[Bell Historians] Re: National Bell Database

[Anne Willis]

-----Original Message-----
From: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com [mailto:bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of David Bryant
Sent: 26 September 2005 14:13
To: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Bell Historians] Re: National Bell Database

>Maintenance could be by branch secretaries, for example, who should have
>a good knowledge of local bells or should be able to contact local
>sources.

That is the very thing which must be avoided at all costs! Most ringers have

little knowledge of bells and the resulting database would be of such 
dubious accuracy as to be useless. Ask your average branch secretary for 
accurate details of the bells at a tower in their area - few would come up 
with anything worth having. One only has to look at many of the articles in 
the RW, and the details of bells given in many church guide books, to see 
what trash would result if ringers without specialist knowledge of bells 
were asked to contribute.

David

Sorry, but I thing you are condemning with undue haste. We are all
interested in bells; it's just that our interest takes different forms, and
doesn't necessarily overlap. I am not one for ringing theory and switch off
just as much as non bell-historian must do sometimes.

If the idea of Branch secretaries appals, why not think in terms of
'knowledgeable branch/district/Guild/Association person', who may well be
Fred(a)-who-only-Sunday-Service-rings and doesn't have a computer. I have
learnt as much from such people as I have from written records.

We could ask 'are any records accurate?' I like the idea of a National Bell
Database, and we have to start somewhere. The Central Council is as good a
starting point as any as an 'owner'. 


Anne