Historical Method

1
Historical Method

• Kathryn Gundlach, Susan Lovett, Jennisen Lucas,
  Gayatri Singh, Avena-Lyn Smith

2
The Method

• Recognition of a historical problem or need for
  historical knowledge
• Gathering of pertinent information
• Forming of hypotheses
• Collection and organization of primary and
  secondary evidence
• Selection, organization and analysis of evidence,
  drawing of conclusions
• Narrating conclusions

3
Important Elements

• examines/relates causes and results of events
• recognizes social, economic, political,
  intellectual and cultural environment in which
  event occurred
• acts as an exposition of past incidents and
  developments and their impact on later times
• strives toward a truthful narrative

4
Library Science Applications

• Benefits
• reconstructions of the past allows librarians to
  synthesize and make generalizations, and serve as
  an aid to understanding the present
• Problems
• lack of replication
• shift in historical focus due to technology

5
The Article

• The Decline and Fall of the British Country
  House Library - Peter H. Reid
• Libraries and Culture Spring 2001

6
Reasons for the Study

• This is a neglected area of study that needs to
  be examined.
• Important area of the United Kingdoms national
  history.
• The houses discussed in this article have / had
  some of the most important examples of private
  library collections in the world.

7
Goals, Aims Objectives

• To make this history more available to others.
• Bring information to light.
• Sometimes difficult as many of the houses are no
  longer standing.
• Analyze the trend of selling books to fund a
  lifestyle historical examples.

Castle Howard
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Questions

• What happened to these collections?
• What factors led to the dispersal of these
  treasures?
• What is currently happening with manor house
  collections?

Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire
9
Application Of Method

• The author appears to have applied the historical
  method in a systematic and knowledgeable way.
• Did the researchers seem to faithfully follow the
  how to aspects of the method?

10
Method Applied

• Yes, they did
• Recognition of the problem Sale of the country
  house libraries.
• Gathering of relevant information
• Use of diaries, contemporary news reports,
  records of sales, journal articles, etc.

Chatsworth, Derbyshire
11
Method Applied (cont.)

• Forming of a hypothesis Book collecting lessened
  in importance through generations and collections
  became easy cash.
• Collection and organization of evidence
  Chronological account from first major sale
  through the present supplemented with quotes from
  buyers and sellers.
• Verification of authenticity Inclusion of notes
  section and information on how to locate
  manuscripts allows for replication of the study.
• Selection, organization and analysis of collected
  evidence
• Listing of more famous sales, including purchase
  prices and in some instances, volume titles
  included in the sales. Chronological.
  Interspersed with reasoning for each sale as
  gathered from primary sources.

12
Method Applied (Final)

• Recording of conclusions in meaningful narrative
  
• Easy to read article with many interesting
  quotes and anecdotes.
• Were there problems with the method that might
  cause the data to be biased?
• Not that I could tell.
• How were the primary documents selected?
• The author chose to report on some of the most
  famous house sales and included information found
  in personal papers, letters, diaries, archival
  records, and articles contemporary to the period.
•  

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Sherbet Dish
14
Outcome of Research Efforts

• Summary of Findings (handout)
• Reid found that there were many factors that
  contributed to the dispersal of the collections

Knowsley Hall, Lancashire
15
These factors include

• Industrial Revolution
• Personal financial problems
• Settled Land Acts of 1882 1884
• World War I
• Change in attitude toward land possession

• Increase in penal taxation
• Increase in estate/death duties
• World War II
• Increasing cost of maintaining estates

16
Significance of Historical Research
Historical research canfacilitate our
understanding of when, how, and why past events
occurred and the significance of these events to
libraries as collectors, organizers, and
disseminators of the products of humanitys
intellects and emotions. Busha Harter,
p.92
17
Significance of Reids Results

• Chronicles the dispersion of private library
  collections (specifically those of British
  Country Houses)
• Recognizes the social, economic, political, and
  cultural environment surrounding and
  precipitating the dissipation of such collections
• Documents why a gentlemens library was a
  necessary status symbol, and why they were also
  so easy to sell off

18
contd

• Notes a consequence of World War I on these
  private collections (Many heirless families sold
  their country houses.)
• Concludes that despite 150 years of indifference,
  the worth of once carefully created family
  collections has been redeemed

Melbury House, Dorset (During Restoration)
19
Do We Agree?

• The previous list was inferred to be Reids views
  on the significance of his research.
• While I agree with the previous slide, I see
  nothing earthshaking about the statement, The
  British aristocracy have never viewed their
  libraries as being sacrosanct books were
  expendable and could easily be sacrificed if the
  need arose. This essay reminds me of modern-day
  garage sales everyone makes decisions based on
  their priorities.

20
Ideas to Consider

• The possibility of flaws in Reids research are
  never alluded to, let alone openly addressed.
• He does provide an extensive list of manuscripts,
  books, and journal and newspaper articles, so if
  someone wanted to replicate or continue his
  research, they could start with the same sources.
• 37 British Country Houses are examined in this
  essay is this is a representational sample or
  the entire population of qualifying homes?

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Practical Uses

• This article can be helpful to librarians,
  archive studies, genealogical research, cultural
  studies, history of private libraries, rare books
  research, and British history.

Haigh Hall, Lancashire
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Reasons for Uses

• Librarians
• Resource for private library history
• Shows royaltys past relation to books
• Reference for others
• Archives
• See past record keeping of sales
• Original sources
• Some of these houses now have archives open to
  researchers as well

• Rare Books
• History of book sales
• Establish possible provenance of a particular
  title
• Genealogy
• Family connections
• Historical home places and their history
• Cultural Studies
• Past actions of British royalty
• Library culture
• British culture

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Summary

• Article covers an area of little previous
  research.
• Uses many primary resources to research the
  history of the topic.
• Displays information useful to a variety of
  fields of study.

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Questions?
Blicking Hall, Norfolk