Online access to newspapers, books, magazines, scholarly journals, archival documents, vintage images … and more
HistoricAl Newspapers (free sites)
Chronicling America– This Library of Congress database offers access to more than 4,000 US newspapers published from 1756 to 1963. More than 21 million PDF pages, searchable by keyword, date range and state.
Google Newspapers– Hundreds of US and Canadian papers dating back more than two centuries. User notes: keyword searches can be unreliable, but you can search issues day-by-day; some titles are indexed by newspaper name and not city; a few papers are mislabeled; issues labelled “missing” may be appended to the previous day’s edition.
Trove – Australian newspapers from 1803 to 1954. A great resource for finding coverage of British, American, Canadian and other foreign events supplied through wire services.
NYS Historical Newspapers – A collection of newspapers published in New York State since the 1700s – including major New York City dailies – with access to more than 14 million pages.
Wikipedia’s List of Online Newspaper Archives – Links to online archives of hundreds of newspapers, past and present, including free and paywalled databases. Arranged by country, from Afghanistan to Yemen, with extensive sections on Canadian and American publications, broken down by province and by state.
Dalhousie University Libraries Newspaper Collections(Dal/King’s login needed) – Looking for a 17th-century British newspaper, access to more than 170 years of New York Times coverage, an article from an 1867 edition of the Globe and Mail or online access to recent news? This extensive collection also includes the Factiva, Eureka and LEXIS/NEXIS news databases.
Historical Newspapers (subscription sites)
Newpapers.com–Simply the best fee-for-use newspaper database. Full-text searches of more than 28,000 international newspapers from the 1700s to today – more than one billion pages and counting. A monthly fee buys unlimited access (and is reduced if you also subscribe to Ancestry.ca – see below). Reliable keyword searches and it’s easy to clip, print and email articles.
New York Times Archive– A great resource for newspaper coverage of historical as well as current events. Searchable from 1851 to date. PDFs of many articles can be accessed for free, and a modest subscription provides full access.
NewspaperArchive – This database of more than 15,000 titles and 280 million pages includes many papers not found in Newspapers.com.
Note: Many vintage newspapers have not been digitized. Check libraries, archives, and museums for titles available only on microfilm.
Books and Scholarly Journals
Books in the Public Domain – Collections of older books and magazines in the public domain (and no longer protected by copyright), including centuries-old titles. All publications can be keyword searched and most can be read online or downloaded:
Google Books – Access to the full text of older books and partial access (as permitted under copyright law) to new titles. The site allows keyword searches within most books, a time-saver for tracking down references in books that have no index.
WorldCat – As in “world catalogue.” Use this database of two billion books, articles, DVDs and CDs to find the nearest library with a copy. There’s all the information you need to submit an inter-library loan request as well.
AbebooksandBiblio – Besides books and magazines, these sites sell postcards, newspapers and other vintage printed material. Use them to identify books to borrow from libraries, or when you want a copy of your own. You can submit a “want” request that will notify you when hard-to-find books are listed for sale.
J-STOR – More than 12 million journal articles, book chapters and other scholarly materials dating to the 1800s. Free searches but a university or library account is needed to access and download.
Dalhousie Scholarly Journals Online(Dal/King’s login needed) – Researching a scientific, medical or other specialized subject? Explore more than 500 databases of articles and journals.
Archival and Genealogical Resources
Ancestry.comandFindmypast (UK) – These collection of records from archives around the world are not just for genealogists. They offer birth, marriage and death records, court filings, wills, census returns, city directories, and ships’ passenger lists. (Subscription required)
FamilySearch – A database of genealogical and historical records – including many found in Ancestry.com and other collections – compiled by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Free access – account sign-up required)
Find-a-Grave – Use the “world’s largest gravesite collection” to find birth and death dates, biographical and genealogical details, and headstone inscriptions and photographs.
Links to Archival Collections: These portals allow searches of hundreds of archive, museum and library collections for an array of historical records, from personal papers and business and government records to court, police and prison files:
Critical Past– A database of vintage newsreel clips that document a century of world history, from the dawn of the 20th century to the Space Race. Close to 60,000 videos and more than seven million individual images available for purchase and licencing at reasonable rates. A great resource for adding video to author websites, you can buy stills to illustrated a book, or just watch — and research – for free.
eBay – Auctions and fixed-price sales postings of vintage news photographs and postcards, hard-to-find books, magazines, and newspapers, plus ephemera ranging from menus to theatre programs. Create email alerts to receive updates of new listings.
Historic Images – Offers the largest selection of original images (people, places, things, events) culled from newspaper photo “morgues.” Many images are also listed on eBay.
Monetary Values
MeasuringWorth – Created by economic historians, this website features a calculator that estimates the current value of a monetary figure – a salary, price or property value – from the past. The conversion works for the US dollar, the British pound and a few other currencies.
Internet News Postings Updates
Google Alerts– Create search terms (names, places, subjects, events) based on your project, and receive regular updates via email with links to the latest postings on news media websites and social media.
Historical Weather Data (Canada)
Environment Canada: Past Weather and Climate – Was it overcast that day?While newspaper weather reports and forecasts offer general descriptions of conditions, this site records details such as temperature, precipitation, depth of snow cover, and wind speed at weather stations across Canada. Daily data available for most locations since 1840.
