– notes, frequently asked questions and useful links from the archivist and curator of manuscripts at Balliol College, University of Oxford. Opinions expressed are the author's own.

Q & A: finding things online, aka doing one’s own homework

Q: I am trying to source an image of a handwritten manuscript [sic] of the poem The Redeemer by Siegfried Sassoon.

A: multi-part answer:
1) open internet search engine
2) type ‘siegfried sassoon redeemer manuscript’ into the search box
3) http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/document/9844/9780
4) use the Document Information tab to discover that the original of this document is in New York. You will need to find out what the copyright requirements are before you use the image in any way.
5) next time at least make it look as though you have bothered to do the least bit of background research before asking someone else to do it for you.

I should note that 99% of enquirers are meticulous about, and indeed enjoy, doing their own research, and it is a privilege to help them wherever I can. (And in fact I’ve helped this one too.) Unfortunately, the majority of those who don’t bother, according to my small sample, are those who are paid to know better,

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