Newspapers

1
Newspapers Magazines as Historical Sources

• Jessica Albano
• Communication Studies Librarian
• jalbano_at_u.washington.edu

2
What is a primary source?
3
Why are newspapers and magazines primary sources?
What do they tell you?
4
They

• Provide current information
• Show how events in the past were reported at the
  time the events occurred
• Newspapers
• Record local historical record
• Report on topics that may not be discussed in
  magazines or journals

5
Major newspapers

• Los Angeles Times, 1886 present
• New York Times, 1857 present
• Washington Post, 1877 present
• San Francisco Chronicle, 1865 present
• Seattle Times, 1895 present
• Seattle Post Intelligencer, 1888 present
• Times (of London), 1788 present

6
Some magazines

• Life
• Nation
• Outlook
• Saturday Evening Post

7
Finding newspaper magazine articles

• Use an index
• Use a secondary source
• Look through the newspaper or magazine

8
Newspaper indexing

• Historically inadequate
• Why?
• Newspapers have a bad rap
• Difficult too much content
• Little profit, but this is changing
• Many of the major newspapers are indexed. They
  key is finding the index.

9
Finding the right index

• There are many indexes available in the UW
  Libraries.
• Which one to use?
• Depends on the time period for which you want
  information.
• Depends on which publication(s) you want to use.
  
• Place of Publication Domestic or Foreign? State?
  City?
• Language English? Other?
• Scope General? Ethnic? Alternative?
• Could depend on full text availability.

10
Where are the indexes?

• On the UW Libraries Web site
• Resources by Subject - News
• Resources Electronic Newspapers
• Microform Newspaper Collections Web site
• Finding News Articles
• Searchable Guide to Newspaper Indexes
• On a shelf (in print) or in a cabinet (on
  microform) in the libary
• Ask a librarian!

11
What if there isnt an index?

• If there is not an index for the time period that
  youre researching or for the publication that
  you need
• Use the NYT, Times, or Readers Guide indexes
  available online through the UW Libraries Web
  site.

12
What if there isnt an index?

• Use bibliographies in books, encyclopedias,
  magazine/journal articles, and on the Web.

13
What if there isnt an index?

• Browse through a week or two of the newspaper or
  magazine (print or microfilm or online)

14
Finding newspaper magazines in the library

• If the database doesnt provide full text or a
  library location
• Use the UW Libraries Catalog
• Choose the journal subset
• Do a title search for the title of the newspaper
  or magazine. Dont search by the title of the
  article!

15
Newspapers and magazines online

• Some newspapers and magazines are being posted
  online for free.
• Stars and Stripes The American Soldiers
  Newspaper of World War I, 1918-1919
• British Library Online Newspaper Archive