The librarian is: BLOGGING | Journalism Library, Columbia University

Welcome to the Graduate School of Journalism, and to Columbia University Libraries. Here are some links for exploring the resources that will help you in RWI.

Please see the blog post prior to this one for information on the temporary closure of the Journalism Library. The Journalism Library will reopen once the new student center is built at the J-school (hopefully this Fall).

The Columbia Libraries’ website is your portal to information about the many libraries available at Columbia, as well as your link into thousands of electronic sources of information (newspapers, magazines, scholarly journals, photographs, and more) - information which you won’t necessarily find on Google. The Libraries’ catalog, CLIO, helps you to locate both print and online materials at Columbia.

In terms of getting started on your beat reporting, searching for past news stories on your beat can be accomplished using either LexisNexis or Factiva (access restricted to current Columbia affiliates). If you’d like to dig deeper, ProQuest Historical Newspapers (access restricted to current Columbia affiliates) contains the full text of the New York Times back to 1851! This means you can find out what was happening in your beat neighborhood back then. Or, you can type in a street address and see what interesting events may have taken place there.

For other info on New York City and its neighborhoods, check out the guide, Scoping Out Your Beat. It includes links to a number of important websites with in-depth coverage of relevant social and cultural issues.

Please be advised that the Journalism Library in its current incarnation in 203 Journalism will close at 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 10. The library will reopen within the newly constructed student center this Fall.

Answers to questions you may have:

Q: How can I return books that I have checked out from Journalism?

A: Items that have circulated from our regular collection may be returned to any other campus library (Butler Library being the closest one). Journalism Reserves items will circulate from the Lehman Library and should be returned there.

Q: Where will the library’s contents be housed during construction?

A: The Journalism Library collection will be relocated in its entirety to Lehman Library, which is located on the 3rd floor of the International Affairs (SIPA) building on Amsterdam Ave. and 118th St.

The circulating Journalism collection and books from the reference shelf will be shelved separately from Lehman’s collection, in the Lehman sorting area. Journalism Master’s projects and theses will be kept at Lehman’s reserve desk, as will the Journalism reserves collection, periodicals and newspapers received by the Journalism Library.

Q: I want to request books from Health Sciences or Offsite. Where can I have them sent?

A: You may have them sent to any other library location that is convenient to you. Journalism will not be listed as a delivery option during the construction period.

Q: I have a research question. How can I get help?

A: The Journalism Librarian, Deborah Wassertzug, will be working in a different library during the summer (location TBD). The easiest way to reach her will be via email, dw242@columbia.edu. She will send out shortly an office phone number and a Google Talk screen name for use during the summer months.

Q: Where and when will the library re-open?

A: The new Journalism Library will be part of the new student center, opening this Fall. Please visit the Journalism School’s homepage for construction updates.