GaW’s structure and construction
The GaW database is a tailor-made relational database where verb phrases describing sustenance activities are the core information. The activities describing what people did to support themselves are usually expressed as verb phrases. In addition, contextual information (e.g. when, where and by whom the activity was performed) is marked up with metadata and made searchable. Here are also images of source texts and references to the sources and variables describing the locations from which the source texts were collected.
At the core of the GaW database are source fragments which describe the activities people performed to support themselves, in the vast majority of cases in the form of verb phrases. Common to all the database’s source texts, regardless of the kind of text, is that they contain at least one piece of evidence that a certain kind of activity to support oneself was actually performed, defined as ‘the use of time for the purposes of supporting oneself’, and that the activity is described as having been performed by at least one explicitly named person.
The basic unit of the database is cases. A case consists of a source text—that is, an extract from a source (as for example, a matter described in court records, a record in an account book or a letter in a letter collection)—as well as metadata that describes the contents of the source text, and notes about the source material from which the text is drawn.
Source references are recorded for each individual case. This is a prerequisite for the creation of a case in the database. When a case is created, it is assigned a unique identification number (ID number), used in references to the material in the database.
Information from the source text concerning what someone actually has been engaged in to support themselves, who the individual was, when and where the activity took place and in what context has been extracted from the source text. This metadata has been marked up and stored in the database so that the researcher can structure, compile, and search the material in several different ways.
Because the source texts are drawn from a variety of sources, the database also includes comprehensive information about where a case was collected, when and where the original source text was produced, the archive in which the original source can be found (including detailed archive references), as well as whether any source publication (printed or digital) for digitization has been used. In many cases, the database also includes pictures and photos of the original source material.
Because the source texts are drawn from a variety of sources, the database also includes comprehensive information about where a case was collected, when and where the original source text was produced, the archive in which the original source can be found (including detailed archive references), as well as whether we have used any sort of source publication (printed or digital) for digitisation. In many cases, the database also includes pictures and photos of the original source material.
How is data recorded?
Find out how data is recorded in the GaW database.
A fictitious example
Read a fictitious example of how information from the sources is organized in the database.