About the databases
Since the fall of 2009, the team behind the Lincoln Collection,
which includes staff at both the Indiana State Museum and Historic
Sites in Indianapolis and the Allen County Public Library in Fort
Wayne, Indiana, has been digitizing the Collection objects into
four separate databases. The digitization process includes
photographing or scanning the objects and then creating an object
record that holds all the available information surrounding an
object such as origin year, creator or author, keywords, provenance
and other important data.
There are many objects that have been digitized at this point, and
the process is ongoing so the number grows larger every day. While
some records are more complete than others, it should be noted that
the pertinent information these institutions and the Collection
curators have for an object has been included in its record.
The Lincoln Collection website must pull together the data records
from all four databases into one place and present those records to
you, the website visitor, in as consistent a manner as possible.
The fact that the data is being imported from differing databases
in multiple locations helps to explain why there are some
variations among object records. For example, an object record for
a book will hold information that is unique to a book object, and
it will differ from a record for a piece of fine art.
Despite best efforts, the data may be imperfect. However, it is
the website's goal to identify places where the data can be
improved to better serve its presentation, and to be optimized for
online searchability and usability. Over time, the hope is to
create an online destination suitable for both Abraham Lincoln
researchers and those who are simply curious.
Publishing the Collection records online makes the Collection
accessible to everyone. Having the objects on display in a museum
or exhibition setting is important (and that still happens), but
making the entire Collection available on the Internet opens access
to exponentially more people. The goal is to create an online
destination that will draw in people of all ages and levels of
interest - from grade school children to seasoned Lincoln
scholars.
If you wish to cite any of the records in this database, please
use the following format:
Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection. "Name of item." Web. Day,
Month, Year, <URL>.