Navigating this Archive
While we realize that casual users, and the merely curious, will enjoy delving into this archive, nonetheless our primary goal was to preserve the most vital information contained in the first 68 editions of the Yearbook for present and future researchers.  In general, the need to preserve these pages for posterity conflicted with our hope that this might also be an easy and interesting resource for the casual browser.  

We feel a happy compromise was found.  The structure we selected for presentation of these data was that of a World Wide Web (www) site, but, instead of residing on another computer perhaps thousands of miles away, this "Yearbook Archive Web site on a CD" exists on your computer.  

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
Rather than requiring that the user install new software, this CD makes use of software the great majority of computer users have already installed on their computers, an Internet Web browser, version 3.0 or above.  Because of the widespread familiarity with the Internet Web interface, navigation of this resource should be relatively familiar to most people.  

We tried to keep the underlying coding as simple as possible with the thought that future adaptations of this archive would be made simpler by the cleaner structure of the earlier Web standards.  We also used a minimum amount of graphics and employed text primarily in order to keep the speed/performance as high as possible. 

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
If your computer is powerful enough to navigate the Internet, you should be able to peruse this archive with no problem.  No additional storage space on your hard disc is required since the archive exists and is accessed from the compact disc. 

Getting Started
Microsoft Windows 95/98 users need only insert this compact disc into their computer and your default Web browser will launch automatically.  From there it is a simple matter of pointing and clicking to navigate the archive. 

While this archive is not specifically designed for use on MacIntosh and other operating systems, it may work perfectly well with some additional steps.  Try using the system's file navigation options to locate the file named "index.html" on the CD and open it within a Web browser (this may be a simple matter of dragging index.html into the browser window).  From there it is a simple matter of pointing and clicking to navigate the archive. 

USING THE ARCHIVE
This archive is formatted so that a single page width stretches the width of a video monitor set to 1024 by 786 pixels.  We recommend adjusting your video setting to 1024 by 786.

Printing
This archive was designed to be viewed on a computer video monitor.  However, newer Web browsers should be able to print each page satisfactorily.  Alternatively, it may be possible for the images on pages to be individually imported into a graphics program and reformatted for printing.  Consult your hardware/graphics software documentation for how this can be done using your particular computer configuration.

Viewing the Full Page and close-up views
You will need only scroll down in order to read the bottom half of the page.  Horizontal pages are the same width horizontally as the vertical pages are high; thus you will need to scroll the browser horizontally to view the rest of those pages. 

If you find details in some pages difficult to read, use the  buttons at the top left of those pages to bring up an enlarged image.  In some cases graphs and charts can be zoomed in as well.  We believe every page is fully readable using either the original or an alternative perspective.  

Click the button to zoom out again.

Database Files
Besides preserving images of the Yearbook's pages, this archive also begins the process of converting the information available as static, "read only" pages into dynamically computable formats.  The "Database" directory of the compact disc contains comma delimited text files of most of the tables found in the facsimile pages.  These text files are easily imported into a wide variety of software programs such as databases, spreadsheet, and statistical packages. 

We did not adjust the data or provide corrections that may have been published in subsequent editions of the Yearbook, or elsewhere.   These computable data correspond directly to the printed information, and so reflect what was published in that edition of the Yearbook.  Any rigorous analysis of these data will require careful further research into their accuracy.  Fortunately, thanks to the outstanding work done by empty tomb, inc. we are able to include corrected figures from 1968 to 1999.  These figures reflect important updates and corrections uncovered often decades after they were first published in the Yearbook.  The serious student of these data is referred to The State of Church Giving published annually by empty tomb, inc. which provides the most current corrections.  Their corrected data is included in the "Corrections" subdirectory as comma delimited text and Microsoft Excel files.  

HOW ACCURATE ARE THE DATABASE FIGURES?
We endeavored to make the least number of data entry errors possible, and identify and correct for data-entry mistakes as we proceeded.  Further, we formally double-checked data in those categories of data we thought were the most significant, such as the membership and financial giving data.  The two entries were compared and any differences checked against the original pages, and corrected.  Only a portion of the database figures were judged important enough to formally double-check for data entry accuracy.  Those double checked figures are identified under a corresponding "CHECK" column in these tables, and are easily identified by their column name.  

The figures we were not able to double-check are included here anyway, along with the checked data, for the convenience of researchers willing to double-check the database against the browsable printed figures.  (We would be grateful to be notified of any needed corrections.) 

DATA-ENTRY ERROR RATE
We tracked the data entry error rate in the checked columns and in their corresponding duplicate "CHECK" comparison column.  Based on the number of corrections we made to either the original or the CHECK columns, we estimate that the remaining unchecked columns have a similar 0.8% data-entry error rate.   

As mentioned previously, a rigorous analysis will require consultation of the corrected figures furnished by empty tomb, inc. in the "Corrections" folder, and perhaps further confirmation from other sources.  The error rate reflects only the number of data-entry errors, nevertheless the variances may have been very large.

"Turning pages"
Use your mouse to click on any page to move forward to the next page.

Jumping to particular sections
An index of major sections is provided for each year.

Browsing particular years
A link to the main page of all 68 editions of the yearbook is provided in the Main Index.  

Zooming in
Where appropriate, graphs and pages containing small type have been captured in a larger version.  Click on the icons to zoom back and forth.

Technical Support
Email Yearbook@ncccusa.org or call (888) 870-3325 if you experience any technical problems.