The News Division of the Special Libraries Association is an outstanding resource for newsroom research. The division's Web site is at:

http://www.ibiblio.org/slanews/index.html

The site has a wealth of information about the ever-evolving relationship between reporters/editors and news librarians/researchers. Increasingly, newspapers expect reporters to do more of their own background research. And more and more, librarians are contributing directly to news stories—sometimes even sharing bylines.

The News Division's Web site includes a list of "Essential Reference Books for a U.S. News Library":

http://www.ibiblio.org/slanews/reference/sources.htm

The list is "obviously more than the average reporter needs," says Merrie Monteagudo, library research supervisor for The San Diego Union-Tribune. But to get up to speed on a particular subject, reporters should know what reference works experts recommend.

Many of the books on the News Division's list have companion Web sites. Indeed, most modern newsrooms have intranets—internal Web sites for their staffs—with online information resources. The News Division's Web site describes how to create an intranet:

http://www.ibiblio.org/slanews/intranets/

That page links to examples of newsroom intranets, including one maintained by The Providence Journal in Rhode Island:

http://www.projo.com/newsweb/

Linda Henderson, library director for The Providence Journal, said many reporters prefer online resources because they often are more current than books and easier to search.