Serials and Microforms Services

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How Do I...  Find newspaper articles on a topic?

Step 1: Use indexes to locate relevant newspaper articles Step 2: Search Mirlyn, the online catalog Step 3: Access articles

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Step 1: Use indexes to locate relevant newspaper articles

You will need to use aids that organize newspaper articles by various access points such as title, author, or subject in order to make them easier to find. These aids are called indexes, and they come in both print and electronic form. Indexes can organize a group of newspapers or a single newspaper. Indexes improve efficiency greatly because they help you find relevant articles quickly by filtering out those that do not meet your criteria. Indexes are available in different forms at the Graduate Library and through the library's web page.

If you are looking for older (pre-1995) articles, you will likely need to use paper indexes. Yet you should be aware that many newspapers have no index at all, while most other available newspaper indexes cover only the mid-seventies onward. See "How Do I ... Find Historical Newspaper Articles" if you are looking for articles prior to the mid-seventies.

Paper indexes held at the Graduate library

Selected online indexes available through the Library homepage

Some index databases offer the full-text of the articles they index. In this case you can print out the article and your search is complete. Otherwise, indexes provide basic article information called citations. Citations include newspaper title, article title, author, issue, date published, page number, and sometimes an abstract.

Once you have citations for articles, the next step is to find out if the newspaper is available in the U of M Library System. To do so, move on to Step 2: Search Mirlyn, the online catalog.

If you are unable to locate an appropriate index, please contact Ask Us! for help from a librarian.

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Step 2: Search Mirlyn, the online catalog

Go to: the library homepage

Select: Mirlyn in the blue band on the top left

Choose: Journal/Serial Name begins with... in the drop-down menu

Search: Enter the title of the newspaper in the search box, omitting articles such as 'The' and 'A' at the beginning of the title in any language.

Go on to Step 3: Access articles

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Step 3: Access articles

• From the holdings at the U of M library
• From the holdings of another library (if the U of M does not have the title)

From the holdings at the U of M library

After you have determined that the library has the title you want, click on 'What Libraries Have' and make a note of the holdings (i.e., does the library have the issue you need?) and the location of the paper(s) in which you are interested. If the library does not have a newspaper you want, see Access articles from the holdings of another library.

If there is a call number, check at the library in which the item is housed, to find the exact location. Stacks guides and maps for the Graduate and Undergraduate Libraries are available online.

If there is a film number, take note of the number and go to Serials and Microforms on the south side of the 2nd floor of the Graduate Library for assistance.

If there is a live link, click on it and navigate to the issue you need.

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From the holdings of another library (if the U of M does not have the title)

University of Michigan students, faculty and staff

If you have checked Mirlyn and you don't find the title or the particular date you want, you can submit an interlibrary loan request. The ILL office will locate the item in another library, and either send you an electronic copy or borrow the item for you to use. Interlibrary Loan has an average turnaround time of 4 days for copies and 7 days for loans. There is currently no charge to users for normal Interlibrary Loan services. If special circumstances exist, ILL will contact patrons to confirm willingness to pay any special costs before placing an order.

You may submit an interlibrary loan request through your Mirlyn session. To do so, use the 'Link to Libraries & Services' drop-down menu at the bottom of the page and choose 'ILL request.' Only individuals affiliated with the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (student, staff or faculty) may exercise this option. Faculty at the University of Michigan-Dearborn are also eligible for this service.

More information about interlibrary loan is available online.

Members of the Public

Although the University of Michigan Libraries interlibrary loan service is restricted to those affiliated with the University, members of the public may submit interlibrary loan requests at any library at which they have borrowing privileges.