Document Delivery VS Research Assistance

You’ve probably seen that Sourcery is a “document delivery” app. But what does that mean? How does it compare with research assistance? And how does it influence how requests are submitted?

Document delivery simply refers to the act of retrieving and returning documents. To get a clearer understanding of what that means, let’s take a look at the duties and responsibilities associated with being a Sourcerer*:

Sourcerers are required to provide the following for each accepted job:

All scanned materials collated into a single PDF that reflects the order of the materials in the folder;

Scanned box with view of interior folders;

Scanned call slip (if available);

Scanned folder title;

Scans of entire contents of each page;

Rotated or zoomed in scans for anything in shadows;

Scanned end of folder;

Scanned next folder title (if applicable).

You’ll notice these duties and responsibilities all essentially instruct the Sourcerer to complete one task: scan and return the materials. This is the most basic function of the Sourcerer: to create scans of material the Researcher is unable to access.

The Sourcerer knows what materials to scan because the Researcher provides all the information needed to request them! Researchers should consult the repository catalogs, finding aids, and staff, as needed, to identify the specific archival location of the materials. Then the Sourcerer can request them to view in the reading room. For document scanning requests, both the Researcher and Sourcerer rely on the archival location to identify which materials to scan.

Research assistance, on the other hand, consists of requests that require the Sourcerer identify and evaluate materials on the researcher’s behalf. For that, the Sourcerer would need to have some understanding of the research topic, perhaps some specialized knowledge, and at minimum additional time to review the materials. In addition, research assistance requires more time to read, interpret, evaluate, or otherwise contextualize the materials.

With this in mind, here are some examples of what research assistance requests can look like:

“Please provide copies of all letters between King Arthur and Lancelot du Lac that mention Merlin Ambrosius between 1214 and 1268.”

This is a research request because it requires:

Background information on Ambrosius, King Arthur, and du Lac and their relationships with each other;

Ability to read difficult handwriting;

Time to read through each letter;

Ability to read and understand Middle English.

“I need copies of maps that show differences in the floor plan of Bran Castle from 1425 to 1566.”

This is a research request because it requires:

Background knowledge on Bran Castle and how its appearance has changed over time;

Time to look through blueprints and other architectural documents;

Ability to read and understand Romanian;

Ability to understand and interpret blueprints and other architectural documents.

“Please search birth and death indices for Salem, Massachusetts for mentions of John Proctor.”

This is a research request because it requires:

Knowledge of John Proctor, including his approximate birth and death dates, spouse’s name(s), and children(s) names;

Alternative spellings, variations, and nicknames John Proctor might have been known as;

Time to search through indices.

“Please create scans of materials relating to the murder investigations conducted by Constable Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow, New York in the late 1790s.”

This is a research request because it requires:

Background knowledge of who Constable Ichabod Crane was and the details surrounding the investigations he was conducting;

Knowledge of the criminal justice system and how murder investigations were conducted in the 18^th century;

Ability to read 18^th century handwriting;

Time to read through documents.

In contrast, document delivery requests are much simpler. They should look more like:

“Please scan all material in box 2 folder 5 of the King Arthur Papers, 1205-1352.”

Most requests placed through Sourcery should follow this basic formula.

“Please scan the newspaper article titled “Wicked Witch of the East killed by house, Munchkins freed” originally published in the Emerald City Register on 1926 April 1 located in the Emerald City Register Collection, 1406-2008.”

While item-level requests are not preferred, they are acceptable in some cases when the item is easily identified, like a newspaper article from a specific date.

“I need all contents of box 209 folder 117.2f.”

Another classic request.

Notice how the above requests do not require the Sourcerer to have any specialized language skills or background knowledge on any time period or other topics. While context is welcome for inclusion in your request, the request should still be serviceable even if that information is not included. The archive provides the required information for the Sourcerer to locate and identify which materials to scan.

If you have questions or want to ask for help placing your Sourcery request, reach out to us at info@sourceryapp.org and someone will be in touch with you shortly.

*View the Sourcerer Handbook for more information