About NewsBank

NewsBank is a resource newly subscribed to by Westminster Libraries. It is available within every library and from home with a library membership card (enter the number with no spaces when directed). It is a database of full-text articles from 78 local and national newspapers, and magazines from their current issues going back as far as 1985. These publications are mainly UK ones though there are two from Ireland.

Navigating

As with many databases whilst some use of forwards and backwards is permitted it is best to use the links whenever possible e.g.

• Back to results: when you are reading an article
• New search: delete your current search and start again
• Edit Search: to make your results better but keep the gist of your search

Searching

As soon as you log in follow the link that says NewsBank Newspapers - U.K. and Ireland this will take you to a page where you have the option to perform your search. Here you can also specify the area or choose the newspapers/magazines you wish to seach (just click on the map or one of the tab labelled "source list".

AND will be added automatically between words you enter so typing in library westminster will look for articles containing both these words anywhere in them. If you wish to search for a phrase you must put words in inverted commas e.g. "westminster libraries" will only find these words exactly as you typed them; not appart or in a different order.

You can use the other Boolean terms but you should add another row using the link and change the drop-down next to this from AND to NOT or OR.

You will notice that AND is next to the date field automatically. Dates can be added in various ways:

• Search in a particular year by simply entering it in the correct box
• You will notice that various options appear of simple date ranges when you click in this box; if anything matches what you want just click it
• It also provides custom date examples a dash means to but you can also use to if you wish. You don't need a full date either; just years on their own will suffice e.g. 1990 - 2001

Dealing with your results

Once you have performed your search your results will be sorted in date order by default (newest first). This can be changed by simply clicking the option to view Best Matches First where the database will try to put the best matching results top of the list.

You can read an article by clicking on the title, or you also have the option of marking the ones you are interested in to save them; this will come into play later.

It is likely you may well have too many hits. To reduce the number you can choose a specific year (see illustration) just click the year you want under view results, you also have the option to choose a specific source.

You also have the option to Edit search or start again.

Printing

You can print articles as they are when you view them. However, threre will be unwanted excess, to avoid this you should get a printable view this will be listed as an option on the right when you are reading an article and also when you have marked articles you are interested in; another option offered will be to print just citations (these are the references to the articles).

Sending articles

A very useful feature of this resource is that you can send articles to yourself or others via email. This can be used to send the citations/references/the complete articles you have marked or just a single article that you are reading.This feature can be found in the same place as the printing one.

• Go straight to NewsBank
• View today's papers as they look in real life including papers from abroad
  
  
• Go to the 24/7 Exclusive Resources page
• Go to the News & magazines page of the Gateway to websites