Finding the needle

     I hate to use a cliche in this space, so I'll just say that sometimes, research becomes like trying to find a needle in, well, you know what. I want to share a recent experience with you.
     I am writing a biography of an old ballplayer. The Baseball Hall of Fame provided me (for a price) with the player's clip file - every clipping they collected on him for 40 years. My job was to go through the clippings to find information that would be useful for my book. As a matter of professional ethics, if I use information from a clipping that isn't general information, I cite the source.
     I came across a clipping with fascinating information I wanted to use in my book. It was from a 1941 newspaper but the only indication of the name of the newspaper was at the top, by the page number, where it said "Citizen Observer." I had no idea what city that was in. There was an advertisement on the page for a car repair shop. I figured the shop was probably long gone but I decided to "Google" the address of the shop. Google provided me with the name of a different business but the address was in Utica, New York. Using Google again, I searched for the name of the newspaper in Utica, New York. Presto - The Utica Citizen Observer.
     I had my answer to where my newspaper clipping came from.
     Researchers enjoy small victories - and love to share them with captive audiences like you.