Normally, I wouldn’t write about a website redesign. However, the New York Times has something that I am very grateful for - a simple, effective “Today’s Paper” section.

Newspaper reference and searching is a big part of what most desk-working librarians do, and little causes confusion more than having to distinguish between print/web/and database-accessed versions of newspapers, the various differences between referencing those different sources, finding articles, and trying to identify whether something you found on a newspaper’s website actually made its way into the print version. Despite the distance, the NYT is an important resource here in Australia especially for business information so it’s even harder to work out these issues when you are rarely able to access the print edition (only one library that I use has the NYT - the City of Sydney public library. It’s delayed by a few days because it’s flown in).

The New York Times makeover has prominently linked to the Today’s Paper section. It links all the articles on that day’s front page, as well as providing an image of the front page of the day, and links to major sections.

I love online newspapers as much as anyone, but print isn’t going away (despite falling circulation) and I’m glad to see a newspaper website making these changes.