Periodical Source Index (PERSI): Difference between revisions

The Periodical Source Index, or PERSI, is the largest subject index to genealogy and local history periodical articles in the world.<ref name="ACPL">"Ask a Genealogy Librarian" Service, Historical Genealogy Department, Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 2010.</ref> Created by the staff of the [[Allen County Public Library|Allen County Public Library]] Foundation and the ACPL’s [[Allen County Public Library|Genealogy Center]], PERSI is widely recognized as a vital tool for genealogical researchers. PERSI indexes articles in 11,000 periodical titles (including 3,000 defunct titles) published by thousands of local, state, national and international societies and organizations, arranging 2.25 million entries by surname or location and 22 basic subject headings. An important tool for genealogists looking for new avenues of investigation, PERSI’s usefulness is not limited to family history researchers. Local historians and academics, archaeologists and demographers, as well as students from elementary to graduate school and beyond, will all find PERSI an important asset in their research.  

In 1997, the last year for which an annual print volume was produced, PERSI was made available as an online database at [http://www.ancestry.com/ Ancestry.com]. PERSI is now regularly updated and fully searchable at both [http://www.heritagequestonline.com/hqoweb/library/do/index HeritageQuestOnline.com] and Ancestry.com, although updates to the Ancestry version of the database are sometimes delayed. Under the auspices of the ACPL Foundation, the project currently employs a staff of eight, including a full-time supervisor and assistant supervisor, as well as part-time encoders (indexers), editors, and request fulfillment personnel.  

**To access PERSI in any Allen County Public Library facility, click on “Genealogy” on the main webpage &lt;www.ACPL.Info&gt; then click on “HeritageQuestOnline.com” and select “Search PERSI.”&nbsp;  

*Many public in the United States offer access to HeritageQuestOnline from home.&nbsp; Check with your local [http://www.publiclibraries.com/ public library] for more information.  

[[Image:PERSI search screen.jpg|thumb|left|PERSI search screen.jpg]] There are four options for beginning a search in HeritageQuest: People, Places, How-tos, and Periodicals.  

To print selected citations from the “Article Results List” in HeritageQuest, click to display a check in the box next to each article title of interest. Once relevant citations are checked, select “Notebook” at the top of the page. From the Notebook, options to Email, Print, or Download the list of checked citations are available. A title for the list, as well as notes concerning each entry, can be added as desired before the process is complete.  

[[Image:Ancestry persi search screen.png|thumb|right|Ancestry persi search screen.png]]Ancestry is available at many libraries, including the Genealogy Center, and also through personal subscription. From the Ancestry.com main page, click the “Search” tab, then under “Dictionaries, Encyclopedias &amp; Reference” select “[http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=3165 Periodical Source Index].”&nbsp; Ancestry provides search fields Keyword, Year, and Location.&nbsp; Entering critertia into more than one field implies "OR" so that the search results will locate any record with a match in ''either ''field. Rather than narrowing the focus, providing additional details actually broadens the search results.<br>  

Since PERSI is created at the Allen County Public Library, the Genealogy Center has a copy of every periodical issue covered by the index. Periodicals are bound into volumes and cataloged, usually acquiring a location-based call number, but occasionally one assigned to an ethnic group or other subject focus. This puts bound periodicals on the shelves beside other books on the same subject, making it easy to find many of them simply by browsing the shelves. For example, periodicals published by a particular county historical society will be on the shelf with other books about that county. The call number and location of books on any county can be readily determined by referring to the Genealogy Center’s stack guide. The call number for any periodical title can also be identified, even in advance of a research visit, by checking the library's [http://acpl.aquabrowser.com/?skin=genealogy&q=Search+the+ACPL+Catalog catalog online] at [http://www.genealogycenter.org/Home.aspx The Genealogy Center's website]. A few keywords from the periodical title entered into the box next to “magazines” on the advanced search screen will usually find what you want. Periodical issues that are not yet bound are filed in alphabetical order in cardboard boxes along the east wall of the Eastern Reading Room. If a periodical title cannot be located in the catalog, or if a specific issue cannot be found on the shelf, please contact a staff member for assistance.  

The ACPL Foundation offers an article copying service for those unable to visit or access the periodicals elsewhere. To use this service, print an [http://www.genealogycenter.org/pdf/ArticleRequest.pdf Article Request Form] available on the Genealogy Center's webpage. For each article requested, include Title of Article, Title of Journal, Volume (if cited), Number (if cited), Month (if cited) and Year. A pre-paid handling fee of $7.50 (check or money order to “ACPLF”) covers up to six articles and should be sent with each form. Multiple forms may be submitted, accompanied by the appropriate handling fee (e.g. for 10 articles: $7.50 X 3 = $22.50). An additional copying fee of 20 cents per page will be billed when the copies are sent. Please allow up to 4 weeks for delivery.  

Before ordering copies of articles through the Genealogy Center at Allen&nbsp;County Library, check to see if the periodical is available on-line.&nbsp; Some organizations may provide copies of their publications in PDF format for a small fee, or free. Older publications may be available digitally through [http://books.google.com/ Google Books]. The ability to search full text can make the on-line versions even more valuable than printed copies.