Hi all I'm a newbie here, I stumbled across this forum looking for information on a local building. I have done a bit of urban (and rural) exploring in the past, without realising that was what I was doing. Nothing too adventurous though! Having browsed the site a bit, a number of other things came to mind, and I'll admit up front that I work in a library, so my opinion may be a teensy bit biased :
Your local library service, and particularly local studies libraries/departments will be of huge value for researching your chosen building / site, as they have collections of old photographs, old large-scale and highly detailed OS maps, local newspapers and no end of other material. Analogue access is generally needed - you have to take the trouble to visit in person, but this in itself can be highly addictive, as piecing together info can be a bit like a treasure hunt, and you often encounter original sources that the people at Google have wet dreams about.
Even small neighbourhood libraries hold local history books (yourplace then and now, yourplace in old pictures, etc) and you can see what is available using your service's online catalogue. Many library services also offer free access to subscription info services such as the 19th century British newspapers, Ancestry or FindMyPast for census records, etc etc., all available by entering your ticket number.
By return, local studies library services would also be potentially interested in obtaining copies of the information and particularly the photos gathered by members on here. Admittedly, the trespassing thing might be a bit too much of an issue for local government employees to get their heads around, but donations can be made anonymously! This would ensure long-term access by others to the unique records being gathered by urban explorers.
This would in no way encroach on the function of forums such as this; such places should be encouraged imho,and I certainly don't wish to suggest that DP falls short in any way, or cause offense to other members or admins. But the fact remains that a forum's main function is discussion, and the resources are generally not available to offer a reliable means of archiving information. So as well as posting your pics up here, why not consider sharing them with others on a more permanent basis?
<climbs down from soapbox, ever so slightly embarrassed at his impassioned outburst>
- It immediately struck me what a great resource is being built here; the photos and information being gathered on places at risk. However, I was also struck by the number of threads only a year or so old where the photos no longer display.
- I also noticed a number of threads either professing a lack of knowledge about the subject building / place, or asking for more info.
Your local library service, and particularly local studies libraries/departments will be of huge value for researching your chosen building / site, as they have collections of old photographs, old large-scale and highly detailed OS maps, local newspapers and no end of other material. Analogue access is generally needed - you have to take the trouble to visit in person, but this in itself can be highly addictive, as piecing together info can be a bit like a treasure hunt, and you often encounter original sources that the people at Google have wet dreams about.
Even small neighbourhood libraries hold local history books (yourplace then and now, yourplace in old pictures, etc) and you can see what is available using your service's online catalogue. Many library services also offer free access to subscription info services such as the 19th century British newspapers, Ancestry or FindMyPast for census records, etc etc., all available by entering your ticket number.
By return, local studies library services would also be potentially interested in obtaining copies of the information and particularly the photos gathered by members on here. Admittedly, the trespassing thing might be a bit too much of an issue for local government employees to get their heads around, but donations can be made anonymously! This would ensure long-term access by others to the unique records being gathered by urban explorers.
This would in no way encroach on the function of forums such as this; such places should be encouraged imho,and I certainly don't wish to suggest that DP falls short in any way, or cause offense to other members or admins. But the fact remains that a forum's main function is discussion, and the resources are generally not available to offer a reliable means of archiving information. So as well as posting your pics up here, why not consider sharing them with others on a more permanent basis?
<climbs down from soapbox, ever so slightly embarrassed at his impassioned outburst>
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