Research and Reference Resources

Quick Guide to NewspaperARCHIVE

Looking through old newspapers once meant a commute, figuring out how to use a microfilm reader, and lots of eye strain. Thankfully, things have changed. In minutes, from home, you can now find articles--in their original form--with ease.

• What is NewspaperARCHIVE?
• How do I access NewspaperARCHIVE?
• How do I search newspapers in NewspaperARCHIVE?
• Are there examples?
• How do I print results?

What is NewspaperARCHIVE?

NewspaperARCHIVE is a database of billions of newspaper articles from around the world, dating, in many cases, from 1759 and up to 1977. The Wisconsin State Journal is available from 1852 through 1977; the Capital Times, from 1917 through 1977. Search articles about Hurricane Katrina, the sinking of the Titanic, or the first step on the moon, to name a few. And, because it is a full-page digital archive, you’ll view the newspaper page as it appeared at the time. Seeing the newspaper with accompanying photos and headlines, the story becomes an historical snapshot.

How do I access NewspaperARCHIVE?

Connect here or visit the Madison Public Library Research and Reference page and choose Databases > NewspaperARCHIVE.

How do I search newspapers in NewspaperARCHIVE?

The most basic search is by keyword. For example, type First Moon Landing in the Quick Search box located at the very top of the page and click on Search, and you’ll get a list of search results with excerpts from newspaper pages that feature your search terms.

However, this may result in too many results. The single best search tip for NewspaperARCHIVE is to be as specific as possible. This leads us to Advanced Search, which provides three easy steps to help narrow down the search results. Each step is optional, but the more information you provide, the more specific and effective your search will be.

Enter Keywords. Use any or all of the options provided. Note: It is not necessary to add quotation marks here. If you think quotation marks are needed, enter your search phrase into the With the exact phrase field and quotation marks will be included.

The Publication Date field allows you to specify a date or date range to search within.

Selecting Publication allows you to narrow your results by Country, by State, by City and then by Publication within that city. Though the image above focuses on Wisconsin, there are many national and some international newspapers available.

If you choose the Browse Available Newspaper tab (at the top), you can perform a search by location or date or choose from an alphabetical listing of newspaper titles. An alphabetical search for E for Eau Claire, for example, will result in a listing of all of the Eau Claire newspapers contained in NewspaperARCHIVE.

Note: If the newspaper you’re searching for begins with The, search for it by the following word. For example, The Wisconsin State Journal will be found under W.

Are there examples?

• Example 1: How can I get first-hand accounts on the invasion German invasion of Poland in 1939?
• Example 2: Can I get information on Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer?
• Example 3: How do I find information on how The Wisconsin Journal covered the Kennedy assassination?

How do I print results?

The printing part of NewspaperARCHIVE can be tricky. Because NewspaperARCHIVE PDFs are saved in the original size of the newspaper, they can’t be easily printed on 8.5 x 11 paper. Following are easy directions for printing specific areas from articles on 8.5x11 paper.

Save the PDF on your computer’s desktop by clicking on the floppy icon (located on top of document on the left). Open the saved version—it will appear in Adobe Reader. Now you can manipulate it, printing just what you need. Most importantly, use the Zoom In or Zoom Out buttons (+ and – signs) on the toolbar to magnify the portion of the article you want to print. If you’re having trouble locating the exact portion of the article you need, use the Find box in toolbar.

Then, go to the toolbar and click on Tools > Select & Zoom > Snapshot Tool.

Either press and release the left mouse button to select everything you're viewing or click and drag to highlight the text you want to print. When you release the button, a snapshot is taken (the text will turn blue). Then go to Print and choose Selected Graphic.