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Newspapers and current news sources

News databases | Print and online newspapers | Campus newspapers | Free news search engines | News media directories | Searchable news archives 

The simplest way to see the newspapers we have access to online is to search the newspaper's name in the Journal Title Database. That will show whether we have any access, for what date ranges, and through what provider. Some providers will allow browsing issues by date; most require you to search for articles, probably by title or author.

We maintain a few print subscriptions (these will show in the Journal Title Database) and keep back issues in microforms for many national and local newspapers.

Full-text online news databases, provided by the University Libraries 

LexisNexis Academic features the New York Times, Washington Post, and Christian Science Monitor, and hundreds of smaller papers.

• For most papers, coverage dates from present to between 1990 and 1995 (for some major papers, it goes back to around 1980)
• Includes broadcast news transcripts and college newspapers

Factiva features the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, and numerous other papers from around the nation and world. (NOTE: You cannot view articles from the Tribune Company in Factiva because of licensing restrictions. This restriction includes the Chicago Tribune, LA Times, Baltimore Sun, Newsday, and the Hartford Courant.)

For more databases, including resources for searching historical, alternative and ethnic newspapers, go to the News Sources subject page.

Newspapers provided by the University Libraries 

• Online newspapers search for the newspaper title in our Journal Title Database
• Newspapers currently subscribed to (in print) by the University Libraries
• Newman Library newspaper guide
• Major and local newspapers on microform/paper/online (PDF) includes online/print/microform access, plus print index information
• Newspaper microfiche with NEWSBANK: coverage from 1976-1998
• U.S. and international newspapers from the Center for Research Libraries (request microfilm rolls through ILLiad for a 3 month loan with unlimited renewals)

Virginia Tech campus newspapers 

The Collegiate Times, the student newspaper appearing Tuesday through Friday during the academic year.

• For searchable CT archives dating to 1997, visit LexisNexis Academic (to limit to the Collegiate Times, include the phrase AND "collegiate times" as part of your search). You can also search the CT archives (dating to approximately 2003) from the CT home page -- look for the Search box in the bottom right of the home page).
• To search older CT archives, use the Local Newspaper Index. It contains citations to articles from the CT from 1970 to 1998, though the index is not comprehensive.
• Old issues of the CT (from 1970 onward) are available on microfilm at LD5655.V8 V5, or in print in Special Collections.

The Virginia Tech Spectrum: A former publication of the Office of University Relations at Virginia Tech primarily aimed at faculty, staff and graduate students, the Spectrum ceased publication in 2004. Old issues of the Spectrum are available at DLA's Spectrum Archives (1994/95 through 2004), or in print in Special Collections.

Free online news search engines

Google News Archive: A nice way to search and explore historical newspaper archives from across the web. Search results include both content that is accessible to all users and content that requires a fee.

• Topix
• Yahoo! News
• WorldNews Network

Online directories of news media 

• NewsDirectory
• Google Directory of News
• News Voyager: A Gateway to your Local Newspaper (newspapers only)

Searchable topical news archives 

Local Newspaper Index: The Local Newspaper Index contains citations to articles dealing with Virginia, Virginia Tech, Southwest Virginia and the New River Valley. The Newspapers indexed are the Roanoke Times and World News (New River Valley Edition, 1965 to December 31, 1993); the News Messenger (1963 to June 1998), reporting the news of Montgomery County and Radford; the Collegiate Times (1970 to June 1998), the official student newspaper at Virginia Tech; and the Virginia Tech Spectrum (1978 to April 30, 1995), the staff and faculty newspaper at Virginia Tech. None of the papers are indexed comprehensively.

Television News Archive: This database is the guide to the Television News Archive at Vanderbilt University. Since 1968, the Archive has systematically recorded, abstracted and indexed the most widely viewed national television newscasts so that they are readily available for study. In addition to the nightly newscasts, the Archive has more than 9,000 hours of news-related programming.