The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign library has launched a detailed instructional guide to help students, faculty, and staff navigate its extensive collection of digital newspaper databases.
The resource provides direct access to both current and historical news archives, ranging from international press to specialized ethnic publications.
Users can access Access World News, which provides full-text content from over 600 U.S. and 700 international sources. The database offers diverse perspectives on local, regional, and world issues.
Specialized and Historical Archives
The library's digital collection includes deep dives into specialized histories. The 'African American Newspapers: The 19th Century' database offers complete texts of major publications, including Frederick Douglass’ Paper and The North Star.
Researchers can also explore 'Indigenous Newspapers in North America,' featuring nearly 200 years of print journalism from the United States and Canada. This collection tracks how events were reported by and for Indigenous communities across various eras.
For those studying Latin American affairs, the 'Latin American Newsstream' provides full-text information in Spanish and Portuguese. The database covers 37 newspapers from Puerto Rico and 11 Latin American nations, including major titles like Mexico's El Universal and Brazil's O Globo.
Other specialized resources include 'Ethnic NewsWatch,' which tracks minority presses from 1959 to the present, and 'Hispanic American Newspapers, 1808-1880.'
Local history remains accessible through the Illinois Digital Newspaper Collection. This free, open-access service allows users to browse digital facsimiles of historic Illinois newspapers, including searchable advertisements and photo captions.