Introduction

Since the advent of the Internet and the explosion of electronic resources, academic libraries have changed the way they maintain archives of newspapers. The electronic databases have replaced the microfilming process for many newspapers, therefore it is often not possible to retrieve an original newspaper article via Interlibrary Loan and researchers must rely on databases for article access. Even the Bluebook is adjusting to this environment, as Rule 16.5(d) indicates that articles retrieved via commercial electronic databases can be cited using Rule 18.1.4.

The library has access to almost all major U.S. newspapers, many international news sources and many regional newspapers through its many database subscriptions. If you search for the title of a specific newspaper in the E-Journal Finder, you will be directed to the databases which offer online access. Be sure to choose "All" as your library to have access to all Georgetown University subscriptions. We also subscribe to a few newspapers in print. This guide will provide an overview of the library's newspaper holdings and include guidance on major sources for newspaper on the Internet.

Throughout this guide, when you see this icon  you will be able to retrieve a print equivalent of the newspaper.

Print Newspapers 

In the Williams Library, daily newspapers are kept in the Loewinger Lounge in the Robert B. Oakley Reading Room and then placed on reserve behind the circulation desk for 30 days. In the Wolff library, current newspapers are placed on a table near the printers and then retained behind the circulation desk for about 2 weeks. The library receives the following newspapers daily:

• Financial Times - available in Williams and Wolff
• New York Times - available in Williams and Wolff
• USA Today - available in Williams only
• Wall Street Journal - available in Williams & Wolff
• Washington Post - available in Williams and Wolff
• Washington Times - available in Williams only

Online Newspaper Database

Press Display - This service provides current coverage of worldwide newspapers, including a 60 day searchable backfile. Titles such as the Washington Post, Baltimore Sun and New York Daily News are included.

Wall Street Journal (Proquest) - Full text of articles from 1984 to present.

Factiva (Wall Street Journal) - A Dow Jones database which provides worldwide full text coverage of all editions of the Wall Street Journal and thousands of other local and regional newspapers, trade publications, business newswires, press release wires, media transcripts, and news photos. Includes pagination on most articles.

Lexis/Nexis - Provides access to the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post and many other major newspapers. Coverage of each newspaper varies by source, and users have the ability to search each news source individually or as part of a combined news file. Allows for headline, byline and head/lead paragraph searching.

ProQuest - Select the News & Newspaper icon to search the full-text of hundreds of news sources.

Westlaw - Archival access to the Washington Times, USA Today and other smaller newspapers are provided on Westlaw. Coverage of each newspaper varies by source.

Historical Newspapers(Proquest) - Proquest has a separate database that provides searchable access to PDF articles of older versions of the following newspapers:

• Baltimore Sun (1837 -1986) 
• Chicago Tribune (1849 - 1988) 
• Los Angeles Times (1881 - 1988) 
• New York Times (1851-2008) 
• Wall Street Journal (1889 - 1994) 
• Washington Post (1877 - 1995) 

Early American Newspapers, Series I (1690-1876) - Over 700 historical American newspapers are included in this set with cover-to-cover reproductions. The articles are fully searchable and provide an historical perspective of news during the early centuries of the country.

Access World News - NewsBank provides full-text articles from the electronic editions of more than 700 newspapers around the globe. Coverage varies.

Alt-Press Watch - This Proquest database provides full text database of newspapers, magazines and journals from alternative and independent presses. Coverage varies by newspaper.

Black Studies Center - Includes the full-text of the Chicago Defender (1910-1975) and Daily Defender (1956-1975).

Ethnic NewsWatch - This Proquest database is an interdisciplinary, bilingual (English and Spanish) full text database of newspapers, magazines and journals from ethnic, minority and native presses

Latin American Newsstand - ProQuest Latin American Newsstand provides full-text information in Spanish and Portuguese from 37 newspapers from Puerto Rico and 11 Latin American countries, including Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil. Key newspaper titles include El Universal, Mexico City's largest-selling newspaper; O Globo (Brazil); La Nacion (Argentina); and El Mercurio (Chile).

Wire Services

The Associated Press (AP), Bloomberg and Reuters are just a few of the major wire services which provide articles to newspapers around the country and the world. When citing to any news wire article, it is best to cite to its publication in a prominent newspaper, such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, etc. so that other researchers can more easily retrieve a copy of the article. For example, if you find an AP wire service article in the Raleigh News and Observer, try searching in the New York Times or Washington Post to see if that publication also ran a version of the article and cite to that source if available. The title may not be exactly the same, but the author and subject should be easily searchable.

Bloomberg Law - access to this proprietary wire service is available to all members of the Georgetown Law community be e-mailing our Bloomberg representative..

Internet Newspaper Links

Virtually every newspaper maintains its own website with an archives of back issues on the web. However, some articles from the print version of a newspaper have been edited and/or may not be included in the online archives and many archives charge for retrieving individual articles. The following internet sites link to various newspapers published throughout the U.S., as well as internationally.

Google News - Search and browse 4500 news sources continuously updated

Internet Public Library - Scan through states and countries to link directly to newspapers

Yahoo's Directory of Newspapers - Link to newspapers across the country and the world

Legal Newspapers

There are several legal newspapers published throughout the United States. Some of the most widely read include:

• Legal Times - print edition published weekly, covers legal news from Washington, DC. Online edition is updated regularly and requires registration for access.
• National Law Journal - available through subscription databasess only. Microform issues from 1978 - 2004 are in media services.
• New York Law Journal - published on weekdays to cover the NY legal scene. Back issues are maintained in media services.
  

Newspaper Holdings in Microform 

The library has a very limited collection of newspapers in microfilm. This material can be located in the Media Services department on the first floor of the library. Here are the general newspaper holdings:

• The Christian Science Monitor: 1980 - 2001
• The Financial Times: 1990 - present
• The Independent: 1986-1989, 1990-2001
• The Journal of Commerce: 1996 - 2000
• Los Angeles Times: 1982 - 2001
• New York Times: 1851 - 2005
• The Times (London): 1986 - 2001
• Wall Street Journal: 1970 - 2004
• Washington Post: 1877 - 2004
• Washington Star: 1979 - 1981

Library of Congress Newspapers Project (Chronicling America)

Chronicling America is a searchable database of every newpaper published in the United States from 1690 until today. The directory will tell you which libraries maintain holdings of these newspapers. This project is in conjunction with the National Digital Newspaper Project. Many newspapers from 1860 until 1922 are digitized on this site.

Interlibrary Loan

If you are still unable to locate a newspaper article using the sources listed above, the library offers Interlibrary Loan services. There are special instructions for journal members and RAs. Also, the Library of Congress, which does not lend their materials, maintains an extensive Newspaper collection. For further assistance, call the Library's Reference Desk at 202-662-9140, or send e-mail to libref@law.georgetown.edu.