Newspapers

Using the Library’s Catalog

CATNYP is the online catalog of The New York Public Library’s four Research Libraries.  It is easily accessible via the World Wide Web at http://catnyp.nypl.org.  For general instructions on using CATNYP, please consult the Research Guide Using the Library's Online Catalog. The following information is specific to Newspapers.

CATNYP includes many, but not all, of the newspaper titles held by the Research Libraries. As a general rule, when searching for newspapers, consult CATNYP first. If you do not find the title you are searching for, consult the Dictionary Catalog of the Research Libraries of the New York Public Library, 1911–1971 (available in the Rose Main Reading Room, Room 315). If your title does not appear in that source either, see the Historical Newspapers and Resources at Other Institutions sections in this guide for additional resources or for other libraries’ holdings.

Searching CATNYP

Following are three main ways of searching for newspaper titles in CATNYP.

  1. Journal title: If you know the title of the newspaper you are searching for, this search is the quickest way to find it; e.g., 
    Times-Picayune.
    A word of caution. When searching for titles in a foreign language, especially in the Asian or Slavic languages, be aware that because of transliteration differences, you may not be able to find the title you need in CATNYP. Refer to the lists of titles included under Current Newspapers in this guide, and use the call numbers provided to search for specific holdings of a title in CATNYP.


  2. Words (Keywords): If you need to find the newspaper of a certain city at any given time—either past or current, you can do a word search, including the name of the city AND the word “newspaper*” (using the * will allow you to search for both the singular and plural form of the word); in addition, limit the search to “periodicals” and add a date or date range, if you are looking for titles from a specific period; see example below. (Remember to use “AND” between the words.)

    catnyp screen
  3. Subject: If you are looking for newspapers in general, the appropriate subject heading is                    
    Newspapers.
    Newspapers may also be listed under the specific subject heading of interest (e.g., a city, a country, an ethnic group), with Newspapers as a subdivision; e.g.,
    African American newspapers
    New York  N Y newspapers
    Paris (France) newspapers
    Additionally, items may be found using Newspapers as a subject heading,
    followed by various subdivisions; e.g.,            
    Newspapers accounting
    Newspapers Cuban Americans
    Newspaper Episcopal Church
    Additional, useful subject headings include:
    Advertising, Newspapers
    Clippings
    Press
    Tabloid Newspapers

Generally speaking, a combination of the search strategies described above works best. If you need assistance locating materials, please see a reference librarian at the reference desk in Room 315 or in the Microforms Division (Room 100).  If you are not in the library, you may also e-mail us for assistance at grdref@nypl.org.

Reading CATNYP Records

Newspaper records in CATNYP can be confusing because they list all formats in which a particular title is available at the library. Any given title may be available in bound volumes, microforms, loose issues, and/or a combination of the three.

Following is a CATNYP newspaper search for the Washington Post. By clicking on each link you see the full record for that title.

The two screens below are part of the full record for the Los Angeles Times, which is available in multiple locations and different formats.


The next screen shows one of the records for the Washington Post.

Newspapers may also be available electronically through one of the Newspaper Indexes to which the library subscribes, but this option is not listed in CATNYP. If you are at the library, it is good practice to double check for electronic availability, as shown below.