New: Nashriyah: digital Iranian history

Posted on 24 February 2016 by iholowaty

If you are interested in modern Iranian history, then you will be pleased to know that Nashriyah: digital Iranian history has been added to SOLO and Databases A-Z but is also freely available at http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/about/projects/nashriyah-digital-iranian-history/.

Iranian-history-digitisation-MUP-screenshot

This project, led by the University of Manchester Library, provides digital versions of Iranian newspapers and periodicals many of which have previously been difficult to access. The provision of this collection supports the work of students and researchers interested in modern and contemporary Iranian history by enabling them to explore key events as they happened.

The collection’s main coverage is:

the premiership of Mohammad Mossadegh and the August 1953 coup d’état against his government (1950-53),
the 1979 Revolution
the late 1990s/early 2000s ‘reform era’ of former President Mohammad Khatami.

Containing more than 12,000 pages, the collection is freely accessible without restriction.

What is included in the collection?

There are currently 23 rare newspapers and periodicals (over 12,000 pages) available digitally, documenting real-life news from the 1953 coup against Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, the 1979 revolution and the late 1990s/early 2000s ‘reform era’ of President Mohammad Khatami.

The following publications are included:

Ayandegan (165 issues)
Khank Va Khun (46 issues)
Rastakhiz (150 issues)
Tehran Mosava (2 volumes)
Kayhan (10 volumes)

Trial until 19th February: African American Newspapers 1827-1998

Posted on 14 January 2016 by iholowaty

The Vere Harmsworth Library has organised a trial to Readex’s African American Newspapers series I and II. The trial ends 19th February.

This resource covers 1827-1998, and provides online access to approximately 330 U.S. newspapers chronicling a century and a half of the African American experience. The collections include historically significant papers from more than 35 states, and many rare 19th-century titles.

We trialled series I in July 2013. Series II, which has just been released, adds a further 75 titles to the first collection.

Access is available via OxLIP+ until 19th February 2016 (University members can use single sign-on for remote access).

Please send feedback about the trial to jane.rawson@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Also useful:

Check out the rest of the History eResources Desiderata and Trials.

Trials: Chinese Newspapers Collection & South China Morning Post (1903-1996) & Japan Times Archives Online (1897-2014)

Posted on 13 November 2015 by iholowaty

Historians for the Far East will be interested in the following trials run by colleagues:

ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Chinese Newspapers Collection (trial until 15 December 2015)

Coverage: 1832 – 1953

Included are critical perspectives on the ending of more than 2,000 years of imperial rule in China, the Taiping Rebellion, the Opium Wars with Great Britain, the Boxer Rebellion and the events leading up to the 1911 Xinhai Revolution, and the subsequent founding of the Republic of China. In addition to the article content, the full-image newspapers offer searchable access to advertisements, editorials, cartoons, and classified ads that illuminate history. Includes The Chinese Recorder and Missionary Journal (1868-1912), The Chinese Repository (1832-1851) and The North – China Herald and Supreme Court & Consular Gazette (1870-1941).

Please send feedback about the trial to joshua.seufert@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

ProQuest Historical Newspapers: South China Morning Post (trial until 15 December 2015)

Coverage: 1903 – 1996

… “renowned for its authoritative and influential reporting on Hong Kong, China and all of Asia. Founded in 1903 by Alfred Cunningham and Tse Tsan-tai, a key figure in the Chinese revolt against the last imperial Qing Dynasty at the turn of the 20th century, the newspaper became a platform for advocating the reform movement in China. It is highly regarded by researchers because of the unique history of Hong Kong as well as the newspaper’s editorial perspective on Imperial Japan and Communist China.”

http://www.proquest.com/about/news/2014/ProQuest-Unlocks-Archives-of-South-China-Morning-Post-for-Researchers.html (accessed 13 Nov 2015)

Please send feedback about the trial to joshua.seufert@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

The Japan Times Archives Online (1897-2014) (trial until 10 January 2016)

From its inception in 1897 (Meiji 30), The Japan Times has been Japan’s most widely read English-language daily newspaper, providing very wide coverage of world and domestic news, business and politics.

Please send feedback about the trial to izumi.tytler@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Newspapers and other online news sources from the 17th-21st centuries – Tuesday 26 May 14.00-15.30

Posted on 20 May 2015 by iholowaty

[re-blogged from Bodleian iSkills blog]

Using newspapers in your research

Newspapers are wonderful resources for both historical and contemporary research not only providing a record of events, politics, the law and international affairs but also rich information about the zeitgeist of the age, social and cultural life, language and much more.

However, newspapers can be tricky to use in research. Tracking down papers can be difficult not least because historical newspapers are spread across a range of digital resources whilst in the modern age the huge scale of the resources available and the plethora of editions can make research tricky. Mastering the appropriate resources in order to search them effectively and to make the most of the items you find can also be a challenge.

To develop your skills in using newspapers in research, why not come to the Bodleian Libraries’ iSkills session Newspapers and other online news sources from the 17th-21st centuries on Tuesday 26 May 14.00-15.30. During the session we will look at a wide range of resources for both historical and contemporary research and how to make best use of them. > Find out more about this course and book a place.

New: BelgicaPress – digitised Belgian newspapers 1831-1950

Posted on 30 April 2015 by iholowaty

On 24 April, the Koninklijke Bibliotheek België (Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, Royal Library of Belgium) launched BelgicaPress, an online resource providing access to nine digitised historical Belgian newspapers. Over 4 million pages have been digitised. They cover 1831 to 1950 for the following newspapers:

L’Echo De La Presse, Gazet Van Brussel, Het Handelsblad, L’Indépendance Belge (printed in Britain), Le Messager De Gand, De Nieuwe Gids, De Nieuwe Standaard and Het Nieuws Van Den Dag.

