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I crafted a citation for a college yearbook with no difficulty (citing it as a book), but I realized that what I am actually referencing in my writing pertains only to a single copy of that yearbook as I am quoting an autograph written into the yearbook and not the yearbook content itself. This particular yearbook is part of an archive of my in-laws papers and memorabilia. I'm thinking now that this completely changes the citation. I'm thinking now that this should be cited as an artifact from their private collection. Am I on the right path?
Lynndosch, when we encounter…
Lynndosch, when we encounter something for the first time, it puzzles us. One helpful approach is to think about other sources we use that have similar traits.
In this case, a comparative would be Family Bibles. When we cite one, we are rarely citing a chapter or verse in the actual Bible. Rather, we are citing something someone wrote into the Bible.
A yearbook autograph works the same way. We cite the yearbook using standard book format, as we would do with a Bible. In the "page/item of interest" field of the citation, we would point to the autograph. Then, as with a Bible, we would add provenance and current whereabouts because, as you point out, that specific copy of the book is "an artifact from [a] private collection."