Having a primary source such as a newspaper often enhances a research project. Below you will find information about how to access current and historical newspapers.
ACCESS WORLD NEWS allows you to search hundreds of currently-published English-language newspapers from around the world. You can, for example, scroll down and select "USA Source Locator Map" on the right hand side. Type in a topic (e.g., George Floyd) and then a date. This will give you articles that were published that day from hundreds of news sources from around the country. This will give you a sense of how a topic was reported in a variety of regions.
AMERICA'S HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS WITH TIMELINE on the Saint Ann's Library Databases page. This curated collection includes newspapers from across the country published between 1690-2000. History is divided into eras (e.g.,The Civil Rights Movement 1957-1963). Within that timeframe articles about pivotal subjects are collected, such as James Baldwin or The Birmingham Church Bombing. You can also search the collection without using the timeline.
PROQUEST on the Saint Ann's Library Databases page. You can start with a general search. After getting initial results you can modify your search on the left. You can search in a particular date range, type of source (like a newspaper), or even full text (useful for weeding out abstracts). On the upper right you can select modify my search and add another keyword.
CLICK HERE to access the Saint Ann's Database page. Databases are listed alphabetically.
If you are not physically in school you'll have to enter a password to get in. If you are in school you shouldn't need a password. You probably know what the password is. If you don't, CLICK HERE to find out (you'll have to log in with your Saint Ann's Google account).
The New York Public Library offers access to many Black newspapers through PROQUEST. You will need a digital library card to access this database remotely. If you are 13 or over you can apply for a library card on your own. People 12 and under need to apply for one with a parent or guardian. (To check out print resources you need an actual physical library card.) HERE is the link to apply for a library card. Fill in the information (name, birthday, address, etc.). You will be prompted to pick a username and a PIN. Once you do that, you can sign in and explore the digital resources.
Click HERE for the ProQuest Research Library. To locate a particular newspaper you can search by Publication (select the tab at the top of the screen and then type in the name of the newsapaper you want) or select the Advanced Search tab and after typing in the name of the newspaper you want in the search box, select Publication Title from the dropdown menu.
Here is a partial list of the Black newspapers available:
Atlanta Daily World
Chicago Defender
Los Angeles Sentinel
New York Amsterdam News
New Journal and Guide
New Pittsburgh Courier
Philadelphia Tribune
The Historical New York Times (1851 - 2017) can be accessed through PROQUEST: NEWS AND ISSUES on the Saint Ann's Library database page. Once you click on the database, scroll down to ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times. If you select Advanced Search you can search for your subject within a particular date range, on a particular date, or before or after a date. You can also narrow your search by type of article such as obituary, editorial, or front page.
CLICK HERE to access the Saint Ann's Database page. Databases are listed alphabetically.
If you are not physically in school you'll have to enter a password to get in. If you are in school you shouldn't need a password. You probably know what the password is. If you don't, CLICK HERE to find out (you'll have to log in with your Saint Ann's Google account).
The Library of Congress offers information about 132 African American newspapers. Click HERE to have a look. The list is a part of Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. The newspapers are organized by state of origin. The date of publication as well as the number of issues published is included.
If you want to look at PFDs of the digitized newspapers, click on the calendar icon under the Browse Issues tabs next to the newspaper of your choice. You can then view the available issues or select Show all front pages.