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# Source analysis (Individual Assignment)

Delete this introductory material when submitting your assignment
Locate a digital source that is related to you (or your group's) general research aims. I will allow a generous leeway in terms of how much the source relates to your final topic, so even a source that is indirectly related is acceptable for now. Remember, although researches start off with a topic of interest, they nearly always end up changing their questions.

This exercise is designed to (a) get you thinking critically about an digital source and (b) what are the possibilities and problems of using that source to illuminate your possible research interests. If in the process of doing your source analysis you realize that your research interest might need significant reworking, that is okay. I expect everyone’s topics to change over the course of the semester. The aim of this exercise is to teach you to think about how to approach *any* digital source.

Overall, your answers should be *roughly* the equivalent of 2 pages, double-spaced.

See the [README.md](README.md) file for information on how to submit this assignment.
---

## Basic Source Information

* Where is your source located (URL? Or traditional media)
[https://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/html/browse.cfm]

* What kind of source is it? (Diaries, records of objects, data tables, etc...)
The source is a database of collected cookbooks and assorted recipes, that have been digitally scanned to preserve their original form and transcribed. It also includes images of contemporary cooking tools and utensils.

* Who, or what organization, is responsible for hosting the source (if online), who gathered the information?
The special collections department of the Michigan State University is responsible for the gathering the information and host the source on the University's website. Michigan State's library and museums provided the materials that were compiled and the project received backing from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

---

## Authorship

* Is there any information available discussing the process by which the information was gathered, or how the digital project was constructed?
* How transparent is the project about the choices they made in gathering and transforming the data for digitalization? [Click here for an example of a an excellent 'About' page from a database about Anglo-Saxons](http://www.pase.ac.uk/about/index.html)
Employees of the Digital and Multimedia Center and the Special Collections Division of Michigan State's library, as well as undergraduate and graduate students of the university, were responsible for gathering the information. The cookbooks that are held physically in the library's collections were digitally scanned and both preserved as image files and pdfs. Transcripts were also done, typed at least twice by different undergraduate students and then compared for accuracy.

* How transparent is the project about the choices they made in gathering and transforming the data for digitalization?
The people who gathered the materials used what was available to them in the university's library. The collection is a digitalization of the works that the Michigan State had already compiled. They state that they want the collection to be more accessible than it would be other wise. They do clearly state where the works came from and how they digitalized it.

* Do the organizations or individuals involved in gathering and publishing your data set have any stated goals or agendas?
The organization states that their goal is to make the collection of cookbooks and recipes available to more people and that they want to preserve the manuscripts in their original form while still allowing people access to what is inside them. They want to database to informative and place a for research, even providing lists of what specific cookbooks could be beneficial to an individual looking at different facets that might be included, like advertising, or food from a certain region or people.

* Do the organizations or individuals involved seem to have any unstated agendas or goals?
It does not appear that they have any unstated agenda. The group seems very committed to the idea of preservation, both of the physical works and the history that they provide.

* If a 3rd party funded the project, who are they? Do they have any particular perspective?
The project did receive funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency that works independently to support libraries and museums. Their perspective is about funding museums and libraries to support communities and promote learning and literacy.

---

## Data Analysis

* Do the datasets involved reflect the viewpoints of particular groups or institutions, and if so, who?
Because the data involved is historical cookbooks they do reflect particular viewpoints. Many of the titles make a point that the work is for "housewives" or "ladies" and some are put out by religious groups, one written with Jewish health codes in mind.

* What kinds of categorizations do you find in the data, and do they seem reasonable?
The cookbooks themselves are organized by recipe types, all breakfast dishes grouped together or all beef dishes, and if they include other information, like housekeeping or manners, those are separated. The database has also categorized them by publishing date, topics of interest, and alphabetically by title.

* Do the means of data collection or categorization affect how the data is constructed in any way?
The organization notes that they did their best to preserve the original spelling and grammatical marks of the manuscripts and presents them straightforwardly.

* Does the website contain any tools for visualizing the data? Do they seem like they are making any kind of arguments?
The website does not contain any tools for visualizing the data.