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Newspaper Database Features

"Big Three" Databases | International Newspaper Databases | Digital Archives | Other Newspaper Databases

Features Common to All
Newspaper Databases

"Big Three" Databases

Newspaper Database Content Special Features
ProQuest National Newspapers
  • Comprises 24 U.S. national (major market) newspapers including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and the Los Angeles Times
  • Primarily U.S., but includes The Guardian (U.K.)
  • Coverage goes back 10 years for most publications. Check NewsCAT to determine years of coverage for specific newspaper titles.
  • Easy-to-use interface; can save your own search strategy terms to use in other ProQuest databases
  • Can change the search interface to search in 14 languages, including Spanish, German, and other European languages as well as Chinese, Japanese, and Russian.
  • Includes citation style to cite articles in footnotes and bibliographies
  • Can limit your search to specific types of articles: editorials, reviews (books, performances, films), obituaries, cover story, corrections and more
  • Can set up a free alert service for articles from today's newspaper to be delivered to your e-mail
America's Newspapers (Newsbank)
  • Includes more than 500 primarily McClatchy/Knight-Ridder Newspapers
  • Typically includes more complete coverage of text content for the same newspaper in other newspaper databases
  • 12 Pennsylvania newspapers included in this database including the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Centre Daily Times
  • Coverage goes back 10 years for many titles but varies greatly from newspaper to newspaper. Check NewsCAT for coverage of specific titles.
  • Easy, map-based interface, allows you to select a single newspaper by state or to search several newspapers at the same time
  • Clearly provides information on years of coverage
  • Includes citation to article to cut/paste into your footnote or bibliography
  • The Special Reports link pulls current content on specific topics and issues from various sources within the Newsbank database
  • The Hot Topic link provides suggested keywords for various current issues covered in the media
LexisNexis Academic
  • Includes current news articles from hundreds of international, national and small-market newspapers
  • Contains selected non-English language newspapers
  • Separate database for wire services and transcripts of broadcast news
  • Selected full-text for most publications
  • Coverage dates back 10 years, but varies from newspaper to newspaper. Check NewsCAT for coverage of specific titles.
  • Guided News Search requires you to select a News Category and News Source before beginning your search
  • Searching a single/specific newspapers requires you to select from the Sources link at the top of the home page
  • Includes a number of special News Categories including: News Transcripts, Wire News, Legal News, University News, and Arts & Sports News that pull content from many trade and industry news sources and newspaper sections into a single database

International Newspaper Databases     [Top]  More Newspapers from other Countries

Newspaper Database Content Special Features
LexisNexis Academic
  • Includes current news articles from hundreds of international, national and small-market newspapers
  • Contains selected non-English language newspapers
  • Separate database for wire services and transcripts of broadcast news
  • Selected full-text for most publications
  • Coverage dates back 10 years, but varies from newspaper to newspaper. Check NewsCAT for coverage of specific titles.
  • Guided News Search requires you to select a News Category and News Source before beginning your search
  • Searching a single/specific newspapers requires you to select from the Sources link at the top of the home page
  • Includes a number of special News Categories including: News Transcripts, Wire News, Legal News, University News, and Arts & Sports News that pull content from many trade and industry news sources and newspaper sections into a single database
Newsbank Electronic Image Newspapers
  • Current issues of the following papers: Al-Hayat, El País
  • Coverage starts in March 2006
  • Digital page image-allows users to read each publication from front page to back page in its entirety

PressDisplay
[Electronic Image]

 

  • Current issues include 60 day back issue
  • Includes 500 newspapers from 70 countries in 37 languages
Russian Newspapers
  • Full-text files of over 40 Russian newspapers including some in English (for example, the Moscow Times)
  • Includes official government sources (ITAR-TASS, Rossiiskaia gazeta, Krasnaia zvezda), independent media and partisan publications
  • Archives of more than 20 additional Russian newspapers
  • Features national news, current events, economic developments and cultural events in Russia
  • You can search in Cyrillic characters by activating the virtual keyboard display. Limit search by date range, sources, keywords, etc.

