Index des fiches pour les histoires de l’agence de presse, Associated Press, 1905 à 1990

This collection includes index cards that were used to catalog AP stories by name from 1905-1990. The records in this collection are linked to images of the articles they catalog, which are available in Associated Press, Stories and Newsfeatures, 1937–1985.

The Name Cards are the easiest way to search the Stories and News Features Collection. They index both AP writers and individuals named in AP stories. Each card lists several stories with their release date and an internal classification number. That number is required in order to search for the story. Note that the date span of the cards is greater than that of the stories. This means that the researcher will find cards for the period 1905 to 1936 but no corresponding stories.

How to search the records
Each index card contains the name of an AP reporter or of an individual mentioned in a story, followed by a listing of AP stories in which those names appear. Next to each story listing is the date the story was released by AP (generally in the Day/Month/Year format) and a classification number. This number is the key to connecting the index card with a corresponding AP story.

Most stories in this collection have been catalogued with a three-part classification number, written in this format: 35.46-5. The first part (35) is a country code (Italy) and the second part (.46) is a subject code (Aviation). The part after the dash (5) is a page number. Classification numbers are hand-written in the upper right-hand corner of the story image and they often occur only on every other image. They are typewritten on the index cards.

To find a specific AP story, search by name, location, subject or year in the Name Card Index. Select “view record” from one of the search results and then click to view the image of the index card. Review the card to find the story you’re interested in and make note of the publication date and classification number. Then click back to view the record page.

If the classification number listed on the record page is the same as the one you noted from the index card, click on “Search for this article in the Associated Press Stories and Newsfeatures database.” This will link you to the corresponding story. Click on “view images” to see the story.

If the classification number listed on the record page is not the same as the story found on the index card, click back to the search results page to locate the record with the corresponding classification number.

Another option is to search by classification number directly within the Associated Press Stories & Newsfeatures collection. Make note of the classification number on the index card and then click here to access that collection. Remember that the classification number must be typed in its proper format into the Classification Number Search Box on the “Advanced Search” page.

Please note that not all images in the Associated Press Stories & Newsfeatures collection have been catalogued with a classification number. In addition, not all classification numbers listed on the index cards will be able to link to a corresponding image in the Stories & Newsfeatures.