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History 200: The 1970s

Learn more about newspapers

Finding newspapers in the Library

The Library has an extensive collection of historical newspapers in a variety of formats, including original print, microfilm, and digital reproductions. Not all of them are included in the online catalog, but if you are looking for a particular newspaper title, you should use the UIUC Newspaper Database (see below for link).

Many newspapers are embedded in larger collections of online resources, such as Ethnic News Watch (1960-present ). They may also be embedded in microfilm collections, such as the Underground Press Collection (1963-1985). 

To find a specific newspaper, or to identify newspapers published in a specific year or place, or newspapers published for a specific audience (e.g. African Americans, or socialists), or to identify newspapers that are part of larger collections like the Underground Press Collection, use the University of Illinois Library Newspaper Database:

  • University of Illinois Library Newspaper Database

    A catalog of newspapers at the University of Illinois Library. Lists newspapers in all formats--print, microfilm, and digitized. You can search for newspapers by title, or identify newspapers by place of publication, date of publication, or by the newspaper's subject or intended audience. Only includes newspapers that are either the original print publication, or else facsimile reproductions of the original print publication.

Major Metropolitan Newspapers

For the major metropolitan newspapers of the post-Civil War era, and especially the twentieth century, the best place to begin is ProQuest Historical Newspapers:

The following are a selection of some of the major titles in this collection:

African American Newspapers

The first known African American newspaper was Freedom’s Journal (New York, N.Y. : 1827), and since then there has been an active black press in the United States. This page is a guide to finding African American newspapers and periodicals in the Library. Click here to view a complete list of African American newspapers at the University of Illinois Library.

For the major, digitized African American newspapers of the twentieth century, the best place to begin is ProQuest Historical Black Newspapers:

The following are three digital collections also include significant holdings of late-twentieth century black newspapers and periodicals: