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Work flow
Step Five:
Next, I add Tags. I use RIN’s for Tags. Side Note: I use FTM which allows me to add a prefix or suffix to the RIN’s. Since I use two databases, I use the title of the database as the prefix to the RIN. About once a month I generate a list of RINs and the corresponding name from my genealogy software and add it to Zotero. One for each side. I call them SchindlerSide Index and GilchrestSide Index.
I will often use the Zutilo add on to quickly copy and paste tags to multiple entries or relate several entries to each other.
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Step 6:
Lastly, I dragged a copy of the entry to the Rose Baer sub-collection in the Questions Collection.
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Thank you, Ann.
While I'm very new to Zotero, what you do seems reasonably straight-forward.
I'm currently working on a research project while waiting for an answer to which format of the Zotero book is the latest. Once I get that answer and the book, I'm hoping to set up what you've described.
It appears that you try to store data locally, which is good for me. I try to avoid recurring fees when possible.
You also note that you do things a bit differently for pre-existing data. How does that change what you do? I have a lot of data to port to this new workflow.
Hi History Hunter,
About the same time, I started using Zotero I also started a family archive. There was a lot to think about. What do I want to keep physically? What can be kept digitally? How can I use Zotero as a finding aid for all my stuff?
When I first set up Zotero I mimicked my hard drive files. As you can image it made for a LOT of collections. It soon became apparent that I did not need to mimic my hard drive.
For example, on my hard drive I store files by locations and subjects in folders. The main folder is called Genealogy. The first image is of my hard drive and part of the Minnesota folder. Genealogy>United States>Minnesota
I have been working on entering my older BMD’s and newspaper articles into Zotero. I started with the newspaper articles. I had over 1800 images of newspaper articles all in a folder called Newspapers sorted by surname. See Image 2.
The first thing I did was to decide what images I wanted to keep and which images to delete. This is all personal preference. I kept about 400 images. The images I chose to keep were clippings I did not know the newspaper they originated from, ones that contained photographs and ones I might use in my digital artwork. Below are my steps for handling the newspapers. I will follow up with BMD’s as they are slightly different.
Ann
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For the newspapers, I do have sub-collections by surname initial, but I also have them all in the collection called Newspapers. This has to do with how you can search in Zotero. At the top,
Step 1
I selected the Item type Newspaper Article and added each newspaper article and added the information in the appropriate fields. I do not use the title of the article here. I use surname and article type in the title. there is a search box (Image 3). This search box only searches the collection you are currently in.
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Step 2 For articles I am not keeping the image.
I add a note to each entry and transcribe the entire article. This allows that article to be searched in Zotero. If there is any conflicting information in the article or questions that come to mind, I add a second note with the title of Confliction information or Questions.
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Step 2 I am keeping the image.
I link the image to the entry add the transcription to the note field for the image. As I did in the new entries above.
Step 3
Is to add the tags and relate any notes to the main entry. This article has 60 tags. It took a bit of time to add them all! I use the same procedure from above when adding a new entry.
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Step 4
Once I completed all the entries in a folder I dragged them into the main Newspaper collection.
BMD’s
After I finished all the Newspaper articles, I started on the Death Records. This is when I did some changes to the collections in Zotero. As you know I file digital files on the computer by location and type. I changed that somewhat for the collections in Zotero. Instead of Genealogy>United States>Minnesota>BMD’s>Deaths that is on my hard drive in Zotero I use Genealogy>United States>03 Deaths
I decided to use one collection for each of the various types of records.
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