Scoping Out Your Beat

Get to know your beat from the inside out.

You won't get very far without relying on the following:

NYC.gov - the official New York City Web site

Explore this website to find out which agencies do what - it will save you time later on. Each city agency has a site linked to this page. A number of agencies (the Department of Buildings, and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, to name just a couple) have interactive web tools which give you access to some records.

New York City Department of City Planning

The Department of City Planning is the most important city agency to learn about first, since they profile the city's neighborhoods, compile information about land use, and track NYC population trends.

Gotham Gazette

This web publication is a good primer on the issues at the forefront of NYC policymakers' and residents' minds.

City Limits

For coverage of issues from housing to criminal justice to welfare, check out the web version of this monthly magazine (print subscription available at the Journalism Library).

New York Stories - Columbia's engagement with the city and its communities

This Columbia University web site includes news and information on Columbia's relationships with its surrounding communities and includes links to the The Record as well as planning updates for the Manhattanville campus expansion.

The following sites bring data about NYC to life, by mapping it:

NYC OASIS

NYC OASIS is the New York City Open Accessible Space Information System Cooperative. The site presents an interactive mapping feature for data such as census demographics, natural resources, and even neighborhood trees. Maps can be created by zip code, neighborhood, or community district.

My Neighborhood Statistics

This site from the Mayor's Office of Operations, enables you to map variables that show how city agencies are performing within a particular area. Searchable by address or intersection, the interactive map lets you zoom out to compare other areas.

The following databases contain useful information about New York City neighborhoods, and can be accessed via LibraryWeb at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/ by clicking on the link to "Databases." All of these tools are available from off campus to anyone with a valid Columbia e-mail ID and password.

Infoshare Online

How many people live in your beat neighborhood? How many are on public assistance? How many have asthma? What are the crime statistics for your beat? Immigration trends? Answer these questions and many more using Infoshare Online, a collection of statistics about NYC from a number of sources, including the US Census Bureau and various City and State agencies. The data can be retrieved by community district number or neighborhood name, covers demographic, health, and socio-economic variables, and in many cases is available for multiple years, which lets you chart trends.

LexisNexis Academic

LexisNexis Academic contains the searchable full text of most New York City metropolitan area dailies, with archives extending back to the early 1990s (and the New York Times back to 1980). The exception is Newsday, which is only available for the most recent six months.

Ethnic Newswatch

Databases like LexisNexis are useful, but do not include a large number of articles from ethnic and minority newspapers, which can add dimension to your beat reporting. Ethnic Newswatch includes the full text of newspapers from ethnic, minority and native communities of the United States (including papers based in NYC). You can limit a search to a particular ethnic group's publications, and both English and Spanish language papers are included.

ProQuest Historical Newspapers

Once you get to know your beat in its present-day incarnation, use this database to pull up articles about it from the New York Times, which is searchable back to 1851 in this unique resource.

Some good things you just can't get online. Here's an extremely selective list of useful references on New York City:

Encyclopedia of New York City (Journalism Library reference shelf, and many other libraries on campus, call number F128.3 .E75 1995. Answers questions such as: Who was the first mayor of New York City? What is a settlement house? (and many more...)

New Immigrants in New York (Journalism and other libraries, call number F128.9.A1 N48 2001), is a 2001 book which includes chapters on specific immigrant groups as well as general essays on immigrants.

Community District Needs (Journalism Library, on Reserve and in reference, one volume per borough) These annual volumes include not only data about community districts (available on the City Planning website), but also the Community Boards' own annual assessments of their needs (which is not available on the City Planning website).

AIA guide to New York City (Journalism Library reference and other libraries, call number NA735.N5 A78 2000) The premier guide to architecturally significant structures in New York City. Includes suggested walking tours.

In addition to Columbia University's Libraries (including Avery, which houses the architecture & urban planning collections, and Butler, which houses many books on the history of New York City), you may wish to explore:

New York Public Library

Includes the Humanities and Social Sciences Library; Science, Industry and Business Library; Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center; and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

City Hall Library

The official depository for city agency publications.

New-York Historical Society

Brooklyn Historical Society

Brooklyn Public Library

Includes an online searchable version of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle (1841-1902).

Queens Historical Society

Bronx County Historical Society

Please e-mail questions and comments to journalism@libraries.cul.columbia.edu

Guide created by Deborah Wassertzug; cmm64 updated 7/31/2008