A Watergate story from the News Library, by Elisabeth Donovan, who worked in the Post library from 1968 until 1974, then on the Post’s national desk until 1975. During 1972-3 she maintained files and did research for Woodward and Bernstein as they reported and wrote All the President’s Men. She is the only Post librarian credited in the book.
“We have it easier now; we don’t have to make the same kinds of judgements which can determine whether or not we’ll be able to find a critical piece of information some later day. But now we have had to become computer and technology experts, learning to operate, maintain and trouble shoot the computer systems that have simplified our filing and retrieval. There are other, just as serious, judgement calls required; and dealing with them can sometimes also take away the time that should be spent finding that needle in a haystack.
So although news librarians and researchers still perform miracles for our newsrooms every day, it’s good to know that a routine daily decision, just one very small miracle, could — and can — end up being the missing piece that changes lots of peoples’ lives — and history. “
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