Learn more about newspapers
- News sourcesThese slides will help you learn about the history of news media and the challenges of using newspapers as primary sources
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:
- ProQuest Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new windowSearch all 46 ProQuest Historical Newspaper titles owned by the University of Illinois, representing 19 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, as well as titles from Canada, the UK, and India. Coverage spans the 18th century to the 2010s and includes important publications like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Globe and Mail, and Chicago Tribune.
The following newspaper databases may be relevant to this course:
- Hispanic American Newspapers, 1808-1980 This link opens in a new windowThis searchable database contains hundreds of early American newspapers including titles from Hispanic American Newspapers.
- Latin American Newspapers, Series 1 &2, 1805-1922 This link opens in a new windowThis database provides coverage of the people, issues and events that shaped various Latin American countries during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
- World Newspaper Archive This link opens in a new windowWorld Newspaper Archive chronicles the history and politics of diverse peoples and cultures during the 19th and early 20th centuries. This expanding online resource was created in partnership between Readex, a division of NewsBank, and the Center for Research Libraries (CRL)-one of the world's largest and most important newspaper repositories-and includes historical newspapers published in Africa, Latin America, Slavic and East Europe, South Asia and other regions.
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:
- ProQuest Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new windowSearch all 46 ProQuest Historical Newspaper titles owned by the University of Illinois, representing 19 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, as well as titles from Canada, the UK, and India. Coverage spans the 18th century to the 2010s and includes important publications like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Globe and Mail, and Chicago Tribune.
The following are three digital collections also include significant holdings of late-twentieth century black newspapers and periodicals:
- African American Newspapers Series 1 and 2 1827-1998 This link opens in a new windowPart of the Readex America's Historical Newspapers collection, African American Newspapers, 1827-1998 was created from the most extensive African American newspaper archives in the United States--those of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Kansas State Historical Society and the Library of Congress. Beginning with Freedom's Journal (NY), the first African American newspaper published in the United States, the titles in this resource include The Colored Citizen (OH), Rights of All (NY), Wisconsin Afro-American, New York Age, Virginia Journal and Alexandria Advertiser, Richmond Planet, Cleveland Gazette, The Appeal (MN) and hundreds of others from every region of the U.S.
- African American Newspapers: The 19th Century This link opens in a new windowComplete texts of major 19th century African American newspapers. Includes first-hand reports of events and issues of the day, as well as biographies, vital statistics, essays and editorials, poetry and prose, and advertisements. Publications include: The Canadian Observer, The Christian Recorder; The Colored American; Frederick Douglass’ Paper; The Freedmen’s Record; Frederick Douglass Monthly; Freedom’s Journal; The National Era; The Negro Business League Herald; The North Star; Provincial Freeman; Weekly Advocate.
- Ethnic NewsWatch This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
Included are journals, magazines, and newspapers from ethnic and minority presses. The current collection, Ethnic NewsWatch™, covers 1990-present, and the historical collection, Ethnic NewsWatch: A History™, spans 1959-1989. Ethnicities include: African American/Caribbean/African; Arab/Middle Eastern; Asian/Pacific Islander; European/Eastern European; Hispanic; Jewish; Native People.
