Summary
NEWSPAPERS
Typical questions
• Can I get copies of The Times newspaper from the 1950s online?
• I want to research contemporary news coverage of the 1930s economic crash.
Points to consider
• Newspapers are valuable both for coverage of the most recent events and for offering insight into social, political and economic history.
• Most libraries subscribe to large newspaper databases containing hundreds of titles. These are usually accessed via the library catalogue/e-library rather than via the newspapers’ home pages or a Google search.
• Note that newspaper titles are not usually indexed by journal article databases. Therefore separate searches of these resources may be necessary.
• This section highlights general resources. Specialist services are mentioned in the subject sections.
Where to look
Libraries
British Library Newspaper Collections
www.bl.uk/reshelp/inrrooms/blnewspapers/newsrr.html
World-famous collection of current and historical British and overseas newspapers. Website provides access to the catalogue and research guides. A key starting-point for researchers seeking to trace items not available locally. Also useful is the Copac union catalogue, www.copac.ac.uk, which cross-searches titles held in major UK and Irish research libraries.
Commercial databases
• These are commonly available titles. Check for local access/alternatives.
• Note that some services have a time delay, so for the latest headlines the newspaper's home page may be more up to date.
• Some databases do not contain images or page layouts. If these are unavailable locally refer to the British Library, which has major microfilm collections.
• All these services offer the ability to set up e-mail alerts.
Factiva
www.factiva.com
Currently owned by Dow Jones. Thousands of newspapers and newswires worldwide. Renowned business coverage.
Nexis
www.lexisnexis.com
Currently a division of Reed Elsevier. Access to thousands of national and regional newspapers worldwide, many from 1980 onwards.
Newspaper websites
Note that the Media Studies section lists trade directories, which have circulation figures.
Alternative Press Index
www.altpress.org/index.php
Site provides an impressive directory of links to radical and activist newspapers worldwide.
EU feeds: news feeds from European newspapers
www.eufeeds.eu
Site created by the European Journalism Centre. Get news feeds of the latest headlines from over 300 European national and local newspapers.
Online newspapers.com
www.onlinenewspapers.com
Directory of thousands of online newspapers worldwide. Arranged by geographical area. Not all are free.
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- Information
- Know it All, Find it Fast for Academic Libraries , pp. 270 - 274Publisher: FacetPrint publication year: 2011