American Culture

Use this guide to find newspaper articles that were published prior to the 1970's. For help finding articles that are more recent, take a look at the guide, How Do I ... Find articles on a topic.

• Full-text Historical Newspapers
• References to Historical Newspaper articles
• Clipping Files

Full-text Historical Newspapers

ProQuest Historical Newspapers

Go to: Library Home Page
Enter: ProQuest Historical Newspapers in the search box
Go to: The Databases section of the results
Click on: The link to all the newspapers on the specific title you want

ProQuest Historical Newspapers provides full-text searchable access to the complete backfiles of thirteen U.S. and seven international newspapers, including: seven major mainstream U.S. newspapers--Atlanta Constitution (1868-1945), Chicago Tribune (1849-1987), Detroit Free Press (1831-1922), Los Angeles Times (1881-1987), New York Times (1851-2008), Wall Street Journal (1889-1994), Washington Post (1877-1994); six major African American community newspapers--Atlanta Daily World (1931-2003), Baltimore Afro-American (1893-1988), Chicago Defender (1909-1975), Los Angeles Sentinel (1934-2005), New York Amsterdam News (1922-2003), and Pittsburgh Courier (1911-2002); five major British and Irish newspapers--The Guardian (1821-2003), The Observer (1791-2003), The Scotsman (1817-1950), and the Irish Times (1859-2008) and Weekly Irish Times (1876-1958); and a major newspaper of India--The Times of India (1838-2002)--and of Israel--Jerusalem Post (1932-1988). Includes original page images digitized from microfilm.

Times Digital Archive

Go to: Library Home Page
Enter: Times Digital Archive in the search box
Go to: The Databases section of the results
Click on: The link to Times Digital Archive

A searchable online version of the Times of London from 1785-2006. It is possible to view individual articles or the entire page of the newspaper.

Sunday Times Digital Archive

Go to: Library Home Page
Enter: Sunday Times Digital Archive in the search box
Go to: The Databases section of the results
Click on: The link to Sunday Times Digital Archive

A searchable online version of the Sunday Times of London from 1822-2006. It is possible to view individual articles or the entire page of the newspaper.

Early American Newspapers

An ongoing project to reproduce on microfilm and then digitize all newspapers listed in Saunder's History and Bibliography of American Newspapers, 1690-1820. (available in the Graduate Library Reference Room under the call number Z 6951 .B86). At least part of this collection is now available online.

Go to: Library Home Page
Enter: Early American Newspapers in the searchbox
Go to: The Databases section of the results
Click on: The link to Early American Newspapers

Also, available on microfilm at Serials/Microfilm Services on the second floor of the Graduate Library under the call number FILM X2128.

The microfilm reels are arranged on the shelf by state. Within each box or set of boxes labeled with a given state's name, the reels should be in alphabetic order by city or town where the newspaper was published. Some reels contain more than one newspaper title. Check with Serials and Microfilm Services on the south side of the 2nd floor of the Graduate Library for help finding titles.

 AccessNewspaperarchive.com

A database of mainly English language historical newspapers starting from 1607 and going to the present. The largest number of holdings is from 1880-2010 and is mainly from the United States, Canada, England and Ireland although there are some newspapers from other countries in other languages.

African American Newspapers: The 19th Century

A growing database of searchable text from the major African American newspapers published in the United States in the 19th century.

British Newspapers 1600 - 1900

Go to: Library Homepage
Enter: British Newspapers 1600-1900 in the search box
Go to: Databases secion
Click on: the link to British Newspapers 1600-1900

Available on microfilm at Serials/Microfilm Services on the second floor of the Graduate Library under the call number Film X1287.

These newspapers were filmed from the holdings of the Burney Collection at the British Library. A list of the newspapers included in this set is available.

Accessible Archives

A database which has a variety of priamary historical soruces and includes some newspapers such as the African American Newspapers collection mentioned above, the Pennsylvania Gazette (1728-1800), the Liberator (1831-1865) and a collection of South Carolina newspapers (1732-1780).

Go to: Library Homepage
Enter: Accessible archives
Go to: the Databases section
Click on: the link to Accessible Archive

19th Century British Library Newspapers

About 50 newspapers selected by the British Library to best represent 19th century Britain.

Go to: Library Homepage
Enter: 19th century british library
Go to: the Databases section
Click on: the link to 19th Century British Library Newspapers

Chronicling America

A searchable database of a growing number of historical American newspapers from 1860-1922. It also includes information (but not full text) of American newspapers from 1690-present. 

The Liberator

Searchable text of a weekly newspaper published in Boston from 1831-1865. The online version is in progress and does not yet include all years

The paper version is available in the Graduate Library Folio section under E449 .L665a. Ask at the Graduate Library Circulation Desk for assistance. The microfilm call number is FILM X423 Reel 391-399. Available at Serials/Microforms on the second floor of the Graduate Library.

Financial Times

Searchable facsimile of the Financial Times from 1888-2006. Every article and advertisement is included.The microfilm version is available at the Kresge Business Library from 1980 to the present.

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Illustrated London News

Full facsimile of the illustrated newspaper from 1842-2003.

North China Herald

English language newspaper published in Shanghai from around 1850 to the 1940s.

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References to Historical Newspaper articles

New York Times Index

Online - Historical Index to the New York Times 1851-1923.

