ABSTRACT
This chapter shows a way that sociologists can greatly extend the range of qualitative data serviceable for generating theory and with relatively little expenditure of time, money, and effort. The extremely limited range of qualitative materials used by sociologists is largely due to the focus on verification. For many, if not most, researchers, qualitative data is virtually synonymous with field work and interviews, combined with whatever "background" documents may be necessary for putting the research in context. There are some striking similarities—sometimes obvious although overlooked—between field work and library research. When someone stands in the library stacks, he is, metaphorically, surrounded by voices begging to be heard. Whether one regards the caches as interviews or conversations, it is important to recognize that they are only one source of important qualitative data. Some caches are so aesthetically lovely in themselves, so interesting, that the researcher hates to leave the material.
