Cataloging, cataloging, cataloging! The first census indexes ordered with monies from the Texas
Research Ramblers and the Madeley Estate have arrived. Now to get them cataloged and on the shelves.
To say the least, cataloging is not my favorite part of my work at the Carnegie, but I am not
inclined to do a rush job either, so I mutter and work at call numbers and subject headings until I
find ones that I feel will assist my patrons. In my weirder moments, I contemplate just sticking them
on the shelves without benefit of cataloging but, then, come to my senses and realize what a terrible
mess that would create.
The Ramblers census indexes ordered were mostly 1860 indexes and I concentrated on states for which
we had no census indexes for that period. I also included some indexes for 1870, once again, filling
holes. Among the states already received (1870) are Michigan, Wisconsin, Rhode Island, Montana,
Kansas and New Jersey. Not yet received are 1860 census for: Minnesota, Nebraska, Michigan,
Massachusetts, Maine, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon (also 1850), Pennsylvania, Washington,
Wisconsin, Dakota Territory, Iowa, Kentucky, and Canada West (Ontario) 1848 and 1850.
I really enjoyed spending the Madeley Estate monies on 1910 census indexes! Among the states ordered
(in no particular order) were: Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, Oklahoma, U.S. Military and
Naval Installations, Texas, New York, and New Mexico. I would really like to have a copy of every
index that Precision Indexing/Heritage Quest/ProQuest has published.... Ah, well, something to look
foreword to!
Nancy McCraw Ross, Carnegie Librarian
