Ah, but you can;t make up book references safely. I can go to a research library and find a copy, or -- if it really makes a difference-- I can ask you for a scan. You can pick the most obscure book, and someone at WP will be there. (
This question has come up before in the context of using unique manuscripts as sources, and I think the potential availability was given as a justification for using them if actually necessary.
Where this has also come up is in the use of master's theses for local history--typically they are not on the web, but as a unique copy in the library of the university where the degree was given. But there is likely to be another person at whatever state university it is, and these can if it is actually important enough to go the trouble be ordered as microfilm from the university, if not available in any other way. DGG
On 5/15/07, David Gerard dgerard@gmail.com wrote:
On 15/05/07, David Goodman dgoodmanny@gmail.com wrote:
But I could put in a link to a dead site and use it to reference anything at all, true or false, and nobody would ever be able to dispute it. I think the reasonable thing to do is to leave the link in the wikitext, and comment it out with an explanation.
But I could make up book references. Except I don't, and neither do you, and neither do most editors. We assume good faith.
- d.
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