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NEWS LIBRARIANS:
FIGHTING TO SURVIVE
BY HELEN KWONG
PRACTICUM, AUG. 4, 2011
WHAT IS NEWS LIBRARIANSHIP?
• News librarians manage the paper’s archives, aka the morgue, which generally houses news clippings, microfilm, newspapers, magazines, journals, and some books
• They are go-to people for database assistance and research for investigative and other news stories
• They also may fact-check; find people, expert sources, statistics; and build background information, reference guides
• They offer research and database training, 1-on-1 or classes
NEWS LIBRARIANSHIP AT NYT
• They are called news researchers • 4 full-time: 3 in New York, 1 in D.C. bureau • 4 part-time: 2 in New York, 1 research
consultant, 1 in D.C. • These numbers do not include Times
Magazine and op-ed departments, who have their own researchers
• New York researchers each have additional duties: • 1 is supervisor, manages day-to-day duties • 1 manages library • 1 manages database log-ins
NEWS LIBRARIANSHIP AT NYT
• Researchers sit near journalists, not in the
morgue far from newsroom like most places
• Majority of questions are for finding people
• Use online databases, rarely phone or books
• Answer questions as authoritatively and
quickly as possible
• Ready reference library is near researchers;
rest of the library is in the basement; the
morgue is next door in the basement of the
CUNY J-School
NYT LIBRARY
• 40,000 volumes with emphasis on
•Biography, history, politics, current events and
journalism
• 250 periodical titles in print, microfilm and
online formats
• D.C. bureau houses 2,500 volumes with
emphasis on politics
• Employees have access to books and databases
24/7
STAYING RELEVANT
• Twitter @NYTResearch • Reporters and editors recognize them with a credit
line on bottom of stories • Each question they answer is kept in a database.
This also helps them recall questions. • Have allies in newsroom • Just doing outstanding research • Blog about new books, databases, interesting facts
from authoritative sites • Utilize historic books with pictures in library to tell
New York City’s history. For example, Zouaves • Research dept. has own Intranet site
WHAT I’M DOING
I’m cataloging books
and NYT microfilm
WHAT I’M DOING
After cataloging two
reference books, I
wrote up a blog post
about them
WHAT I’M DOING
Organizing the library
and catalog, hunting
for missing books, and
doing some shelf
reading
WHAT I’M DOING
• I’m shadowing news researchers to learn
about databases and how they research
• I performed a handful of researches:
• Created database of heads of private schools
in NYC for reporter
• Verified a quote that an art critic made in late
1880s
• Looked for a transcript that a reporter
thought she saw
• Looked for facts for upcoming 9/11 stories
DIGITAL OBSERVATIONS
• Increase use of authoritative online databases, websites and news sources. Decrease in buying reference books, magazines and newspapers.
• Only researchers have access to people-finding databases such as LexisNexis Accurint because they charge per search. Researchers and few others have access to Factiva because it’s expensive
• NYT’s defunct employee newsletters were scanned and went through OCR. We are now working on metadata for them
ANALYSIS & EVALUATION
• News research desk is busy • BUT despite their efficiency, some journalists
think they can do their job. Some J-schools now require students study news research, which are taught by news librarians
• All eyes are on WSJ, other major newspapers across U.S. as they write investigative stories without researchers’ help. Are they doing well?
• Google is generally the last resort for answers; however Google Books is a popular, handy tool
• There needs to be a standard in getting credit for stories NYT researchers help out with
IF NOT NEWS RESEARCH,
WHAT ELSE?
• Newspapers and other media are cutting back.
Here are some jobs that library students
interested in news research should consider
instead:
• Law librarianship
• Prospect research
• Computer-assisted reporting and investigative
reporting
• Corporate librarianship
• Investigator for police or political campaign