newspapers & magazines as historical sources. what is a primary source?

Newspapers & Magazines as Historical Sources

What is a primary source?

Why are newspapers and magazines primary sources? What do they tell you?

They … Public concerns Current events Local, national, international Technologies Advertisements Vocabulary – language of the time Cartoons – some still published today; more political

cartoons Little focus on celebrities, social values Provide “current” info Show how events of the past were reported when the

events occurred.

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

Alternative, ethnic, minority, underground, & special audience newspapers

Berkeley Barb Chicago Defender The Great Speckled Bird – Atlanta Helix - Seattle International Examiner - Seattle Notes on Pot - Dallas The Rebel - Montreal

Some magazines Architectural Digest – LA, 1925 to

present Life – Chicago & NY, 1883 to present Nation – NY, 1865 to present Newsweek – LA, 1933 to present Time – NY, 1923 to present TV Guide – PA, 1953 to present Variety – NY, 1905 to present

How do newspapers & magazines differ?Newspapers … Journalists Daily Just the facts More local Quotes Higher circulation, less expensive High school level readership More disposable Magazines … Journalists, often experts or national figures Weekly or monthly More detail, analysis More general focus, more national Interviews Subject specific/trade magazines May require knowledge of the subject Glossy, larger photos

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. The key is finding the index.

Finding the right index

There are many indexes available in the UW Libraries. Which one to use? That depends on …

the time period for which you want information which publication(s) you want to use place of publication: domestic or foreign? state?

city? language: English? other? scope: general? alternative? ethnic? may depend on full text availability

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 library

Ask a librarian!

What if there isn’t an index?

If there isn’t an index for the time period that you’re researching or for the publication that you need:

1. Use the NYT, Times, or Readers’ Guide indexes available online through the UW Libraries Web site.

What if there isn’t an index?

2. Use bibliographies in books, encyclopedias, magazine & journal articles, and on the Web.

What if there isn’t an index?

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

Finding newspapers & magazines in the library

If the database doesn’t provide full text or a library location:

1. Use the UW Libraries Catalog 2. Choose the journal subset 3. Do a title search for the title of the

newspaper or magazine. Don’t search by the title of the article!