Adding Archival Documents/Primary Sources
I have done a few searches of the forums regarding adding historical archive documents to zotero, and can only seem to find posts from 2007 at the latest. Is there any progress on this? My current issue with the "document' item type is that it gives fields for 'archive' and "loc in archive', but no more. It would be good to have a number (3-5 more) fields that could appear (ie 'loc in archive 1,2,3,4) so that historians can add the series, subseries, box number, folder number, etc.
Also, does Zotero allow for subsequent citations from the same archive/collection to have a shortened citation (like it does for books), or will it cite everything again and again? (Which would be bad for those working on dissertation with limited word counts)
Is there a way of doing this already that I have been ignorant of? Or is Zotero in the process of fixing this? If zotero can't do something like this, is it in the pipeline to be added/fixed?
Also, does Zotero allow for subsequent citations from the same archive/collection to have a shortened citation (like it does for books), or will it cite everything again and again? (Which would be bad for those working on dissertation with limited word counts)
Is there a way of doing this already that I have been ignorant of? Or is Zotero in the process of fixing this? If zotero can't do something like this, is it in the pipeline to be added/fixed?
What Zotero cannot do for any type of items is to shorten the container or collection in subsequent citations of a different item from that same container/collection:
E.g. if you have a different document from the same box in an archive or a different chapter from a previously cited edited volume, those will be fully cited.
I dont think this resolves the issue of more fields in the item type entry area.
Put series, subseries, box number, folder number in "location in archive"; use "manuscript" item type for unpublished documents and "letter" for letters and memos. The citation should be formatted correctly if you put all that info in "location in archive."
If this doesn't work, please provide an example.
You say to use "manuscript" for documents, why not use "document"?
@your other request - I don't think archival practices - especially internationally - are sufficiently unified to make such an option useful/viable/desirable. Archives can be quite ideosyncratic in their classification system and Zotero would have a hard time putting those things back together correctly - so I don't think that's going to happen.
edit: and what Elena says
What I am suggesting is not that Zotero attempt to create a archive template to satisfy all users, rather, a generic one where the user can input the series/box/folder into generically named fields, such as "Loc in archive 1, Loc in archive 2," etc, so the user could figure out which order they would like them in, and input them in that order.
Thanks for the help.
All of the info is, in fact, the location of the document in an archive. Keeping in mind Elena's suggestion for duping generic items, what other need do you have for a series of Loc in Archive fields?
To clarify, the shortened citation I'm having trouble figuring out is for the collection after it's been listed once. I'm good on shortening individual item titles. The collection, though, is something that my publishers ask me to shorten for every publication. Right now, I can only figure out how to get close to this by using that "Short Title" box, and that ends up with quotation marks around it, so I'm having to go back through and correct them. Is there a better way?