Master Sources

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ron Ferguson on March 21, 2010 at 1:02pm

Alex,

There has been much discussion over the years on this topic which can be found in the Legacy User Group (LUG) archives on the legacy website. I suggest that if you visit then you only concentrate on the period since Source Writer was introduced with V7 post July 2008, I think.

Users basically fall into one of two types, the splitters, such as you describe, and the lumpers who use a minimum of Master Sources with the changes in the Detail. Thus, for example, one could have only one Master Source for English Birth Certificates, which I have, and then use the Details to record the various places, year, names etc. In the USA for example, one could have a Master Source for each State. The choice as to how you arrange this is up to yourself, and there is almost as much variety as numbers of users.

The choice is yours

Permalink Reply by MsFoxRider on March 21, 2010 at 1:03pm

I don't know if I'm doing it right, but I have a master source "birth certificate", one "death certificate", one "Obituary" and then on each entry I put the details for that specific entry.

Permalink Reply by Alec Harvey on March 21, 2010 at 1:06pm

Thanks to both of you. I thought it might help to do the general master list with specific details, but I didn't know if I was over-simplifying something that might become a problem down the road. Sounds like that's a viable way to do it.

Permalink Reply by Patricia Aceves Wyble on March 26, 2010 at 5:15pm

I'm a "lumper" in that I have master sources such as "California Birth Certificates," or "Manitoba Death Certificates." I'd like to add to the discussion that my LDS films are sourced "Film 0,123,456 - Church Name, City Name, State (if it's not obvious from city name)." This helps me out if I need to refer back to something, and also puts some location name in the source citations. I wouldn't go so far as to make a master source "microfilm" or something. Do whatever works for you. =)