Columbia Missourian Library
315 Lee Hills Hall
882-4876
Fall, 2009
General information
Staff: Nina Johnson, Librarian; Steve Clayton, Library Information Specialist
We urge you to make full use of the library and its resources. The library is open 8:00 - 5:00 weekdays but if you are working in the newsroom a key to the library is available if you need access to the clip files or our print resources when the library is not open. You may also call me at home after-hours for assistance at 441-9287. The library web site's URL is: http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/missourian/. The library has a small reference collection, biographical and subject clip files and a photo collection. We urge you to ask for assistance whatever your information needs, including finding articles in the archives, fact-checking names/places, doing background research, or assistance during the pressure of breaking news.
Databases
You have access to a wide array of databases through Ellis Library. Searching these electronic journals and local resources is a good start to doing background research on your stories. While you must be very careful of information taken from web sites, these databases are reliable sources of information.
Some of the databases you will find especially useful in the newsroom:
- Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe - Choose General, News, Legal, Business or People. If you need to find a source, there's a source tab in the upper left-hand corner. Once you've clicked that, put the source name you're looking for in the box on the right side of the screen.
- NewsBank - Indexes the Columbia Daily Tribune, Kansas City Star and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, as well as news articles about regional and state events and issues, including full-text coverage of the Star from 1991 and the Post-Dispatch from 1989 to date.
- OVID Databases - allow you to choose a subject-specific database such as Medline, Newspaper Abstracts, etc. No SS# or password is required if you use it on campus or from home with the IATS Internet software. You can just click the "Start Ovid" button.
- Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost). If you select the "Choose database" tab at the top, you can then retrieve a list of the titles indexed in each under "Title list."
- Factiva provides access to current issues and an archive of over 8,000 publications from around the globe. It includes the Wall Street Journal, web news, news transcripts and photos.
Web Sites
Case.net: http://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet or through the Missouri Judiciary home page: http://www.courts.mo.gov and click on the Case.net link. Missouri's judicial case information portal. Access is limited to cases filed in Missouri that have been deemed public information.
OSEDA: Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis - http://www.oseda.missouri.edu/
- Demographic, social and economic information for Missouri localities and thematic maps.
Missouri vital records: http://www.vitalrec.com/mo.html
Missouri Census Data Center - http://mcdc.missouri.edu
Missourian Library: http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/missourian/default.aspx
The Web Resources page contains beat information, a "Sources" database, links to local government and a link to the 1966-1985 Missourians, which were digitized under a grant from the State Library. Click on "Web Info for Reporters" and then the "Digitized Missourians" link. Full-text searching is available.
Also from the main page, under "Welcome to your beat," you will find a large amount of information on Columbia and Boone County.
Journalism Library: http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/journalism/
The Journalism Library web page has many resources for journalism students. Class information, links to databases, instruction on searching the databases, and a link to online newspapers are just a few of the things you will find here.
Freedom of Information Center (FOI) http://nfoic.org/foi-center
Missourian Archives: MerlinOne
Archives of the Columbia Missourian from 2002 - present are in the MerlinOne database. You may access it from the ColumbiaMissourian.com web page by clicking on "Archives" or from the Missourian Library web site (user ID and password required because this version is on a different server). A tip sheet on how to do advanced searches of the archives is available on the Missourian web site: http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/missourian/index.htm
Missourian Newsroom Intranet
Print Resources
The main print collection is housed in the Journalism Library but we have a small reference section with items widely used in the newsroom.
City Directory, also referred to as a "criss cross" or" reverse" directory:
- Find people by address and telephone number as well as alphabetically.
- A current copy is available in the Missourian Library.
Missouri Official State Manual (Blue Book) which has general state information:
Nina Johnson, Librarian