11 replies to this topic

[Graham Clayton]

Have any TNF members done research which involves looking at rolls of microfilm of old newspapers?

At the moment, I am doing some informal research on Australian
speedway racing of the late 1940's and early 1950's, which
has involved spending time looking at the Sydney newspapers
of the time at the State Library of NSW.

Would anyone like to share some of their favourite discoveries that they have found in newspapers?
They are an absolute treasure trove of information and results:)

[Marco94]

I have looked at the microfilm from newspapers in the Stuttgart area. I did "discover" that it may have been possible that there has been some form of racing on the Solitude in 1913. Nothing very definite yet! But it does give you some motivation.

Marco.

[Marcor]

I make this kind of research in the Royal library of Brussels now. I just start to search results in the newspaper "Les Sports" but it seems to be very disappointing. I've read the years 1949 (March, April, May, June) and 1950 (September).

It's a beginning. Hope to find interesting stuff but I must be patient.

I was amazing by the use of microfilms and the handwritten index cards. Where is the computer ?

I've taken a one year subscription.

[Stefan Ornerdal]

Like Graham I'm also looking for speedway reports from the 50's in my local library. Great fun! Can't help to read advertising too, a bus trip to Swedish Speedway final 1952 in Stockholm for 13 Swedish kronor, including tickets and some food. For 13 SEK today you only get a tabloid evening paper!

I have found out there have been some racing on the roads around here i the 30's for motorcycles, possibly with some cars also taking part!

Stefan

[Hans Etzrodt]

Some years back, I spent a few days in the Elgin Library to do research on the Elgin Road Races, reading and copying articles through the microfilm machines. As you all know, these events had taken place between 1910 and 1933. While scrolling through the pages of two local newspapers, looking for information pertaining to the races, I found myself reading other captivating articles, which I found of great interest and some very entertaining. I discovered how easy it is to get distracted, reading about WW I or other great world events, now long forgotten.

[fines]

I only once used microfilms, at the library in Trier to research one very obscure F3 race in 1966, and I can only subscribe to Hans' experience!

[ry6]

I have many times undertaken research in the Durban Reference library with the old newspapers, circ 1934-1939.
I share Hans's comments regarding distraction and the quaint advertising.
One thing though - if I spend too long (more than 30 mins at a time) scrolling with the microfilm, "sharpening images", and tilting the "landscape" pages to "portrait" I tend to get seasick.

[Leif Snellman]

I have done some research at the Helsinki main library for local pre-war events. Found the articles in those old papers to be much more informative than they use to be nowadays. Sometimes they even had the lap tables included!

[Graham Clayton]

Originally posted by ry6
One thing though - if I spend too long (more than 30 mins at a time) scrolling with the microfilm, "sharpening images", and tilting the "landscape" pages to "portrait" I tend to get seasick.

I know the feeling!
The other "technical" problem is whether or not you
use a hand-cranked or automatic fast forward
on the reader. Rewinding a whole roll of film with
a hand-crank can be very tiring.

While it does get boring rolling through lots of pages,
finding a nugget of information makes all the work
worthwhile. The research is also like a jigsaw puzzle,
in that you put together all of the bits you have found
to make a coherent story.

My high point was researching the now defunct Windsor
speedway in north-western Sydney for the 1949/50
opening season, and finding amongst the speedcar
drivers who competed one "J Brabham", who went
on to bigger and better things

[Ray Bell]

I found a lot of stuff... mostly in the lesser news pages as I looked for info on Leyburn, for instance (court cases, hangings, murders, lots of stuff about war crimes trials and executions... killing didn't end with the armistice, I can tell you!)...

And the 1936 Woody Point research led me to the information that the 1940 Olympic Games site was to be... Tokyo!

All too interesting, I'm afraid, too much to look at, too little time... but one bloke has done it as therapy after a heart operation, looking for speedway stuff from all over Australia, principally, and kept records of it all... you might like to contact him, Graham.

[FLB]

It was probably in other papers as well, but I once found in an old Vancouver newspaper a Ken Miles obituary in which the journalist noted that one of his (Miles's) suggestions could have helped explain his death: a race car version of a black box. Electronics made everything much simpler, but in 1966, he had envisioned something that F1 only did in the mid-1990's and that NASCAR still doesn't do.

In the same article, Stirling Moss dismissed the idea as "preposterous"...

[Graham Clayton]

I thought that I might give a couple of tips
in case anyone is thinking of doing some
microfilm research

a) before you start searching, have at least a reasonable
idea as to when the event you are researching is taking
place. The year and month would be a good start.

b) as well as the major daily national newspapers,
a local paper can be a very good source of material.

c) try and get coverage from at least 2 different
sources. I have found that the coverage not only
varies from newspaper to newspaper, but within
the same newspaper from meeting to meeting.

d) be prepared for mis-spelt and incorrect names of
competitors!

e) while the results can be found in the paper
immediately after the event, there might be some
articles written in the week before the event.

f) as well as newspaper articles, the promoters
will often advertise the meetings as well. This can
give you the following information
i) when the race(s) were held
ii) time and location of meeting
iii) categories of cars
iv) names of some "star" drivers.
v) prizemoney and types of races

g) as with the media today, an accident
or injury will often get publicity, especially
in the "front" of the paper, rather than the
"sports" section at the back.

h) if there are no "feature" articles in the
Monday paper, check the sports summary
section, where the brief results are listed
of all the sports that took place in the area
on that weekend.

i) Copying of information
Some microfilm readers allow printed
copies of the microfilm. According to the
information found, it may be easier just to
transcribe the information.
If you do transcribe, PRINT legibly!
You will be referring to thse notes
again in the future, so you have to
be able to read them.
Regardless of whatever form you use,
take a note of the date of issue of the
newspaper, so that you can easily
find it again if need be.

The newspapers can provide lots of excellent
information, especially in regard to the
"nuts and bolts" of where and when meetings
occurred. The human memory can sometimes
be a little faulty in regards to remembering where
and when a race took place.

Happy researching!
Graham