November 2014

Learning ObjectivesAt the end of this session, you should:

Know why news is important for academic research

Know about and how to use Goldsmiths’ subscriptions

Know what other libraries can provide

Know what news is available in the public domain

Know how to use news in both print and video forms

Using News For ResearchWhy should I use news for my research?

Immediate response to events

Researching issues not often addressed in academic publications

Important source material for historical research

They show how the media portrays issues

However…

Are News Sources Objective?

Peer Review?Peer review is the “evaluation of scientific, academic or professional work by others working in the same field”

Were these stories rigorously checked?

Print vs Online• Declining readerships of national newspapers in print,

e.g. 8% per year on average

• Advantages or challenges of online journalism?

changing audiences and geographies

newspapers have a 24/7 news presence

a democratic relationship between readers and newspapers (citizen journalism, user-generated content)?

• How can online news sustain itself? Advertising or paywalls?

Proquest Online Newspapers• UK Newsstand – 300 important UK national and

regional newspapers

• Provides latest issues and extensive back files

• All newspapers indexed thoroughly – access to all sections

• Can search in detail for desired information/articles

The British Library ‘The home to the UK’s news collections’ – vast

collections of printed and online newspapers

Access dozens of full-text, word-searchable resources, usually accessible only in reading rooms, including:

17th, 18th, 19th century British newspapers

Various national newspaper collections (Austria to Singapore)

Various UK and US magazines from the NME to Vogue

Print newspaper archives kept in Yorkshire, apply for access from London

Public Libraries Most boroughs subscribe to at least one news

database: (so register with your local library!)

Greenwich (Newsbank)

Lewisham (19th Century British Library Newspapers, Illustrated London News Historical Archive, Times Digital Archive)

Southwark (Library Press Display, Newsbank, Times Digital Archive)

Guildhall Library (a public library in the City of London, which subscribes to several news databases)

Online News Footage Access news as it happens – primary sources*, often

objective and free of bias (although be careful)

News footage is often available of key events in history, e.g. The Fall of the Berlin Wall, the War in Iraq, The ‘Arab Spring’ – gives us a first hand perspective

Organisations are increasingly providing video news footage online (often free), including:

Associated Press

BBC

British Pathé

Box of Broadcasts and TRILT Box of Broadcasts should be able to access most news

broadcasts on BBC, ITV and Channel 4 for instant streaming

If BoB can’t provide, hard copies may be available from TRILT

International NewsImagine you’re researching newspapers in Brazil or television news in Russia…

How do you find which news is published globally?

ABYZ News Links

Google News

Internet Public Library Newspapers

Nettizen

Online Newspapers

SummaryWhat we’ve covered:

Using news for research and what to look out for

Using Goldsmiths’ subscriptions

Using other libraries

Searching online for international news