National Inventory of Documentary Sources
by Alan E. Mann
NIDS is the publication of finding aids for holdings prepared by various
repositories. All repositories in the
NIDS is available on CD-ROM or microfiche. The media differ in content as well as presentation and approach to the data. The CD-ROM (#10) and the fiche are located on B2. NIDS itself has finding aids to help in using NIDS. One is a register book and the other is a third-party website assistance tool at http://www.rootsweb.com/~bifhsusa/nids/.
On Microfiche
NIDS is produced in units (groups of fiche) in annual releases. Each unit is indexed and there is a cumulative index as well. The index is limited in scope, with selected items from the titles or descriptions being included in the index. The index is produced on microfiche.
The Family History Library assigns microfiche numbers to the various parts of the NIDS collection as they are cataloged. The numbers are not consecutive and often vary even within a single repository’s holdings. The collection as a whole is listed in the FHLC in the title section of the fiche under National Inventory of Documentary Sources of the United Kingdom or National Inventory of Documentary Sources of the United Kingdom and Ireland. The individual items are listed in the locality section of the FHLC (fiche and CD) under the appropriate locality and the subject heading Archives and Libraries (often with the subheading Inventories, registers and catalogs). For example, the Kent Archive Office finding aids are cataloged under:
The index is comprised of three parts. The first fiche starts with an
explanation and overview, followed by a listing of all the items included in
NIDS in numerical order. This is followed by the cumulative index. This index
is cataloged in the locality section of the FHLC under
Some finding aids have an index, which are listed in the subject and name index under Index.
To use the index on fiche to NIDS:
1. Look in the index under the subject desired, find the entry, and note the reference number(s) given.
2. Look the number up in the numerical listing of finding aids to obtain the Chadwyck-Healey (CH) fiche number.
3. Look up the CH fiche number in the NIDS Register (or FHLC Author/Title section). The NIDS Register will convert the CH fiche number to a FHL fiche number.
If you want the finding aids for a particular repository, look in the catalog under the locality, look in the NIDS Register, or look in the Author/Title section under National Inventory to Documentary Sources in the United Kingdom and browse through the repositories listed there.
Additional information on NIDS is in How to Use the National Inventory of Documentary Sources In The United Kingdom in Your Research, a copy of which is at the British Reference counter (area file, England Archives and Library #70).
On CD-ROM
There is no detailed study of how the CD-ROM differs from the fiche. We know content overlaps, but they are not identical. The CD offers some advantage, but seems to be less complete. The CD allows marking items of interest for a holding file to later print or download them (much less costly and more readable than fiche copies). The search on the CD can use boolean operators (look for combinations of different words in one record, etc.).
To use NIDS on CD-ROM:
1. Ask at the reference counter for CD#10 or visit the website www.shef.ac.uk/library/libdocs/ml-cd7.html. Start NIDS.
2. Press
any key twice to get past the introductory screens and see the search window.
3. Highlight (using the arrow keys) the type of search you would like to make (you can search for a category of entries, a subject, a subject keyword, a title keyword, a repository, a repository keyword, NUCMC #, or CH fiche #). NOTE: title keyword search is very slow and category should not be used until you know what you’re doing.
4 Input the word to search and press enter (often more than once to start search).
5. Number of records found is displayed, and listed by brief description. Highlight the one you would like to see first and press enter for details (page down/up to read all of it).
6. Use the following keys for navigation:
<Alt S> - save to disk (be sure to include the drive letter: and name your file)
<Alt P> - print the displayed record (or holding file only if in holding file display)
<Alt T> - mark the record displayed for the holding file
<Alt Q> - exit the program
+ or - - go to the next or previous record
<F8> - Display holding file (need to do this first if you want to print holding file)
7. You can combine searches. You do this by doing two separate searches, one after the other. Then you can combine them to find records that were found in both searches. For example, I can search for Reverend or minister, then Methodist to try to focus on records relating to Methodist ministers.