At the News Center, we have a department of journalists - with 153 years of experience among them - who work hand-in-hand with reporters, editors and news producers researching and gathering information to help make our daily news reports and newscasts as strong as possible.

The Archive & Research Department, directed by Jody Habayeb, is an unsung group whose contributions are crucial to the daily news process.

Not too long ago, a newspaper's library was called a ``morgue,'' and it consisted of newspaper clippings and microfilm, as well as a variety of research books and documents.

In the predigital era, research was a much more laborious affair, and reporters were pretty much on their own.

``In the early 1980s, when online resources became available,'' Habayeb said, ``librarians became the technical experts in their newsrooms and began helping sift through the maze of information, separating the difference between credible Web information and everything else out there.''

Lots Of Resources

Our researchers have access to numerous professional online resources, including databases such as Lexis/Nexis, Factiva, ChoicePoint, Westlaw and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

``We are aggressive in our approach to research,'' said Habayeb, who managed three other newspaper libraries before coming to the Tribune.

``We don't wait to be asked - we suggest, we call whomever and wherever is necessary to get the facts.

``On major breaking news stories, we have begun to accompany reporters to a press conference so, with a researcher's ears, we can hear firsthand complicated issues, or attend a public hearing as we did during the Coronet series. We'll call the Defense Department, contact a local resident or plow through an old garage to recover hundreds of Tampa Tribune bound historical newspapers.''

The A&R department has another vital function, that of archiving the newspaper's stories and photographs. Those stories - the first drafts of history as newspaper reportage is frequently characterized - are often consulted by reporters and editors for fact-checking, background, context and understanding as today's news unfolds.

Archivists on staff work to make the content digitally available to the public within 24 hours of publication through databases such as Lexis/Nexis or even the National Federation of the Blind.

Public Not Forgotten

The library offers services to the public, too, some free and some for a fee. For example, the Tribune's digital text archives are available free for three days from the date of publication. Check TBO.com, Keyword: archive.

Microfilm of the Tribune from 1895 to present is available at the Hillsborough County Public Library's Ashley Drive branch and at the University of South Florida Library.

Other services include glossy photo and page reprints (call (813) 259-8223); public research requests; and permissions to reprint copyrighted material from the Tribune (call (813) 259-7394).

The role of the librarian - in newsrooms and in the hometown library - has changed.

As Habayeb said, ``So maybe it's appropriate that last year a librarian action figure doll was created. We don't exactly leap tall buildings in a single bound, but if it were standing in the way of news librarians in their quest for research, I have no doubt we would try.''

Citizens' Voice is written by Tribune editors. This week's column was written by Senior Editor Kathleen Burke Williams. To contact Citizens' Voice, call our automated voice mailbox at 1-800-527-2758. Or write Citizens' Voice, P.O. Box 191, Tampa FL 33601. Or e-mail

Citizens' Voice is written by Tribune editors. This week's column was written by Senior Editor Kathleen Burke Williams. To contact Citizens' Voice, call our automated voice mailbox at 1-800-527-2758. Or write Citizens' Voice, P.O. Box 191, Tampa FL 33601. Or e-mail voice@TBO.com.