That was really just a guess. So this week I decided to actually check. And the number I got was 39,242. Though that's probably not completely accurate. Because I think I have a few duplicates in there. On the other hand, some of those documents are PDF files with multiple images. Which would add another 3,000 or so. The real number is probably at least 43,000.
Which is a shitload of material. Luckily, I've been accumlating this material for almost 20 years. And I've had the chance to process a fair proportion of it. Though I've still records that I harvested over ten years ago that I haven't touched yet.
In the early days, I'd immediately extract the information I'm interested in immediately after returning from the archive. I've since had to be more focused. Processing only the records which are relevant to projects I'm currently working on. For example, during my last visit to the Scottish Brewing Archive, I collected Lorimer & Clark records from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. I've no plans to look at them anytime soon. Records from 1880 to 1914 take precedence.
I've been contemplating recently what I'll do with all this material after my death. Or, rather, what will be done with by others. It would be a real shame if it were to be lost. Martyn Cornell's passing earlier this year has really concentrated my mind. My plan is to make all my images and spreadsheets public before I die. Assuming that I get some warning of that tragic event.
And on that happy note, I'll end.
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9 comments:
How would one go about finding brewing records in the US? Are there brewing records kept in the US like there are in the UK?
There are brewing records in US archives. Not as many as in the UK, but they do exist.
I have been having similar thoughts as you: what to do with the material I've gathered when I pass away. Unfortunately, a some of my material cannot be freely republished, but some can. My digital annotations I'm pretty sure can be.
I've been meaning to set something up for many years, but never got round to it. I think I should make arrangements, though, and stop putting it off.
Regarding your material I have been wondering what could be done with it by someone who has some skill at programming and data visualization. With that much precise numerical data I'm sure you could make some pretty compelling visualizations. You'd probably have to annotate and preprocess the spreadsheets a bit, but still.
Where do I find US archived records?
You'll need to search online. I did some years back and managed to find a few brewing records.
If you want to publish useful data it would be better in the form of a database rather than a spreadsheet. Admittedly the initial set-up can take quite a lot of effort (I spent 9 months setting up a digital library because although I was a professional programmer with a background in data analysis I knew sod-all about librarianship) it only has to be done once. Then it just works and you can add data indefinitely.
From reading your travel logs, I would have thought that Andrew was poised as heir apparent in continuing your research, publishing the results and maintaining your blog. ;^)
Is anyone in your inner circle interested in carrying out your work?
Oscar
Brewing records were a legal requirement for tax purposes in the UK. So there were masses of them produced.
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