Choose medium and access deliberately
Memobase's maintained documentation lists television, film, photography, radio, sound and video document types. It separately defines access categories including online, on site and other named routes according to the individual object's situation.
Suppose a researcher needs Swiss television coverage for a remote study session. Begin with television and an appropriate online-access filter, then search the topic or place. A photograph or an on-site-only record can be a useful related lead, but neither fulfils the immediate remote-video requirement. Record why a candidate does or does not fit.
Preserve the holding institution
The documentation distinguishes an object, its collection and its responsible institution. Keep all three where the record supplies them. An aggregated portal can bring together several institutions, so its name alone may not identify who can answer a question about the original object.
For a worked note, list title, date, document type, access label, institution and collection. If two results cover the same event, compare identifiers and provenance before declaring them duplicates. They may represent different recordings, editions or access copies. Keep the differences visible until the actual objects can be compared.
Check the item before planning reuse
An online label concerns access; it does not automatically grant permission to download, edit or publish. Follow the record's rights information for those separate tasks. For an on-site result, inspect the named institution's current consultation process rather than diagnosing the portal as broken.
When sharing a research list, retain access labels alongside item links. Colleagues can then distinguish material suitable for immediate remote consultation from records needing other arrangements. Keep a note of when those labels were checked because access can change.
For the remote study session, make two short lists: records whose access labels fit the session and records requiring another arrangement. Preserve the institution beside every entry. When one source is essential but on-site, decide whether to arrange consultation or adjust the research question before promising that the whole set can be viewed remotely.
Questions about this guide
Does every Memobase record contain online video?
No. The documented access categories differ, and the portal covers multiple media.
What should accompany the portal reference?
The holding institution and collection, where shown, preserve provenance and the route for access questions.