Research Guides: HIST 091: Senior Research Seminar (SC): Historical Newspapers & Magazines (World)

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Online Databases for Historical News - a small selection - World History (non-US)

These are just a handful of online databases for historical newspapers, magazines, and periodicals. Want more recommendations? Talk to reference librarian Simon Elichko - selichk1@swarthmore.edu.

African Newspapers
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Search 40 African newspapers published between 1800-1922
Gale primary sources
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Search across multiple British newspapers including The Times and Illustrated London News. Also includes some 19th century publications from British colonies, among other publications from 1604-2008.
NewspaperArchive.com
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NewspaperARCHIVE.com contains tens of millions of newspaper pages from 1607 to present. Every newspaper in the archive is fully searchable by keyword and date, making it easy for you to quickly explore historical content. (from the website)
Access World News
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Mostly useful for recent newspaper articles (2000s-present), but includes a handful of newspapers back to the 1970s and 1980s. Select your country first, then see if any of the newspapers included in this database go back to the right dates.

The Guardian and Observer (ProQuest Historical News)
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Search full-text of British newspapers The Guardian and Observer from 1791-2003.

Rand Daily Mail, 1902-1985
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Published daily in Johannesburg beween 1902-1985. It was the first newspaper to openly oppose apartheid and contribute to its downfall. Complete, fully searchable digital edition featuring every page of every issue
Empire Online
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Includes missionary journals and some other periodicals, with a particular focus on materials from colonies in Africa and South Asia. Most documents date from the 1800s, but there are also some documents from the 1600s, 1700s, and 1900s.
Periodicals Index Online
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Useful for finding relevant articles from magazines and historical periodicals from 1600s-present. Note that Periodicals Index Online is just an index - it doesn't give you full-text or scans. Use the FindIt button, search Tripod, or ask a librarian.

More research tools for historical news (world)

Historical Newspapers (TriCo Libraries Guide)
This larger guide contains additional links to online databases for historical newspapers and magazines. (World and US)

How to Find Newspapers and Magazines

If you're looking for a specific publication (e.g. The New York Times):

Search Tripod to see if the library has a database, print copies, or microfilm. For best results, use Tripod Journal Search. (example Tripod search)
If that doesn't work, try searching Worldcat. Search for the publication title, then filter your results by publication type. Ask a librarian about searching and requesting.

How to identify newspapers and magazines when you don't have a specific title in mind:

Browse the online databases listed on this page. (e.g. Readers Guide Retrospective, American Periodicals Series)
Find a recent scholarly history book on your topic. Look at the bibliography/sources and see if the author lists any newspapers (or other periodicals).

You might find historical newspapers, magazines, or periodicals in the following forms:

Scanned versions through online databases
In print books available from libraries (e.g. bound magazines and journals, facsimiles of newspapers) - TriCo or via Interlibrary Loan
On microfilm - owned by the TriCo libraries or requested via Interlibrary Loan. (There's a microfilm reader on McCabe 3rd you can use.)