[Bell Historians] The ongoing evolution of Dove online

[Richard Johnston]

Matthew Higby

> I have in numerous occasions asked the dove trustees for archive
> information from the dove database, and have been presented it without
> question. Information which pre-dates the creation of the online database
> would (of course) be harder to obtain.

I am pleased to hear it, but this is the relevant part of the 
exchange I had with "Dove Web Contact" in December 2011, which left 
me with a different impression:

Me:

I am updating my old records of tower visits, and some tower/ bell 
details have changed since my visit.  Is it possible to obtain 
information about the previous installations in a tower?

Reply:

Am afraid not, Richard.  With the observed rate of change (currently 
4 changes per day) it is almost a full-time job (and unpaid!) keeping 
track of the current situation as time goes by.  We DO happen to 
retain superseded pNBR data ... but only from the point at which the 
pNBR work started (our first datum was dated October 2005).  As to 
the simple Dove entry, our changed info goes back (but is not 100% 
complete even then) to about March 2003 although there are occasional 
indications of previous tenor weights.  

What might be your best approach is to find someone in your locality 
who has a complete set of all 9 printed editions of Dove.  Where do 
you live / ring? - I might be able to suggest someone.  

Richard Johnston