Background research
Read as much as you can about the background to your subject, so that you get a real feel for its setting and its context. How does your local example fit into the wider scheme of things?
'Make full use of the local studies library in your area and get to know its resources ...'
So, if you are looking at sewers and drains in the 19th century you'll need to read books about Victorian sanitation and public health, about towns and their health problems in the period, and maybe even about civil engineering. You then have a framework within which your local study will fit - was your town unusual, or did it follow the national trend?
Buy and read an introductory guide to local history. Browse through local history journals in the library. Make full use of the local studies library in your area and get to know its resources: this is where most background material and reference material will be found and you should spend happy hours here, extending your knowledge and finding your way around the local history of your area.
See if there are any local history websites for your area or topic: this is a much more hit-and-miss business, but many local history and county history societies now have their own sites.
When you are reading, make notes and keep track of the sources which other people have used. Be methodical, right from the beginning, in keeping a record of the exact location of information (a full reference to the page in a book where you found the quotation or the fact, a list of which books and articles you have read).
Published: 2005-03-03
