I don't understand why the NNP is so hard to search 0

[leeg]

I have to admit I'm frustrated in my searches for the early commemorative coin series. Roger posted a great thread about searching the NNP for research.

It just isn't a collector friendly search at this point. One can have all the research in the the world but if collectors can't find it, it's useless.

[World Colonial]

I've only looked through the auction catalog archive to attempt to identify prior sales in my primary interest.

It's a good resource for those who collect something that is more widely collected.  I didn't find much of anything and yes, there are plenty of catalogues in NNP, though of the few firms who sell my series, only Stacks (legacy firm, not the current one) is included.

[RWB]

Try this for auction catalogs:

https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/auctioncompanies?hpp=true&page=3&activeOnly=true

 

And this for US Mint (skip down to where it says "US National Archives."

https://nnp.wustl.edu/Library/Archives?searchLetter=U

[RWB]

I happen to agree, and have argued from the time NNP was being defined that the search/find engine had to be high quality if the site was to be of general use and value. The original SW developer did not really understand what was to be done and clear performance-based specifications were not demanded (except by me, who ended up on the "ignore" list). What is presently at NNP is awful. Cluttered, confused, multiplicative, obscure, obtuse, and a complete waste of time for most. I've had to ask for locations of materials at times - But, I'm fortunate. My database has more archive material than NNP and I have a search application that helps me find what I want amid hundreds of thousands of files. (Yes, I tried to get NNP to test this commercial product, but there was never a response. Frustrating to have so much potential stuck on "fly paper.")

[Just Bob]

I have experienced issues with the site, as well. It can be frustrating, for sure.

[leeg]

On 12/27/2022 at 8:00 PM, RWB said:

Try this for auction catalogs:

https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/auctioncompanies?hpp=true&page=3&activeOnly=true

 

And this for US Mint (skip down to where it says "US National Archives."

https://nnp.wustl.edu/Library/Archives?searchLetter=U

 

Much thanks for that Roger!

[World Colonial]

On 12/27/2022 at 8:00 PM, RWB said:

Try this for auction catalogs:

https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/auctioncompanies?hpp=true&page=3&activeOnly=true

 

And this for US Mint (skip down to where it says "US National Archives."

https://nnp.wustl.edu/Library/Archives?searchLetter=U

Yes, that's where I went.

I wouldn't expect anything else but scrolling through endless pages of PDF documents is really tedious, especaiially when you get to the end and find nothing.

[RWB]

On 12/29/2022 at 6:46 PM, World Colonial said:

I wouldn't expect anything else but scrolling through endless pages of PDF documents is really tedious, especaiially when you get to the end and find nothing.

That's about the best we have absent full transcriptions. At the least, you can now do "grunt work" from the comfort of your own home.

For the research I do, I go through each journal and extract items of interest (present or future), then give the extracts a descriptive file name and a coded date.

[World Colonial]

On 12/30/2022 at 12:34 AM, RWB said:

That's about the best we have absent full transcriptions. At the least, you can now do "grunt work" from the comfort of your own home.

For the research I do, I go through each journal and extract items of interest (present or future), then give the extracts a descriptive file name and a coded date.

Yes, I understand.

The optimal alternative is to create a (fully) indexed DB, but I wouldn't expect that.  It's too manually intensive.

[RWB]

On 12/30/2022 at 10:45 AM, World Colonial said:

The optimal alternative is to create a (fully) indexed DB, but I wouldn't expect that.  It's too manually intensive.

To a limited extent, that's what I have. But it only covers my own extracts plus some transcriptions given to NNP.

If you look in RG104 Entry-1 Box #126 [Feb-Jun 1882] through Box #194 [Jun-Aug 1896] you will find these were transcribed by Nicole during the pandemic lock-down. They are on NNP with the original linked to its transcription. There are other transcriptions made by volunteers in E-215 and 216, but nothing complete.

[Nicole scanned the files, I selected the items for transcription, and she made the transcriptions with me providing occasional help with illegible text or officials' signatures and titles.]

Edited December 30, 2022 by RWB

[bstrauss3]

They are at their hearts librarians and so the search is one only a librarian could love.

 

Try using Google, with "site:nnp.wustl.edu" as the first parameter in your search.