Subject Guide
Christine Ruotolo
Contact:
Alderman Library
Room 519 (West Wing)
Room 519 (West Wing)
434-982-2652
Sources for mainstream news coverage
For additional resources, see the Newspapers guide
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ProQuest Historical NewspapersA searchable archive of major US newspapers, dating back to their initial dates of publication: the New York Times (1851-2006), the Wall Street Journal (1889-1992), the Chicago Tribune (1849-1986), the Washington Post (1877-1993), and Los Angeles Times (1881-1986). Can be cross-searched with Black Newspapers (see below).
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America's Historical Newspapers (1690-1991)Searchable full text collection of US newspapers from 1690 to 1991. 20th century coverage is limited to three newspapers: the Times-Picayune (New Orleans), the Plain Dealer (Cleveland), and the Oregonian (Portland).
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19th Century U.S. NewspapersSearchable full text and page images of several hundred U.S. newspapers from the 19th century. Search by keyword, location, article type and date. Browse Title List here.
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Daily Progress - Digital Edition (1892-1923)The digital edition of the Daily Progress is a collaborative project of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library and the University of Virginia Libraries in honor of Charlottesville's 250th anniversary. Currently the digital edition covers 1892 to 1923, with the hope of expanding coverage in the future. Not yet keyword searchable; issues can only be browsed by date as page images.
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Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online (1841-1955)Online archive hosted by the Brooklyn Public Library, which describes the paper like so: "At one point the Eagle actually became the nation's most widely read afternoon newspaper. Unusual among major metropolitan daily newspapers of that time period, the Eagle chronicled national and international affairs as well as local news and daily life in Brooklyn."
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HarpWeekHarpWeek provides full-text and images of Harper's Weekly, America's leading 19th century illustrated newspaper, which was "aimed at the middle and upper socio-economic classes, and tried not to print anything that it considered unfit for the entire family to read. In addition to the importance of illustrations and cartoons by artists like Winslow Homer and Thomas Nast, the paper’s editorials played a significant role in shaping and reflecting public opinion from the start of the Civil War to the end of the century."
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Reader’s’ Guide to Periodical Literature (1900-1990) (print resource)This is a complete index of articles in popular magazines, such as Time, US News and World Reports, Life, etc. The print volumes are located in the Alderman Reference room (call number: AI3 .R48) and are organized alphabetically by subject. When you find a citation in the Readers' Guide, use Virgo to track down the article in print, online, or on microform.
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NexisUniThe standard resource for relatively recent full-text articles in newspapers and popular magazines, it includes thousands of titles from around the world, with earliest coverage beginning in the mid-1980s.
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FactivaLike LexisNexis, Factiva contains thousands of full-text newspapers and periodicals from around the world, with earliest coverage in the mid-1980s.
Sources for alternative news coverage
See also the research guide for alternative news sources (part of the larger Newspapers guide).
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African-American Historical SerialsThe African American Historical Serials Collection features 173 periodicals spanning from 1816 through 1922. The periodicals in this collection include newspapers and magazines, in addition to reports and annuals from various African American organizations, including churches and educational and service institutions.
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ProQuest Historical Newspapers - Black NewspapersSearchable full-text coverage of some of the most influential Black newspapers of the 20th century: New York Amsterdam News (1922-1993), Chicago Defender (1909-1975), Pittsburgh Courier (1911-2002), Norfolk Journal and Guide (1916-2003), and Baltimore Afro-American (1893-1988). Search separately here or with other historic US newspapers. For 1989-present use Ethnic Newswatch.
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Ethnic Newswatch (1959- )Full-text database of US newspapers and journals from ethnic and minority presses (ethnicities covered include African American/Caribbean/African; Arab/Middle Eastern; Asian/Pacific Islander; European/Eastern European; Hispanic; Jewish; and Native People).
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Alternative Press Index (1969- ) (print resource)These print volumes are a subject index for over 550 underground or radical newspapers from the United States and some foreign countries. Some articles cited can be found in a microfilm collection called Underground Newspapers (1963-1985).
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African American Newspapers in MicrofilmA list of 19th- and 20th-century African American Newspapers held on microfilm in Alderman Library, organized by state with date ranges.
Sites with both mainstream and alternative sources
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Chronicling AmericaChronicling America, a project sponsored by the Library of Congress and the NEH, allows you to search and view millions of American historic newspapers. Click on the "All Digitized Newspapers 1836-1922" tab to limit your search to papers targeting various ethnicities (African-American, Latin American, Jewish, and several others). This project also encompasses the U.S. Newspaper Directory, 1690-Present, which aims to list all papers published in the U.S. and can be searched by ethnicity. See these search tips for help.
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Historical Newspapers OnlineMaintained by the University of Pennsylvania Library, this guide lists hundreds of free online historical newspapers, organized by state. In addition to many mainstream papers, the guide lists dozens of small alternative papers, providing date ranges and descriptions for each. See examples by clicking on the info button above.
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Google NewspapersGoogle digitized hundreds of 19th and 20th century newspapers before abandoning the project in 2011. Click on a newspaper title to browse page images by date. Keyword searching of the content is possible, but cumbersome, and it's not possible to search by date before 1970 (consult the search instructions).