Comments on: Archiving news clips: How do you manage this?

By: Susan Happell

Susan Happell — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 06:54:26 +0000

CLIP YOUR CLIPS. Clip the article immediately, no matter how big or small, then label it with date, publication name, and page/section number. Place it in a clear 8-1/2×11″ sleeve in a binder that separates articles, pr, bios, etc. Binders that are clearly labeled by ‘clip type’ are easy to manage on book shelves or as I do, with hanging binders inside my file cabinets. Note: Hard drives crash, so if you save scanned clips to your hard drive be sure to make a backup CD.

By: Candy Tutt

Candy Tutt — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 19:39:16 +0000

I make COLOR copies of all my clips. That way they last a LONG time, and at the same time it’s obvious that they were newspaper or magazine articles.

The copyright wrinkle does complicate matters sometimes. I’ve found that local independent copy shops that know me will copy pretty much anything I take in, because they know it’s for my PR file.

By: Connie Oswald Stofko

Connie Oswald Stofko — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 13:26:23 +0000

My archive problem is not how to organize clips to use today, but how to store them so that they are available 100 years from now. I work for a non-profit agency that goes back 130 years, and I wish I had clippings from past decades. I’d like to ensure that future generations have a rich record of the work we’re doing now. I do like the idea of scanning articles and storing them electronically, but the hardware needed to access them may become obsolete (think eight-track tapes). A librarian suggested photocopying articles because regular copy paper won’t deteriorate as quickly as newsprint does.

By: Kathi Petersen

Kathi Petersen — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 02:32:12 +0000

Thanks, folks for these ideas. But WHERE do you get full page newspapers scanned? I have several very large front-page clips and my scanner/copier is the desktop variety. Do you go to some place like Kinko’s? (My experience is that they won’t scan items that are copyrighted and that includes newspaper clips.)

By: Tchai

Tchai — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 01:02:54 +0000

I read magazines with a craft knife and a black marker. I mark the article and cut it out (the whole page) and file it in folders. One has to be pretty ruthless and file the articles you REALLY think you will need. The important ones are filed in a ring binder and subdivided.
Read the magazine once and send it for recycling.
I subscribe to 16 magazines and I have NEVER read the same magazine twice or have to go through tons of past issues trying to find an article i remember i read once.

By: Jim McDonald

Jim McDonald — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 00:58:17 +0000

Most document scanners will scan into a Portable Document File (PDF). It will take about as much hard drive room as an image file from other scanning methods, but it shows the actual clipping. You can set up an easy to manage database in any spreadsheet program and code name the file to coorespond to the database entry.

Retreival is a few clicks away and the PDF will attach, can be buried in the copy or printed.

By: Cheryl McPhilimy

Cheryl McPhilimy — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 22:29:44 +0000

Three-ring binders — definitely! I put big bold labels on the sides with the name of the project in all caps. It serves as a terrific reminder to me and to anyone who comes to my office that I achieve results.

If you need to conserve space, toss or scan something else. Keep your clip binders prominently displayed. It’s physical evidence of the hard work done.

By: H. C.

H. C. — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 20:23:10 +0000

Scanners nowadays can make very good images and are fairly affordable, however, I agree with you that it’s not the real deal and nowhere as impressive as giving them the physical copy to handle.

A way to reduce the physical clutter w/o majorly compromising quality of your clip reports is to save the prominent clips in their physical form (be sure to scan too… paper does go yellow over time), but scan and electronically archive the rest (be sure to make duplicates too.)

Of course, you and your organizer needs to set some standards as to what is considered “prominent” enough. Front-page, definitely — a mention stuffed into a section, probably — an events listing, probably not.

Good luck!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 19:59:36 +0000

I scan and/or place a link for all stories on my organization’s Web site with the date and story title. I also refer individuals to the Web site to see the archived stories. I am thinking about framing the articles and displaying them in the hallway.

By: Bryan Stanton

Bryan Stanton — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 19:58:08 +0000

We keep the “cream” only.

More important, we keep a relational database of all clips on a daily basis, so pulling number of clips for a report, etc., is easily done with a few keystrokes.

We use FileMaker Pro v7 for this, I believe….