The Limits of a Record or Database?

When using any record or database, ask yourself:

how does someone get in this material?

Do they have to live in a certain place? Do they have to own property? Do they have to have a job? Do they have to be dead? Do they have to be a member of a specific religion? Do they have to be a certain gender? Do they have to be a certain age? Do they have to have a certain marital status? Do they have to  be a veteran?

If you don’t know how someone gets into a record, database, or finding aid, it is difficult to use it effectively.