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Anna: The easiest way to do this is look at the bottom of the boxes, and see where it says alphabetical listing?

Michael: Yes.

Anna: Click on the alphabetical listing.

Michael: Great. So, there are 5000 magazines and journals. I can search all these databases?

Anna: Yes you can.

[MUSIC]

Operator: Central Library Information and Directory lines. You will hear a list of choices. You may press your menu selection at any time. If you have a touch-tone phone, please press 1. For Central Library hours, location and parking information, press 1. For Reference Assistance in a specific Central Library Department, press 2. For Science and Industry, Patents and Trademarks, Government Documents, press 1, or hang up and dial 236-5813. For History, Travel, World Affairs and Biographies, press 2, or hang up and dial 236-5820. For Literature, Language and books in Foreign Languages, press 3, or hang up and dial 236-5816. For Children’s Room and Youth Services, press 4, or hang up and dial 236-5838. For the Newspaper Room, press 5, or hang up and dial 236-5835.

Can I help you?

Michael: Hi. How are you? Yes, you can help me. My name is Michael and I’m here in San Diego. I’ve got some questions about what’s available in the Newspaper Room there. And what was your name?

Tracy: My name’s Tracy.

Michael: Tracy, tell me how far back can I research old newspapers?

Tracy: It depends on the paper. Are you talking about the local paper?

Michael: I’m talking about all the main newspapers in major metropolitan cities.

Tracy: What we carry here on microfilm is LA, New York, San Francisco, and then the Union and the Tribune from San Diego. They all have different start dates, but most of them go back to the late 1800’s—1865 for San Francisco, 1881 for LA, 1851 for New York.

Michael: And they’re all on microfilm.

Tracy: Right.

Michael: How easy is it to access, if I want to browse?

Tracy: Are you looking for a specific incident?

Michael: I’m studying advertising from 1910 to 1920 or 1930. I wanted to review main newspapers and look at their advertising. Is there any web presence that offers the ability to look up old newspapers that far back?

Tracy: Not that I know of. You might find some things going back to the 80’s and some as early as the 70’s, but as far as the early 1900’s, I don’t know of anything on line. And most of them are not going to have ads; they’re just going to have news articles, if anything.

Michael: You contract this microfilm service. Who’s the company who does all the microfilming?

Tracy: Through the years, it’s been different companies. I think right now it’s the University Microfilms Inc. or something like that.

Michael: So, they have all the material and you guys just get the microfilm from them?

Tracy: Yes.

Michael: So it’s continually updated.

Tracy: Yes, every couple of weeks or whenever we get a new shipment of films for the titles that we carry.

Michael: So, what’s the process if I want to come down there and I want to search newspapers from 1910; say San Diego Union ?

Tracy: Well, you just come in and tell us what papers you want. If you wanted to try all of them, you could just write the titles down and then I would just chose a date like January 1910, maybe do a couple months from each year, just to get a cross reference. If you want to do a lot, it’s going to take some time. It’s not hard. We’ll show you how to use the machine.

Michael: Can you print a copy right from that machine?

Tracy: Yes, copies are 15 cents.

Michael: Is it a nice clean copy?

Tracy: It depends on how the film is. Some of the films are going to be better than others. Clearer ads will be a clear copy, but if the film is not filmed well, if it was blurry or dark, then that’s what you’ll get.

Michael: Do you know of a source of great newspaper advertising or a compilation of newspaper ads that’s out there from the early 1900’s?

Tracy: I don’t really know of anyone who does ads. There are some front page stories that are compiled, but as far as ads, I don’t really know.

Michael: What’s the storage for front-page stories?

Tracy: In the History Section they have some front-page New York Times books and the number is 051, if you would look up front page stories. I think that’s what it’s called. But as far as ads, I don’t know anyone.

Michael: What else does the Newspaper Room offer as far as back in those early years?

Tracy: That’s pretty much it. The LA, New York, San Francisco, and then the San Diego Union and the San Diego Evening Tribune . There are some small local papers like Colexico Chronicle , and other things that we also carry, but the dates are all scattered dates. We don’t have anything like a full run.

Michael: What about trade publications? Would I talk to the Literary Section downstairs?

Tracy: For magazines, you’d go to the call desk. We have a huge selection of old magazines too that you could look at. Just request them from the call desk.

Michael: Could I talk to someone down there?

Tracy: We don’t have a line for the public, but I can transfer you to maybe the information desk, I guess. What is your question?

Michael: I’m looking for a specific trade publication called Printers Ink .

Tracy: I can look that up and see if we carry it. Printers Ink Marketing Communications . What we carry here is from October 1967 to January 1972.

Michael: That’s it.

Tracy: That’s it.

Michael: That thing started like in the 1800’s. What library would have stuff like this—the old stuff? Do you have any idea?

Tracy: No I don’t. I don’t think there’s anyone in San Diego County who does.

Michael: If you were to guess, not even in San Diego, anywhere in the country.

Tracy: I have no idea. I’ll transfer you to the information desk. They have more experience looking at other libraries.

Michael: How did you read that publication? It was called Printers Ink what?

Tracy: Printers Ink , but it just says subject heading Advertising Periodicals. Portion of title: Marketing Communications. But the title is Printers Ink .

