Here's A List Of Things We Believe The Times Can Do To Help You

What have we done for you lately? Or should I say what can we do - besides providing you with the news you expect to find in The Times.

Here's a list my assistant, Gail Scott, pulled together to help you:

Back issues: Do you set aside the newspaper, meaning to get back to a certain story, but someone recycles it first? Call our back-issues department at 206-464-2001. They'll not only make arrangements to get the edition to you but if you've forgotten the date of the article, they can search our files and find it for you.

Back issues for the past 10 weeks are available at our Fairview and John office or via mail. You can also e-mail: wuitschick@seattletimes.com.

Issues of The Times older than three months are available on microfilm at the Seattle Public Library or through the University of Washington. The Seattle Times archives are available for searching on: CD-ROMs from NewsBank (1985 to present) and on three commercial online databases: Data Times, Dialog and Nexis. Selected articles are available on our Web site: http://www.seattletimes.com.

Times photos: We have some of the best photographers and graphic designers in the country. For a small fee you can purchase any photo by a Times photographer which appears in our paper. Call our photo department at 206-515-5058.

Reprints of special series: They are available, for free, at The Times' downtown office at Fairview Avenue North and John Street. Along with the reprints, you'll find other useful information such as our gardening calendar and our earthquake poster, with tips on making your home safer.

Reusing a Times story: If you wish to reprint or reuse a Times story, or have questions about usage of Times materials, call 206-464-3113. Our basic policy permits anyone to make up to 10 copies of an article for personal use, free of charge, as long as it's used in its entirety with no changes, shows the publication date and bears the copyright of The Seattle Times. We charge for business or professional reuse of our materials.

Consumer problems? Write to Troubleshooter, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111, include copies of correspondence and other documents related to the dispute. The Troubleshooter column appears in Scene twice weekly, offering a valuable public service to consumers by investigating and finding solutions to problems.

Recipes: Our nationally recognized Food section gives readers kitchen-tested recipes with nutrition breakouts. To reach our food home economist for recipes and information, call 206-464-2300.

Calendar items: If you have items for our Datebook calendar listings you can send them to the appropriate section at the address below. Include date, time, location and daytime phone number in case we need more information. Deadlines vary and are listed in the newspaper sections. Items for Ticket and calendar items for community editions must be received in writing at least two weeks before publication.

Reader feedback: We encourage reader feedback and have comment lines for both news and editorial. To leave recorded comments on news coverage call 206-464-3310; comments about the editorial section can be left on 206-464-8479. And, you're welcome to send Letters to the Editor/Editorial Page, at the address below, or send e-mail to opinion@seatimes.com.

Reader feedback also means letting us know about mistakes. We make every effort to be as accurate as possible, but occasionally a mistake is made and we want to correct it as quickly as possible. Report errors to the News Desk at 206-464-2213.

InfoLine: Call 206-464-2000, our free 24-hour information line, from a touch-tone telephone and receive information on topics such as weather, entertainment, horoscopes, sports scores, health, stock quotes and soap-opera updates.

Ads listing all the categories are published from time to time, so be sure to clip one and save it.

School Connections: The Times is the best source for news about schools. We also offer information about homework assignments, classroom activities, field trips and report cards. Just call the U.S. Bank School Connection at 206-464-1700.

This is a free voice-information service of The Seattle Times and U.S. Bank, with more than 4,000 teachers from 200 schools and 12 districts participating. Teachers are assigned a four-digit category number, which callers use to listen to daily updates.

Newspapers in education: To learn about curriculum guides and programs for using newspapers in schools, call 206-464-3806.

Missed Delivery? Our circulation carriers deliver more than 1.25 million copies of the Times weekly. Let us know if your newspaper doesn't arrive by 5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 7 a.m. weekends and holidays, and we'll get one to you as soon as possible.

Call our customer-service department at 206-464-2121. Customer-service representatives are available to help you start a subscription, stop service when you're on vacation, or handle changes of address. From out of the Seattle area, call us toll-free at 1-800-542-0820.

To start a subscription, you can use the customer-service number above or call 206-624-READ. Our number for TDD (hearing impaired) is 206-464-3335. Our subscription department offers you the ability to pay by mail on a 13-, 26- or 52-week basis. You may also choose to pay by a recurring charge to your credit card. In addition to the convenience, you enjoy a savings from the single-copy rate.

Advertising: Telephone numbers for various advertising units appear daily in the first few pages of the newspaper. Today they are on page A 4.

Employment: The Seattle Times employs about 2,000 people in a wide variety of occupations and is recognized for providing an excellent working environment. For seven consecutive years, Working Mother magazine has named The Times one of the best employers in the country. If you'd like to apply for a position at The Times, call our Employee Resources Department at 206-464-2399.

Also watch for our employment ad in the Sunday Classified section.

Plant tours: For tours of our North Creek production facility in Bothell call 425-489-7015.

Inside The Times appears each Sunday. If you have a comment about news coverage, write to Michael R. Fancher, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111, call 206-464-3310, or send e-mail to mfancher@seattletimes.com