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[Misc] Good alternatives to British Newspaper Archive?
- Thread starter Han Solo
- Start date
Just ask some of the older people on here what really happened.
A couple of them are the last living witnesses to the erection of Stonehenge.
A couple of them are the last living witnesses to the erection of Stonehenge.
KZNSeagull
Well-known member
And some of them last got an erection at Stonehenge.
Watching others getting it up?
I don't think there are any free sites, they will all require a subscription these days. However, rather than taking out lots of different subscriptions to different newspapers, this might be the best site. Offers access to a range of newspapers over the last 300 years, starting from £8.34 pcm.
- Thread starter
- #8
Yeah thats the one that allows you to read 3 articles when signing up...
Every other goddamn country have free newspaper archives so that anyone can research the histories of these countries. This is like having fees at a library, completey anti-knowledge elitist nonsense.
https://www.newspapers.com/ seems to give you a free week - I can't see a reference to a limit on the number of articles accessible within that week.
You need to provide payment details but like most of these models, I'm sure you can cancel within the week so you don't have to pay.
From there, I guess it's a matter of whether you can just open a new account each week...
You need to provide payment details but like most of these models, I'm sure you can cancel within the week so you don't have to pay.
From there, I guess it's a matter of whether you can just open a new account each week...
Perry's Tracksuit Bottoms
King of Sussex
I'd be interested to know who you think should pay for the digitisation of the 60 million newspapers in the (really quite remarkable) British Library collection. Only 20 million are currently digitised so there's a long way to go yet.Yeah thats the one that allows you to read 3 articles when signing up...
Every other goddamn country have free newspaper archives so that anyone can research the histories of these countries. This is like having fees at a library, completey anti-knowledge elitist nonsense.
Also, if you were in this country you'd be able to access them for free from your local library. Not exactly elitist or anti-knowledge.
MattBackHome
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 11,825
Agree entirely with @Perry's Tracksuit Bottoms.
British Newspaper Archive is amazing value and well worth the sub, if you're so inclined.
British Newspaper Archive is amazing value and well worth the sub, if you're so inclined.
Perry's Tracksuit Bottoms
King of Sussex
At the beginning of my career I spent several days doing research at the old physical newspaper library in Colindale, which is where anyone from anywhere in the world would have to travel to if they wanted to access the archive. The equivalant cost of getting there, even from central London, was probably more than a current monthly subscription, and then you could spend days looking for a single article that may or may not have actually existed.
This was only 25 years ago. The fact that you can now access so much of the archive so easily and search it so swiftly is a modern miracle.
I lost a day getting to, looking round and getting home from Colindale for my Sociology A Level research in the late 80s. And didn't really find anything useful (though quite a lot that was interesting).
That describes most library visits doesn't it?
I'm not sure I ever learnt much about engineering from my college/uni visits to the library, but I can tell you that Lincoln and Lewes castles are the only two in England that have two (yes 2) mottes.
- Thread starter
- #15
Will try that one out! A whole week to play with sounds decent.
I have no other opinion than I'd like to be able to read millions of old newspapers for free, which is possible when it comes to virtually every other country under some sort of "knowledge is good so lets have free access to it"-principle.
Anyway, can close the thread, if there was a free option someone would have told me about it.
Can you read the BBC web site from Sweden? It is rather good.
- Thread starter
- #17
Yup. Its indeed very good.
Superphil
Dismember
Opens up many paywalls.
cheshunt seagull
Well-known member
- Jul 5, 2003
- 2,572
The newspapers in the collection were always available to be consulted at the British Library in print or microfilm form. The BL's government funding does not provide any money for large scale digitisation. This project would have meant that a private company picked up all the digitisation costs in return for the right to sell access probably for a fixed period. During this time the digitised, searchable news content has been made available onsite at the Library with some free online access and the potential for other libraries to provide access. A big improvement in access to a unique collection with minimal cost to the taxpayer. Not really elitist just balancing access with responsible use of public funds. OK, I am not totally unbiased as I used to work at the Library but not on this project.