Michael: Printers Ink . Is there a little apostrophe after the ‘s’ on there? It’s between the ‘r’ and the ‘s’, on our catalog anyway that’s how it is.

Anna: Good Morning. Central Library information.

Michael: Hi. I wanted to talk to someone in the reference area, I think down there on the first floor, about looking up some magazine articles.

Anna: What kind of information did you want us to check to see whether we have the magazine in what you’re interested?

Michael: What I wanted to know is—I wanted to know what is available that I can look up. Like how far back and what are some of the tools and resources that you have available for me before we all come down there.

Anna: Well, number one we have many of these materials are available online if you have Internet access.

Michael: Where would I be able to look at that? At the San Diego Library website?

Anna: Yes. You go into our website, and then click on catalog and other databases, and then you would go into online resources where it says newspapers and magazines.

Michael: I’m at catalogs and database, eDesk library catalog.

Anna: That’s it. On the left hand side.

Michael: It’s coming up now. Okay, online resources.

Anna: Actually, the easiest thing to do at the very end of those online resources in blue, if you go underneath of it, it says alphabetical listing

Michael: Correct.

Anna: Where it says alphabetical listing, on the left hand side under the blue box.

Michael: All right, I’m in there now.

Anna: Now you’ve got a screen that has two parts to it. On the right hand side it says search the library catalog. If you wanted to know if we had Time Magazine , you wanted to know if we have the book Gone With The Wind , physical CD, you’re going to search on the right hand side. On the left hand side where it is blue, it says online resources. Now because you are off site, the easiest way to do this is to look at the bottom at the blue boxes, and see where it says alphabetical listing?

Michael: Yes.

Anna: Click on the alphabetical listing.

Michael: Great.

Anna: Now, what I want you to do is go down—the first one is to InfoTrac. They are in alphabetical order.

Michael: Got it.

Anna: See what it says. It says magazines and online newspapers.

Michael: Over 5,000 magazines and journals.

Anna: Right.

Michael: I can search all these databases?

Anna: Yes you can. Let’s give this a shot because now I want you to click on InfoTrac. It’s going to say library card number and pin number. Does it do that?

Michael: Yes

Anna: Put in your library card number.

Michael: I don’t have it on me right now.

Anna: Then what you’re going to have to do is put in the last four digits of your phone number and see if that works. If that does not work…

Michael: For my library card number?

Anna: You are going to put in your library card number and then it’s going to ask you for your pin number. You’re going to put in the last four digits of your phone number. If that does not work, then you’re going to need to call us to activate your pin number and then you’ll be ready to sail.

Michael: Since I have you on the phone, what is your name?

Anna: My name is Anna.

Michael: Can I just look at some of these things? Well I guess they are pretty self-explanatory. This is incredible. Reference USA.

Anna: It is. There’s phone numbers on there, you can look up a word in the Oxford English dictionary, book in print, tax forms, there is all kinds of study for a test, there are many, many…

Michael: How long has all this been searchable?

Anna: We’ve had it for a couple of years.

Michael: Is it one of the best in the country.

Anna: It is very good. It’s excellent. You’re going to get to read full text magazine articles. There’s one just for health. For instance, if you were research a health subject, I would suggest that you go into the health database. Now when you’re scrolling down here, you’re going to see a list of all the online resources, and then it gives you some letters. It will say C, B and R.

Michael: What is that?

Anna: Central, Branch and R. Anything that has an R means that you can connect to that from off site. We have a few of them that you do have to come to the library. But 90% of them are available to you off site.

Michael: Can I just ask your opinion on something? I’m an advertising student. I want to study old ads from the early 1900’s—1920’s, 1930’s. And even ads in magazines, ads in newspapers. I’ve just talked to the Newspaper Room and they’ve given me some help, but I have to come in there.

Anna: I’ll tell you what I’d do. If you have Internet access, do a Google search because actually the magazines that we have online are going to be much more current than what you want. You’re going to be disappointed. However, if you come into the library and you want to look at advertising, there are books that are just of advertising, labels, and we have a lot of information in the library, much of it is only available as reference, but at least you get a chance to look at logos and designs and names of companies.

Michael: Like compilation. So, if I talk to reference upstairs on the third floor, would they have a good idea of what’s available?

Anna: They would. And I would also do a keyword search. You know when you’re online and you search the catalog for advertising history, do a keyword search “advertising history” on the right hand side of that screen which you can do now. Remember where it said search the catalog?

Michael: Yes.

Anna: So you hit search the catalog and the boxes open and you would put in advertising history. You go down and click on keyword. That would bring up all the books in the system on the history of advertising. It tells you where they are, if they’re available, whether they’re reference, whether you can check them out.

Michael: Wow, what an incredible tool.

Anna: All right. So, why don’t you take a look at that because that will give you an idea of some of the resources and where you need to go.

Michael: That’s wonderful. That will keep me very busy.

Anna: Good.

Michael: Thank you.

I want to thank you for listening to www.hardtofindseminars.com . If you want to get in touch with any of the people we interview, please contact Michael at www.hardtofindseminars.com by email. You can emailor you can call (858) 274-7951.