2. 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
3. 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
4. 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
5. 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
6. 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
8. WHAT I’M DOING
After cataloging two
reference books, I
wrote up a blog post
about them
9. WHAT I’M DOING
Organizing the library
and catalog, hunting
for missing books, and
doing some shelf
reading
10. 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
11. 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
12. 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
13. 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