Living near and working in a large city has its positive side when researching the past.  Several times over the last twelve months the webmaster has used the materials of the New York Public Library (NYPL) or the New York Times (NYT) for research.

For example, the NYPL’s collection of regimental histories is among the largest in the world; including histories of five of the ten WW1 German Kürassier (Heavy Cavalry) Regimentals.  The drawbacks are:  1) One has to order them in advance; and 2) one can only use them at the Stephen A. Schwartzman Building.

Just yesterday, the webmaster found this blog post on the NYPL’s blog: “The Great War and Modern Mapping:  WW1 in the Map Division.”  Written in May 15, 2015, it describes the library’s map collections; including approximately 40 maps printed by the 29th Engineer Regiment–the official map-making regiment of the AEF.  Seems like another trip to the library is in order to explore this collection.

Other WW1-related blog posts by the NYPL can be found here:  https://www.nypl.org/blog/subject/world-war-I.  The most current blog post is on the Black Tom explosion; a timely topic.

But let us not forget the New York Times; which published scores of articles on the war and on post-war events.  The author has recently used its article archives to read up on the suicide of Lt. Col. Charles Whittlesley of Lost Battalion fame.

This really is not new news; and one can say the same thing for city and university libraries and newspapers across the country.  What is amazing is the number of times the webmaster’s research has taken him to these sources recently.