Research Techniques

[landman]

Would some like to share how you amass your research. Do you place things i paper files, electronic, both? Do you file by State, Country, County? Or type of treasure like water hunting, cache hunting or by the name of the cache. Do you have a running WORD page and keep adding to it on a particular treasure, piece of equipment or area of interest like Mexico? What books or pamphlets do you recommend for good research techniques and the setting up filing systems? Does anyone use EndNote?

 

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[landman]

Beale,

Thank you for that in depth comprehensive description of your research techniques. BTW do you use 3 ring binders or something else. Thanks.

 

[Oroblanco]

I use both paper and computer records, for obvious reasons. As the various papers, articles, clippings etc got to be a lot, it filled two small (two drawer) filing cabinets, which are supposed to be organized by states but are in fact quite mixed. Saving things on computer demands that you make up a CD or floppy discs (which would take many) or run the risk of losing everything if your computer crashes. I would suggest scanning any rare maps or photographs/drawings and save the scans as JPG files too - better safe than sorry.

For magazines I like the plastic rack holders that will fit about a year's worth in each one, and then can be labeled and put in your book case. Maps are best kept ROLLED and never folded, so we made up map holders from plastic drain pipe with caps - one glued on, one screwed on. A cheaper method is to make a map file out of wood, drill/cut a series of holes in it and set up a matching board at a distance spaced to fit the length of your maps. I plan to make up one like this for the library room when I get to that part of building our place here.

Good luck and good hunting, I hope you find the treasures that you seek.
Oroblanco

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Good Evening Land man: As usual ORO left out his secret tech, it involves a genuine antique OUIJI BOARD.

Don Jose de La Mancha

p.s. In the case off Tayopa I agree with both, Beale and Oro, with the excepion that certain critical details are stored in my head until alzheimers sets in. A few are coded and installed in other similar "setting" files which effectively hides them, since they could easily fit into the covering file's location and characteristics.

 

[Oroblanco]

Don Jose', Dueno de Real e Minas de Tayopa wrote:

certain critical details are stored in my head until alzheimers sets in.

Ah, hmm... amigo now if you stop to think about that strategy, suppose that danged old alzheimers went ahead and "set in" on you, when you were not quite yet ready for it to hit? Wouldn't it then be just a wee bit too late to put things down on paper?

Looking past our own departure, I expect that most of our heirs will hardly give a thought to so many hours effort in hunting down and accumulating information related to treasures. I am working on a sort of 'backup' plan for this eventuality....
Oroblanco