World News Connection

(continued with Foreign Broadcast Information Service)

  • "contains full-text translated summaries from the Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Reports for the following materials: newspaper articles, conference proceedings, radio and television broadcasts, periodicals, non-classified technical reports"
  • Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) translated and English-language news reports from foreign sources
  • Coverage from this website goes back to mid 1990's
  • Note that FBIS is a U.S. government agency
  • Search for latest headlines from selected news sources from different regions
  • Certain countries given more coverage (e.g., Iran, Iraq, China, Russia, North Korea)

 

Digital Archives     [Top]        For More Historical Newspapers

Newspaper Database

Content

Special Features

America's Historical Newspapers (1690-1922) [Digital Archive]
  • Images and full-text content from scores of historical publications
  • Main focus is on newspapers that began publication before 1820
  • Includes 90 Pennsylvania newspapers, such as the Philadelphia Inquirer (1860-1900)
  • Page images are formatted to allow for easy viewing, magnification, printing, and saving

  • Newspaper can be viewed in its entirety, including advertisements

  • Easy, map-based interface to identify newspapers by state

  • Can cross-search with Early American Imprints and/or Early American Broadsides and Ephemera databases

  • Can limit search by specific type of content: e.g., advertisements, death notices, birth notices, letter, poetry, and election returns

  • Can limit search to broad time periods: e.g., Presidential Eras and Eras in American History

British Library Collection (19th Century)
  • Contains full runs of 48 newspapers selected by the British Library to represent 19th century Britain
  • Includes National and Regional Newspapers
  • Fully searchable text
  • Able to view entire pages or individual articles
  • Ability to save, bookmark, e-mail and print results
British Newspapers (1600 - 1900)
  • Consists of two major collections fromt he British Library
  • Contains over 3 million pages of historic newspapers, newsbooks & ephemera
  • Fully searchable text
  • Able to view entire pages or individual articles
  • Ability to save, bookmark, e-mail and print results
Burney Collection (17th - 18th Century)
  • Newspapers, pamphlets, and books gathered by Reverend Charles Burney
  • Represents the largest and most comprehensive collection of early English news media
  • Contains 1,270 titles
  • Fully searchable text
  • Able to view entire pages or individual articles
  • Ability to save, bookmark, e-mail and print results
Daily Collegian (1887-1987) [Digital Archive]
  • Digital page images allow users to read every issue in full, including all sections and all advertisements

  • Can limit search to photographs and advertisements

  • Each issue can be browsed by date

Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Reports (1974-1996)
  • Translations of broadcasts, news agency transmissions, newspapers, periodicals, and government statements from nations around the world are the sources of this information.
  • First release : Series 2 includes Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) 1974-1980; South Asia (SAS) 1980-1987; Africa (Sub-Sahara) (AFR) 1987-1988; Sub-Saharan Africa (AFR) 1988-1996
  • Comprehensive fully searchable pages

New York Times Historical (available from 1851) [Digital Archive] (Most recent 3 years not available) (ProQuest)

  • Includes full page images of every daily edition beginning with 1851

  • Use the Advanced Search function to limit your search to specific types of content, including: front page stories, advertisements, standalone photographs, editorial cartoons, obituariess, etc.

  • A great feature of this service is that the whole newspaper page can be viewed, allowing users to see where specific articles appear and how much prominence they are given (page leads, fillers, etc.)

Pennsylvania Civil War Newspapers [Digital Archive]

  • Selection of Civil War-era newspapers, covering the years before, during, and after the war

  • Dates of coverage vary by paper (dates range from 1854-1973)

  • Digital page images allow users to read every issue in full, including all sections and all advertisements

  • Can limit search to photographs and advertisements

  • Each issue can be browsed by date

U.S. Newspapers (19th Century)
Gale

 

  • Digital facsimile images of both full pages and clipped articles
  • Provides access to articles, advertisements, and illustrations
  • Advanced search features available

 

 

 

Times (London) (1785-1985) [Digital Archive]

  • Includes full-page images of every issue from 1785-1985

  • Can view full page in html or pdf format

  • Digital page images allow users to read every issue in full, including all sections and all advertisements

  • Search by newspaper section: Advertising, Business, Editorial & Commentary, Features, News, People, Picture Gallery, and Articles with Illustrations

Other Newspaper Databases     [Top]

Newspaper Database Content Special Features
Ethnic NewsWatch
  • Comprehensive full-text database of the newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press in the United States

  • More than 200 publications included in this database
  • Searchable in English or Spanish
  • An average of 7,500 new articles added each month
  • In-depth coverage of a wide range of current and retrospective topics easily accessed using free text and fielded searching
Accessible Archives
  • This resource includes a number of historical databases, including a selection of 18th & 19th century American newspapers such as The Pennsylvania Gazette (1728-1800), The Liberator (1831-1865), and Freedom's Journal (1827-1829)
  • Provides page images for selected newspapers.
  • African-American newspapers from the 19th century contained in this database include The North Star, The National Era, Provincial Freeman, and others. Many are complete in their coverage
  • The Civil War - A Newspaper Perspective is a database containing major articles gleaned from over 2,500 issues of The New York Herald, The Charleston Mercury and the Richmond Enquirer, published between November 1, 1860 and April 15, 1865
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