However, only content before 1919 is freely accessible over the internet. That is still an amazing 1.2 million pages and particularly good news for 19th century and World War I historians.

How do you spot free content? In your search results list, look out for:Content after 1919 can only be consulted in the Koninklijke Bibliotheek België itself. And how do you spot those? In your search results list, look out for:

Thanks to OCR, the content is full-text searchable. However, I have found it somewhat temperamental. For instance, Hitler also retrieves bitter and Ritter.

Once you have an image on the screen, you can zoom in really well and you can pick up a permalink. I particularly like the ability to select a section which then automatically gets enlarged. A nice touch.

Despite a few niggles, this resource should be hugely welcomed by researchers and the Koninklijke Bibliotheek België should be praised for its work.

As it’s so useful, it is now also listed in Databases A-Z and SOLO.

Related resources:

Check out the Newspaper section in Databases A-Z for subscription resources.
More historical newspaper resources bookmarked on the HFL Diigo site.
Other blog posts on newspapers.

[updated 3 August 2023]

Trial until 14 May: 19th Century British Newspapers Parts III and IV

Posted on 13 April 2015 by iholowaty

The Bodleian Libraries is now running a trial for 19th Century British Newspapers Parts III and IV [now known as British Library Newspapers, Parts III and IV] Access is via OxLIP+.

Following on from the existing subscription to 19th Century British Newspapers, this trial provides access to new content which private subscribers to the British Newspaper Archive can already access.

Parts III and IV, covering 1750-1950, further extends the range of English regional newspapers and expands the views represented in the series. Examples of new additions cover all areas of Britain and include, for instance, The Cornishman 1878-1950, Norfolk Chronicle, 1776-1867, Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette 1749-1950, Sheffield Daily Telegraph 1855-1904, etc.

Newspapers are a fascinating source material, providing both news and views and a running commentary of many aspects of our society.

Please send feedback to Isabel Holowaty or leave a comment at History databases desiderata & trials by 14 May 2015.

New: e-access to The Nation, National Review, The New Republic Digital Archives

Posted on 2 February 2015 by iholowaty

[re-blogged from the VHL Blog.]

We’re pleased to announce that, following a trial in the autumn, we have now subscribed to the digital archives of three significant political magazines: The Nation, National Review and The New Republic.

The Nation is the oldest continually published weekly magazine in the United States, beginning publication in 1865, and describes itself as “the flagship of the left”.
National Review was founded in 1955 by William F. Buckley, Jr. and is a hugely important source for any study of American conservatism over the past sixty years.
The New Republic, founded in 1914, is widely considered important in changing the character of liberalism in the direction of governmental interventionism, both foreign and domestic.

Each archive starts from the first issue and runs up to present, and the three may be cross-searched with each other and also the Readers’ Guide Retrospective database. Access is via Databases A-Z.

Related resource

Readers’ Guide Retrospective: 1890-1982

More eresource trials: The Nation, National Review, New Republic archives

Posted on 25 September 2014 by iholowaty

[re-blogged from the VHL blog post.]

As well as the History Vault trial which we announced, we now have trial access to three magazine archives: The Nation, National Review and The New Republic.

The Nation is the oldest continually published weekly magazine in the United States, beginning publication in 1865, and describes itself as “the flagship of the left”.
National Review was founded in 1955 by William F. Buckley, Jr. and is a hugely important source for any study of American conservatism over the past sixty years.
The New Republic, founded in 1914, is widely considered important in changing the character of liberalism in the direction of governmental interventionism, both foreign and domestic.

The VHL has extensive holdings in print of all three magazines, although we have significant gaps in our run of National Review.

Access is available via Databases A-Z until 24th November 2014. Please send comments and feedback to Jane Rawson.

New: Readers’ Guide Retrospective: 1890-1982

Posted on 18 March 2014 by iholowaty

[Re-blogged from the Vere Harmsworth Library blog]

Following a successful trial last autumn, we’re pleased to announce that Oxford readers now have access to the Readers’ Guide Retrospective: 1890-1982.

This database provides searchable access to the archive of the Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature covering 1890-1982, including over three million articles from approximately 375 magazines (title list).

Full text access is available to many articles though not all. As well as providing access to new content, this database will make it much easier to search for articles in many of the print magazines already held in the library, such as The Nation, National Review, The New Republic, Ebony, and Time but also popular magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar.

Access is now available via SOLO and Databases A-Z; use single sign-on for off-campus access.

Le Monde now available on microfilm in Bodleian

Posted on 13 February 2014 by iholowaty

Thanks to the generosity of Nuffield College Library who have kindly donated a collection of microfilms to the Bodleian Library, historians can consult Le Monde on microfilm covering Jan/Feb 1954 upto March 1994. All you need to do is search Le Monde in SOLO and order up the year / reel you need.

Le Monde (0395-2037) is France’s most well known and well regarded daily newspaper, with economic news consisting of a mixture of shorter news stories and longer analytical stories. It is a great source for modern French and European history.

Did you know there is a Digital Microfilm Reader for you to use?

Online availability to Oxford users:

Le Monde issues are available online via Nexis UK (8 January 1987-) or via Factiva (21 December 1994-).

Bodleian History Faculty Library at Oxford

A Bodleian Libraries blog

Tag Archives: newspapers