Clippings

Clippings are excerpts cut from newspapers, magazines, and other printed or digital media, kept for reference, research, or archival purposes. While the term originally referred to physically cut pieces pasted into a scrapbook, it now also encompasses digital copies, PDFs, and saved web links. The practice has historical roots in the work of journalists and researchers who collected articles about topics, people, or events.

Historically, individuals and organizations used scissors, glue, and scrapbooks or filing cabinets. Professional press clipping services emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to monitor media coverage for businesses, public relations, and libraries. Clerks or researchers would categorize clippings by topic, date, source, or person, creating indexes for retrieval. With the rise of digital media, clipping practices shifted to scanning or saving digital copies, tagging them with metadata, and storing them in databases or note-taking tools.

Uses include market research, media monitoring, historical research, and intellectual property archives. Copyright considerations apply when reproducing or distributing clippings; fair use and permissions laws govern quotes or large excerpts. Preservation concerns for physical clippings include acid decay and layout changes; archival best practices favor acid-free sleeves and proper storage, while digital clippings require regular backups and format migration.