From the Pages of North Carolina Libraries, Vol 51, No 1 (1993)

Lagniappe: A New Route into the Old North State: PERiodical Source Index (PERSI)

Abstract

The Spring 1993 issue, Volume 51, Number 1, launched a new column titled “Lagniappe*/North Caroliniana,” compiled by Plummer Alston Jones, Jr. (Al later served as editor of North Carolina Libraries, from 2001 to 2005.) The editor’s note introducing the column stated that it was to complement North Carolina Books and that it would include reviews of “various non-book formats.” This first column provided a review of PERSI, an index for genealogy and local history published by the Allen County Public Library Foundation, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. PERSI is still online, searchable by name, place, or article keyword: https://www.genealogycenter.info/persi/. Other early articles from the column introduced the State Library’s Internet Information Project, described four favorite NC travel and general interest magazines, and reviewed a handful of recordings from the NC Folklife Institute on instructional media for public school lessons on African American and Native American Cultures in North Carolina. Other the years, Lagniappe has broadened its focus to include online resources, special collections from across the state, and other “extra or unexpected gifts or benefits.” We continue Lagniappe with that same aim to uncover new and interesting discoveries for readers of North Carolina Libraries.