also on Contact
As such it would be preferable if it is included as a link, to avoid multiple copies
It illustrates a typical ambiguity, not yet resolved as the address is not clear.
The image has been greatly reduced to fit onto the space available and as such would not help in resolving the problem
A possible solution could be to store the full resolution image and put a thumbnail on the record
|
|
By Jakk - Sunday, April 3, 2016
|
|
This is an excellent idea. I've lost count of the number of ambiguities I've encountered in my research thanks to having to rely on transcriptions. When transcriptions are involved, I do my best to find multiple sources for the data, and if there is disagreement, I find a way to include all values. My biggest obstacle to tracking down primary sources has been geography; I'm a Canadian of mixed entirely (as far as I know) European descent living near the West Coast of B.C., just about as far from Europe as I can get without moving to Hawai'i or Easter Island (and ocean level changes tell me both are bad places to be). The closest thing to a primary source I've been able to track down for anything earlier than my grandparents (all four of whom were born in North America to parents born elsewhere) has been a book published by a distant relative on my father's side that didn't document its sources well.
|
|