If you can’t find the information you’re looking for online, you may have to resort to using the library. Your public library can be a great place to find information on the celebrity you’d like to contact. Librarians do a lot more than only check books in and out. They know how to research and catalog information, store newspapers and magazines in public archives, and help library patrons find the information they’re looking for.
Many libraries subscribe to a database such as LexisNexis, which catalogs news articles, speeches, official biographical information, and much more. The library will usually allow you to use this service for your own needs, whether it’s for a school paper or a fascination with "that guy on that show". Other libraries will allow you to access only if the librarian is searching for you.
The best thing about using a public library for research is that it’s not going to cost you any money. You may have to spend a few cents to use the photocopy machine or print pages from the computer, but using a library is often free, thanks to taxpayers like us
Quite often, the library will store information from old newspapers and pictures in microfiche form, which means it is printed in tiny, tiny writing on small strips of microfilm that you view by using a large display screen. The screen magnifies the film many times so you can read it like a newspaper, allowing the library to store decades of newspapers and magazines in a single drawer. When your online searching continually comes up with newspapers wanting you to pay for access to their archives, the library makes for a far cheaper, albeit more time-consuming, alternative.
While at the library, you’ll have access to a number of ways to do your own research, including the use of Marquis Who’s Who, an abundance of magazines and newspapers, educational databases, biographies and more. It’s all there for you to use for free, so you might as well do so.
When in doubt, ask. Librarians will help you find an address if it’s available, and they enjoy encouraging you to frequent the library for reading and research. If they can’t help you find the information, chances are they’ll know someone who can, so go get your library card today!
To find a local library near you, visit the following library resources:
American Library Association
50 E. Huron
Chicago, IL 60611
1-800-545-2433 (Toll-Free)
http://www.ala.org
Public Library Association
50 E. Huron
Chicago, IL 60611
1-800-545-2433 x 5752 (Toll-Free)
http://www.pla.org
"The best resource." - HARO - Help A Reporter Out Join Now! | Members | Search | Testimonials
