The librarian is: BLOGGING | Journalism Library, Columbia University

The Journalism Library Blog has MOVED! This site is no longer being updated as of July 2009. Come find us at our new location:

https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/journalism

See you there!

The Empire Center for New York State Policy now provides a database tool through the SeeThroughNY network where you can look up salary information for New York City Government, State Government, and Public Authority payrolls.

Click on SeeThroughNY to use the tool; database is searchable by name Title, Branch or Entity, Agency and Subagency. Data can also be exported to Excel.

Library resources for MA students, handouts from Evidence and Inference course, Fall 2008 -

• Columbia
• Beyond Columbia

The Journalism School along with the Center for New Media Teaching and Learning created an amazing new reporting resource for RW1 students - an electronic map of New York City that allows students to view census data by neighborhood, election district, etc. To use this resource, and for more information on how to use it, follow the link below (authentication required) -

http://jour6001-000-2008-3.wikispaces.columbia.edu/

The Statistical Abstract has been published by the U.S. Bureau of the Census since 1878. It is an excellent first stop for many statistical needs, since it covers a wide variety of topics and compiles data from government as well as non-governmental sources (including trade associations).

While the Stat Abstract was formerly available on the Census site in PDF format, the 2006 edition has been enhanced to work with Microsoft Excel, making it that much easier to generate charts and graphs.

Interested in earlier editions of the Stat Abstract? From the page above, follow the link labeled “Earlier Editions.” (Note that these are still in PDF format.)

Sometimes, you’re writing a trend story and want some quick facts to plug in. Sometimes, you’re casting around for a story idea.

In both cases, Research Alert, a publication searchable via Factiva, provides quick and convenient access to useful stats taken from market research reports (which are generally not available for free on the web).

To search Research Alert, connect to Factiva (access restricted to current Columbia affiliates) and plug in the following publication code in the search box:

rst=RSAL

After this, type and, then include keywords related to your topic, e.g.:

rst=RSAL and clothing

Here is an excerpt from a search result:

Big and tall men find best fit online.(notices)(Brief Article)
6 January 2006
Research Alert
10
ISSN: 0739-358X; Volume 24; Issue 1
English
Copyright 2006 Gale Group Inc. All rights reserved.

Frustrated by not being able to find clothes that fit them in stores, many big and tall men are turning to the Internet (33%) and catalogs (17%) for clothes that fit them, according to The NPD Group. Major complaints about the shirts available in stores include length too short (54%), sleeves too short (42%), tight necks and shoulders (38% each) and tightness across the chest (33%). Pants are often too tight in the waist (35%) and thighs (30%). [Clothing/Accessories]

If you are interested in immigration reporting, what follows is a selective list of places to begin your search for background information, statistics, and articles. Note: Some sources have NYC-specific information, while others are more general in nature.

The U.S. Census Bureau’s Foreign-Born Population page links you to reports and data tables which show numbers of immigrants by country of origin, period of entry, and citizenship status, and many other demographic characteristics. The data on this site does not go down to the metropolitan area level, so is better for getting a picture of immigration to the U.S. as a whole.

The database Infoshare Online (access restricted to current Columbia affiliates) includes immigration numbers from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (now known as USCIS). Infoshare enables you to retrieve immigration data from 1988 through 2002, at geographic levels including neighborhood, community district, ZIP code, or borough.

Interested in estimates of the numbers of undocumented immigrants? A Congressional Research Service report, “Unauthorized Aliens in the United States: Estimates Since 1986″, uses data from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey, and is periodically updated.

The Urban Institute, an economic and social policy research organization, has published many reports on immigration-related topics, including the January 2004 report, “Undocumented Immigrants: Facts and Figures.”

Two New York-based publications which publish often on immigration issues are the Gotham Gazette (link displays most recent article, links to topic archives, and also links to useful websites), and City Limits (on left side of screen, use pull-down “Topics” list to select Immigration).

Finally, for an introduction to library resources on population, migration, and refugee studies, use this helpful subject guide from my colleagues at Lehman Library. The guide lists both print and electronic sources for these topics.

On Friday, Nov. 11 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., the Electronic Data Service will host a workshop that will be an introduction to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). The target audience is anyone who uses the socio-demographic data from the 2000 Census or data from any earlier decennial census. The introduction will include some background about the ACS, a description of what is now available and what will be available, and explanation of how it relates to the Decennial Census.

ACS Workshop
Friday, November 11, 10:30-11:30
Electronic Data Service
215 Lehman Library
SIPA Building, 420 W 118th St.
No registration required. Columbia University ID required for access to Lehman Library.

For more information, contact eds@columbia.edu

At Columbia, as well as on the web at large, there are some great resources for religion reporting. Here are some good places to get started…

For statistical and survey data on religion in the United States, the American Religion Data Archive, a free website, is an excellent place to begin, with estimates on numbers of adherents and even an interactive mapping component which displays data by county or metropolitan area. (TIP: Try the Sitemap link for an overview of the contents of the website, and click on Related Sites for other websites to explore.)

Another free, and quite unique, resource for religion research on the web is Adherents.com. This site consists of a collection of citations related to religion adherent statistics, and religious geography citations, from thousands of published sources. While not as easy to use as the ARDA site, Adherents.com is noteworthy for the range and scope of data, and the fact that it includes information on non-U.S. religions.

At Columbia, the ATLA Religion Database (access restricted to current Columbia affiliates) enables you to search citations from scholarly religion journals and books. Some sources are available in full text via the ATLA database, while others may be accessed by following the e-Link (which automatically locates online journal availability in other databases).

Finally, there are two noteworthy seminary libraries at which Columbia students, faculty and staff have access and borrowing privilieges. The Burke Library of the Union Theological Seminary is the largest theological library in the western hemisphere. Its holdings are included in CLIO. The Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary, first founded in 1893, holds a large general collection of Jewish studies publications, as well as special collections and rare items. Its catalog is ALEPH.

The U.S. Census Bureau’s Facts for Features is specially designed for reporters, with timely press releases on a wide variety of topics.