Newspaper Indexing with Microcomputers: The Washington State Experience

The value of newspaper indexes in libraries is a topic that few public services librarians would be willing to debate on the negative team. Most large and mid‐size libraries, and many small ones, subscribe to indexes of major dailies such as the New York Times or the Christian Science Monitor. Recent advances in computer technology have not only made these indexes more efficient to publish, but have also made online access to full‐text newspaper databases possible. However, access to the contents of local or regional newspapers is often more important to the typical library user than indexed information carried in the national press, with the possible exception of Dave Barry's column.