Original records  Original records – the basis of many, many news stories.  Often produced on a regular basis. We look for trends, jumps, changes, etc.  Often produced by governments.  Easier to access than ever.

Search …  We’ve got an idea for a story. We want to find out some primary sources. Search around – start with where you think the record may be.  For example: There’s a new strip mall being built on Mission Street. You’re assigned a story on it. Where might we start to find info?

What is my focus?  An individual?  An institution?  An issue?  Many records exist for each of these, depending on the specifics. We just need to look around.

Individual  Depending on the story, there is a lot of info about individuals out there. For example: - Michigan OTIS - Birth, death records - Property ownership and tax records - Driving records - Voting records - And many others

Social Security number  Book mentions this as a possibility.  Tread lightly here – Social Security number is a very touchy issue with many.  Not as easy to get as book makes it sound.  Can be faked or stolen.

Public records/individual  Voting – we can find out how often a person votes, what types of elections, even what party they voted for (primary election.)  Property ownership  Court records – filed with county courthouse. Need to check with the individual county.  Property ownership.

Vital records/individual  Birth certificate  Marriage license  Divorce record  Death certificate  Still need to verify info in these, because mistakes may be made in production.  Kept at county level in Michigan – with county clerk

Tax records  Can be valuable for property ownership info.  Property auctions – when people fall far behind on their taxes, land can be sold by the county treasurer at public auction. These land sales are announced publicly – with the owner’s name attached.

Other/individual  Unclaimed property list – in Michigan, published once yearly, list of person’s name and property they can claim.  Driving records – used to be free to obtain, now cost $7 per record.  Public officials – personnel files. Evaluations, letters of termination or discipline, expense reports.

Commercial databases  Upside – databases like Lexis/Nexis are fantastic search sites for finding lots of records very quickly.  Downside - $$$$$$$$$  Check free sites first.

Government records  Many, many records and reports are produced by the various levels of government.  Federal  State  Local – counties, cities, townships, villages, schools

Which level of government?  Deciding where to look – federal, state, local – depends on the story. Find the jurisdiction first, then choose which one to start searching.  May be some mix of more than one of the levels. Also, with local – cities, counties, townships, villages, schools, special districts – may be a mix of these.

Federal records  U.S. Government Manual – online or hard copy.  Specific issues to your region may be handled by the federal government. For example: - The Great Lakes - Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe - Federal lawsuit – handled in federal court, Bay City

State records  Highways  State parks, state land  Agencies – M.P. Regional Center - prisons - Michigan WORKS!

Local records  Roads, sidewalks  County and city parks  Law enforcement, fire protection  Water and sewer records  Restaurant inspections – local board of health  Generally speaking, local is the easiest to deal with

Bottom line  There are lots and lots of records out there – look around. Searching is easy, but may take a little time as you type in different combinations of words and check different levels of government.  Records are easier than ever to find. But you still need to verify. Human errors can still be made in record keeping.  Ask for help. Colleagues, local officials, etc.

Questions?