Print - Graduate Library Reference AI 21 .N53. The last 35 years are in the Graduate Library Reference Room, older indexes are in the stacks on 1 North. This index covers 1913-present. Graduate Library stacks - AI21 N528 - covers 1851-1912.

Microfilm - Serials and Microforms - FILM 4159 The library has, 1851-1858, 1860, and 1863-1905.

London Times Index

Online - Index to the Times 1790-1980

Brief citations to articles that appeared in The Times (London). Searchable by keyword in the title and/or in article main heading. Includes Palmer's Index to the Times (1790-1905) and the Official Index to the Times (1906-1980)

Print - The following print indexes to the London Times are all available in the Graduate Library stacks under the call number listed unless otherwise noted.

Times Index (1785-1789) Call number AI 21.T577

Palmer's Index to "The Times" newspaper (1790-1905) Call number AI 21 .T578

Annual Index to the Times (1906-1913) Call number AI21 .T579

The Official Index to the Times (1914-1957) Call number AI21.T58a

Index to the Times (1957-1973) Call number AI 21 .T58a

Times Index (1974-present) Call number AI 21 .T58b The Last 10 years are in the Reference Room on the second floor of the Graduate Library. Older indexes are in the stacks on 1 North.

 CD-ROM

Palmer's Index to "The Times" newspaper (1790-1905), is available from Serials/Microforms Services, second floor of the Graduate Library under the call number CD-ROM GLX16

Times Index (1975-present) is available from Serials/Microforms Services, second floor of the Graduate Library under the call number CD-ROM GLX19

British Newspaper Archive

The University Library does not own a subscription to the British News Archive because it does not provide institutional access to its content. However, much of the full text is available through access to the Gale News Vault. Full text not available through this resource can often be accessed through Interlibrary Loan or through other resources. The British News Archive does serve as a valuable index that helps you find citations to articles that might be of interest. Once you have found a citation in British News Archive, check for the full text in Gale News Vault or ask a librarian for suggestions on how to get the articles that you need.

Christian Science Monitor

Print - "Index of the Christian Science monitor" 1945-2003 is available in the stacks of the Graduate Library under the call number AI21 .C55

Le Monde

Print - "Le Monde. Index analytique" and "Le Monde. Index" 1944/1945-1950,1958,1965-1968,1978-2001 is available in the Reference Room on the second floor of the Graduate Library under the call number AI21 .M74.

Clipping Files

Here are some examples of the kinds of clipping files that might assist you in your research. Contact the local library in the geographical area you are researching to find out what kind of historical information is collected.

Ann Arbor District Library - Detroit Free Press (for items related to Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan) and Ann Arbor News

Ann Arbor District Library is on the corner of William St. and Fifth Ave. The clipping file is on the second floor and is freely available to the public and covers clippings to 2003. Staff at the Reference Desk can answer any questions about the clipping file as well as an online file that indexes articles in 2004. The Library's phone number is 734-327-4200.

Bentley Historical Library - Michigan Historical Collections Vertical File

This independent library on UM-Ann Arbor's North Campus, home of the Michigan Historical Collections and the University of Michigan Archives, has since the mid-1940s maintained a vertical file of articles documenting state and UM history. For more details and a searchable online list of all subject and personal name headings in the vertical file, see http://bentley.umich.edu/research/guides/vertical_file/.

The Bentley Library also houses a comprehensive collection of Michigan newspapers, including full or significant runs of special topic and non-mainstream press such as anti-slavery and abolitionist journals, temperance and prohibition publications, and counter-culture underground newspapers of the 1960s. See http://bentley.umich.edu/research/guides/newspapers/ for more details. Hint: Call ahead (734-764-3482) or visit their web site at bentley.umich.edu before going in person.

Detroit Public Library Burton Historical Collection

Not exactly a clippings file but the Burton Historical Collection card catalog indexes many articles from the Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, Detroit Advertiser & Tribune, Detroit Tribune, Detroit Evening News and Detroit Saturday Night. This is not a comprehensive index of any one of these sources. Topics in the catalog cover every aspect of Detroit's history including banks, churches, ethnic populations, fires, hotels, industries, city government agencies, monuments, organizations, schools, streets, street cars, and zoos. For further information contact the Burton Historical Collection staff at (313) 481-1401 or email bhc@detroitpubliclibrary.org.

Black Biographical Dictionaries, 1790-1950

Graduate Library MICRO-F 2161 Provides ready access to biographical information on more than 30,000 African Americans and many of the entries are clippings from newspapers.

Hampton University Newspaper Clipping File

Graduate Library MICRO-F 1324 55,000 clippings from nearly 100 black newspapers provide a unique journalistic record of black political, economic and cultural life in the early twentieth century with particular emphasis on the rural South. Virtually every facet of black life is covered from national events such as debates over voter disenfranchisement and Jim Crow legislation to local issues such as a black mother from Downingtown, Pennsylvania fighting the School Board order that would have sent her children to a segregated basement school. The name and subject index are also available in Serials/Microforms, 2 Hatcher Graduate Library South.

Schomburg Center Clipping File

Graduate Library MICRO-F X392 The Schomburg clipping file is composed of periodical and newspaper clippings selected from the archives of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture of the New York Public Library. These materials deal with the global history and culture of black people as well as the black experience, primarily in the United States, from 1925-1988. Included are newspaper clippings, broadsides, programs, playbills, leaflets, pamphlets, newsletters, book reviews, typescripts, menus and other types of ephemera.

Also consider contacting historical societies for further assistance.