New Jersey State Library

Magazines and Newspapers

COLLECTIONS

The New Jersey State Library has a large collection of periodicals of interest to researchers both in state government, and academia, of which about 500 titles are current subscriptions. The emphasis of this collection is on the social sciences, medicine and public health, politics and government, psychology, education, the environment, and management. The library also has a collection of titles relating specifically to New Jersey. Various paper and electronic indexes are also available.

The State Library currently receives 21 New Jersey newspapers and 7 national papers, such as the New York Times and the Washington Post. Several newspapers have backruns on microfilm. The Newark Star-Ledger, the Trenton Times and the Jersey Journal are available electronically in full-text.

The State Library also has a collection of newspaper clippings covering the time period of 1950 to 1989. Six major New Jersey newspapers were clipped by the library staff, and the articles were filed under several hundred general and specific subject headings relating to aspects of New Jersey. A list of these headings is held at the Level 4 Reference Desk.

SERVICES

Librarians are available on Level 4 to assist users in finding periodicals and newspapers. Some titles are held in microfilm, and librarians will assist patrons in using microfilm reading equipment if necessary. Assistance with electronic resources is available on both Level 4 and on Level 3 in the General Reference Section. When a search of DIALOG or NEXIS is requested, there may be a charge, depending on the nature of the request and whether or not the patron is a state employee who needs the information for state work.
Electronic access to the NJULS (New Jersey Union List of Serial) is available to determine the location and holdings of periodicals which are not held by the State Library.

In the case of law periodicals, the librarians in the Law Section on Level 3 should be consulted, as that is a separate collection.

CIRCULATION POLICY

General Periodicals and New Jersey Periodicals (J/PERs) do not circulate, except in rare cases (and only to N.J. State Employees) with the permission of the Serials Librarian. This also applies to microfilm versions of periodicals and newspapers.

LOCATION AND CONTACT INFORMATION

New Jersey State Library - Level 4

185 West State Street
(mailing address: PO Box 520)
Trenton, NJ 08625

Doris Murphy, Serials Librarian
Telephone: 609-278-2640 ext. 147 (or 609-278-2640 ext. 103, General Reference)
Fax: 609-278-2647
Email: dmurphy@njstatelib.org