Skip to Main Content

University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

History 498A: U.S. Labor History

Introduction

As described in the section on "Periodicals," serial publications of the non-mainstream media, often referred to as "alternative" or "underground" press publications, can be difficult to locate. Publications in this category include newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and other types of serial publications. These periodicals tend to be written from an acknowledged political perspective--for example, liberal or conservative--and they often promote a specific agenda, such a labor unionism, socialism, or communism. They might, however, report on news that is of interest to a specific community--often a marginalized one--without endorsing any defined ideology.

The Library Newspaper Database enables you to identify "alternative" publications, as well as labor newspapers, socialist newspapers, communist newspapers, anarchist newspapers, and more:

Online Sources

Microform Sources

The University Library has hundreds of alternative newspapers on microfilm, with coverage back to 1960 and earlier. The best way to check for availability of specific titles, or to browse by date and place of publication, is to consult the Library's Newspaper Database. Listed below are specific collections of interest.

Reference Sources