The Amateur Archivist’s Handbook

Field notes

The handbook turns folklore research into a repeatable record-checking workflow. Its opening example asks what paperwork should exist if a reported 1932 disappearance actually occurred, then moves through newspaper coverage, courthouse records, maps, and OCR workarounds. The page specifies four starting anchors—name, date, place, and event—and recommends checking three surrounding weeks rather than treating a repeated syndicated article as independent confirmation.