Editing an Existing Clipping Entry

To edit an existing clipping, click on “Browse” in the navigation bar and then select “Clippings” from the drop-down menu. Click on the entry that you wish to make changes to, and then select “Edit” at the top right of the entry. You will be directed to a page with the image at the top and editable fields below, organized into tabs.

When you have made the desired changes to the entry, click on “Update” at the bottom left of the page. Doing this will save all changes made to all of the tabs; you do not need to save changes before navigating to a new tab within the same entry. If you try to exit the entry without saving your changes, a warning message will appear. To undo all changes made to an entry, click on “Cancel,” which is next to “Update,” and you will be returned to the main entry page.

Editing the Transcription and Annotation

To edit the transcription and annotation, select the “Transcript” tab on the left. The “Transcription” field includes a diplomatic transcription of the clipping, which maintains all quirks of spelling and typographical errors but modernizes the long or printer’s s. Below the “Transcription” field is an “Annotation” field which should not be modified at this time.

Editing Metadata

To edit an entry’s metadata, select the “Metadata” tab. Here, you will find a table of metadata fields: Handwritten Number, Written Date, Date, Category, and Source.

The “Image Number” field refers to the .jpg file name of the image included in the entry, and will be populated automatically when you upload an image.

“Number” refers to the number assigned to the clipping by the compiler of the source volumes, James Winston. The number is usually included on the clipping in pencil. Due to the compiler’s fallibility, there are some numbers that are missing or repeated; you should enter the number as it appears on the clipping, regardless of these errors.

“Written Date” identifies the date that the clipping was published, written out longhand as it appears on the clipping. For example, 23 August 92 refers to a clipping published on August 23, 1792. These dates were also written out by James Winston, the same person who numbered the clippings, so some errors may also occur here. Regardless, you should record the date as written.

The “Date” field normalizes the written date in the form of DD/MM/YYYY, so 23 August 92 becomes 23/08/1792.

The “Category” field consists of a drop-down menu that categorizes the medium of the entry. The four possible categories are “manuscript,” “playbill,” “text,” and “song lyrics.” Categories can be added or edited in the “Category” table. Select “Manuscript” if the cutting has been handwritten. Select “Playbill” if the cutting is a printed playbills showing the order of the acts, performers, and other details about a performance. Select “Text” for any printed textual materials that are not playbills or printed music—for example, reviews and advertisements. Select “Song Lyrics” for print clippings that contain the words to songs performed at the circus.

“Source” identifies which volume of the three-volume collection of Astley’s Cuttings from Newspapers the clipping was taken from. Select the appropriate volume of Astley’s Cuttings from the drop down menu.

Editing the Image

To change the entry’s image, select the “Replace Image” tab. Click on “Choose File” next to “New Image.” A directory will pop up; find and select the image file you wish to use within the directory and select “Open.” Most image files types will work, but JPG and PNG files are preferable. The maximum file size is displayed on the page.

Deleting an Entry

To delete an existing clipping, click on “Browse” in the navigation bar and then select “Clippings” from the drop-down menu. Click on the entry that you wish to make changes to, and then select “Delete” at the top right of the entry.